Reopening of the coastal road between eastern and western Libya, more than two years after its closure
Libyan Joint Military Committee 5 + 5 announced today, Friday, the immediate reopening of the coastal road between eastern and western Libya, more than two years after its closure.
Committee member Khairy al-Tamimi, who read out its final statement, said: “The Libyan Joint Military Committee assures all citizens using the coastal road that it will take all security measures professionally and completely impartially to ensure the safety of citizens’ passage.”
The committee announced the assignment of a number of Libyan officers to monitor what was agreed upon, and also called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya “to quickly take measures to ensure the presence of international observers on the ground to contribute to supporting the Libyan monitoring mechanism.”
The statement added that the committee recalls what it had previously decided to prevent the movement of military convoys on the coastal road in the sector that currently extends from the Bouqrin Gate to the Al-Talatin Gate, west of the city gate of Sirte.
The committee renewed its call for the national unity government to “accelerate” the appointment of a defense minister.
She indicated the start of preparatory measures “to remove mercenaries and foreign fighters from all Libyan soil,” and called on “all countries to implement Security Council resolutions related to the expulsion of mercenaries and the outcomes of the Berlin Conferences 1 and 2”.
Commenting on the committee’s statement, the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, welcomed the announcement of the opening of the coastal road, saying that “the completion of opening the road represents a new step to continue construction and unify the country.”
Dabaiba expressed his thanks to the committee and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for the efforts made “to accomplish this file.”
In turn, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya welcomed the opening of the coastal road and considered it a “historic achievement.”
The mission quoted the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Jan Kubis, as saying, “The opening of the coastal road is another step in strengthening peace, security and stability in the country and unifying its institutions.”
“The committee’s outstanding work (5+5) is also a message to the country’s leaders to put aside their differences and work together to implement the roadmap and hold elections on December 24,” he added.
The UN envoy noted that the opening of the coastal road “is a vital step to continue implementing the ceasefire agreement signed on October 23, 2020, and of equal importance to facilitate free trade movement and provide humanitarian support to the Libyan people.”
“The next major step in the process of implementing the ceasefire agreement is to begin withdrawing all mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libya without delay by beginning to withdraw the first groups of mercenaries and foreign fighters from both sides,” he added.
The mission said that the Joint Military Committee praised the “important” role played by the Special Envoy and the mission in supporting the work of the committee, and that it had requested Kubis to continue providing support for the mission in order to implement the ceasefire agreement.
She added that the Joint Military Committee called for “facilitating a meeting with the relevant international parties to discuss a plan to withdraw mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libya without delay.”
The Special Envoy reiterated “the commitment of the United Nations and its continued support for the work of the Joint Military Commission, and the United Nations’ support for what the Commission requests.” Kubis also said he would “work with all local and international stakeholders to move forward with the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Today in Sirte, the Joint Military Committee completed the meetings that it started yesterday, in a tour that is the sixth of its kind.
A member of the Military Committee, Major General Khairy Al-Tamimi, told Al-Arabiya.net yesterday, Thursday, that the meetings discussed ways to complete the implementation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement signed on October 23 in the Swiss city of Geneva, especially the coastal road file. and foreign mercenaries.
And he had started The Sixth Meeting of the Joint Military Committee 5+5 Yesterday, in the presence of a delegation from the United Nations Mission.
The “Sirte-Al-Jafra Operations Room” of the Western Region and the former Government of National Accord had threatened the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee with closing the coastal road from its side, which Prime Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba had opened a month ago and returned to its previous position, in the event that it was not opened by The other side is at the level of Buirat Al-Hassoun and the city of Sirte, at the end of this month.
These meetings discussed the most prominent challenges facing Libya today, which is the opening of the coastal road between eastern and western Libya at the level of the cities of Sirte and Misurata, and the issue of securing it, especially after The completion of its maintenance work and mine clearance and set up security barriers.
The file of opening the coastal road between the cities of Sirte and Misurata and the expulsion of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya is an essential step for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, as they are considered among the most thorny issues that represent a great burden on the executive authority and impede the comprehensive peace process and national reconciliation, due to sharp differences over them.
