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Sweden reaches new deal on Libya mission

The Swedish government has reached an agreement with the Social Democrats and the Green Party to extend the country's military mission in Libya.

Published: 8 June 2011 09:22 CEST
Updated: 8 June 2011 10:37 CEST
Sweden reaches new deal on Libya mission

According to the agreement, which was unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Sweden will contribute five JAS Gripen fighter planes as well as a naval boarding team.

“We’re going to present a bill tomorrow morning,” foreign minister Carl Bildt said during a Wednesday morning press conference announcing the agreement.

“There will be more surveillance operations that what we’ve been able to achieve so far.”

He added that the Swedish mission in Libya could continue even after a ceasefire.

Bildt was joined by Social Democrat foreign policy spokesperson Urban Ahlin and Green Party spokesperson Åsa Romson to announce details of the agreement.

“Most people clearly believe that today is not the day to stop supporting Libya’s civilians and it’s not the day to end the no-fly zone,” said Romson.

“It’s time to increase the humanitarian mission and help with the refuges situation.”

Exactly how large the boarding team will be is up to the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) to determine, as is exactly which type of soldiers are best suited for the job.

On Tuesday, Left Party leader Lars Ohly released preliminary details about the agreement following a briefing with Bildt, even though his party would not be a part of the deal.

He said the Swedish team of soldiers tasked with boarding ships would fall under British command.

According to Ahlin, the force could be in place within a few days following a formal Riksdag decision on the matter.

The current Swedish mission in Libya consists of a squadron of eight Gripen fighters sent to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone which came into force on March 17th.

Officials from NATO, which took over responsibility for the foreign military mission in Libya on March 31st, have asked the Swedish government to extend the Gripen surveillance mission.

The deal comes following weeks of uncertainty about whether the government could strike a deal with the Social Democrats after an April 28th interview with the TT news agency in which party leader Håkan Juholt ruled out keeping the Sweden’s Gripen aircraft in Libya.

On May 18th, the party proposed extending Sweden’s military presence in Libya, but with a naval contribution rather than simply supporting the no-fly zone.

On Monday, however, Ahlin said the Social Democrats were open to allowing one or two planes to remain in Libya.

The agreement means that during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday, defence minister Sten Tolgfors can tell his NATO colleagues exactly what Sweden is prepared to offer.

NATO has proposed extending the current military mission in Libya another 90 days from July 1st.

An extension of the mission requires a new bill to be presented in the Riksdag before June 22nd.

The previous agreement on the current mission included all political parties except the far-right Sweden Democrats.

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IMMIGRATION

Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy

A Libya conference will be held in Sicily in November, Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday, with talks focusing on an "inclusive approach" to stabilising the war-torn north African country while not fixating on a date for elections.

Published: 3 October 2018 10:00 CEST
Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy
The coastline of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The peace conference in Palermo on November 12 and 13 will aim to “identify the stages of a stabilisation process”, Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi told the Senate.

The meeting would drive towards “a common solution, even if there are differences of opinion between the parties involved”, he said.

Four key leaders from Libya agreed at a conference in Paris in May to hold landmark polls on December 10 as part of a French-led plan to stabilise the crisis-hit country despite ongoing violence and deep divisions.

France, however, has faced opposition to the election timetable from the United States along with other European Union countries, notably Italy.

Milanesi said he had received “confirmation of interest” in the conference from Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar as well as support from the US, and was planning on discussing the dossier with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

“No deadlines will be imposed on the Libyans, nor tasks dictated,” Milanesi said.

Italy, a key supporter of the UN-backed government of Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli, said in September it wants to “maintain an active dialogue” with all well-intentioned actors in Libya.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was driven from power and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Sarraj's Government of National Accord has been unable to form a functioning army or regular security forces and has been forced to rely on militias to keep Tripoli safe.

Militias formed the backbone of the uprising that toppled Kadhafi.

Since then rival administrations, including one allied with Haftar and based in the remote east, and the militias have competed for authority and oil wealth in the North African country.

Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship, Haftar refuses to recognise the authority of Sarraj's Tripoli-based GNA.

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