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Lavrov: Detailed docs agreed-on in Berlin for resolving Libya crisis include ceasefire, political process, economic reform ‘Detailed proposals for Libyans to take up’: Roadmap for settling every field of Libya war agreed in Berlin – Lavrov
(about 2 hours later)
Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has briefed the press after the Libyan peace and reconciliation talks in Berlin, convened in an attempt to end the years-long civil war in the country. A set of measures to overcome the ongoing Libyan crisis has been agreed in a wide-ranging document at Berlin talks, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov has said – and it is up to the Libyans themselves to take up the peace process baton.
Participants of the Libyan peace summit have succeeded in agreeing on a set of detailed proposals aimed at overcoming the current crisis, which range from measures helping to maintain the ceasefire to recommendations on economic reforms and the political process, Lavrov told journalists, following the peace conference, which lasted some five hours. The document agreed at the conference covers several aspects that need work to resolve the Libyan crisis, Lavrov told journalists, following a meeting that lasted about five hours.
It was on Russia’s initiative that the representatives of the two major warring factions in the Libyan civil war were invited to the talks in Berlin, Lavrov said, adding that it would eventually be up to Libyans themselves to engage in a genuine and meaningful dialogue that would eventually help Libya overcome its current crisis. “It contains a chapter dedicated to security issues, which in particular includes measures to keep a stable ceasefire regime,” the minister said. Other proposals state that all of Libya’s sectarian groups, ethnic and political, should benefit from the nation’s natural resources.
Moscow also advocated the idea of expanding the circle of the conference participants to include Libya’s regional neighbors, which was eventually accepted by other nations. A special chapter also focuses on humanitarian issues and the plight of Libyan civilians; there is a chapter regulating international support for Libya that should be lent under the UN auspices.
The conference in Berlin was tasked with reaching a lasting ceasefire between Prime Minister of the UN-backed Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have been closing in on Tripoli in recent months. Russia insisted on inviting Libyan leaders
The Libya peace conference could have ended differently, had Russia not pushed for inviting the leaders of the two major Libyan warring factions to the meeting, the FM said.
He also added that Moscow had advocated the idea of expanding the circle of the conference participants to include Libya’s regional neighbors, which was eventually accepted by other nations.
Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the UN-backed Tripoli-based government, and General Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army, which controls most part of the country, took part in the summit alongside the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and the UK as well as the US Secretary of State. 
Their participation was fundamental to the peace talks and helped all sides to make another step towards resolving the crisis, the summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Sunday.
“It was important that … Prime Minister Sarraj and General Haftar named their representatives for a military “five plus five” commission meeting,” she said, adding that this commission should become a “basis” for a sustainable ceasefire regime.
Long way ahead?
While Lavrov has hailed the results of the conference, he stressed that it’s a small step towards the resolution, when compared to where the parties were after earlier landmark talks in Moscow. He described the Berlin meeting as “useful” but said that the participants had, nonetheless, failed to make two rival Libyan leaders start a meaningful, sustainable dialogue, as the differences between the two are still “too big.”
The initial Moscow meeting, held last Monday, involved Haftar and Sarraj as well as Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers; it lasted more than six hours but did not end in a signed agreement. However, the fact that it brought together both factions in the Libyan civil war was a major achievement on its own, even though they still refused to sit in the same room, same as they did in Berlin.
Both the GNA and the LNA have for the most part respected the ceasefire called-for by Moscow and Ankara, prompting the leaders to be cautiously optimistic about the possibility of peace.
Now, the Berlin proposals agreed in the German capital will be added to a catalogue of ideas which “the international community could use to create conditions for the Libyan sides to come to the negotiation table and start reaching an agreement,” Lavrov said.
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