US Embassy: Haftar makes personal pledge to lift blockade on oil sites

Écrit par Antoine Lawson | 13 Septembre 2020

Tripoli, Libya, September 13 (Infosplusgabon) - The United States Embassy in Libya announced on Saturday that the leader of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, has personally pledged to lift the blockade on oil sites imposed since last January.

The statement the US embassy said as responsible Libyan parties come together in UN-facilitated peaceful dialogue, the U.S. Embassy is encouraged by an apparent sovereign Libyan agreement to enable the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to resume its vital and apolitical work.

In an exchange of letters between US Ambassador Richard Norland and Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Haftar, as well as in recent discussions with a broad range of Libyan leaders, the Ambassador underscored U.S. confidence in the NOC and support for a financial model that would constitute a credible guarantee that oil and gas revenues would be managed transparently and preserved for the benefit of the Libyan people.

"The LNA subsequently conveyed to the U.S. government the personal commitment of General Haftar to allow the full reopening of the energy sector no later than September 12," the statement said.

It noted that the Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh on 21 August also called for the full resumption of NOC operations with transparent management of revenues.

"The Embassy welcomes what appears to be a Libyan consensus that it is time to reopen the energy sector," it said.

"As Libyans suffer from an acute electricity crisis rooted in the forced shutdown of oil and gas production, grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, and confront the threat posed by foreign mercenaries and armed groups at critical energy infrastructure sites, the implementation of these commitments is urgently needed to promote the well-being of the Libyan people."

The statement said credible safeguards will enable all Libyans to have confidence that revenues are not misappropriated.

It added that reopening the energy sector will also enable progress toward a much-needed overhaul of security arrangements for NOC facilities, including the full withdrawal of foreign military personnel and equipment present at oil and gas sites without Libyan approval and a Libyan agreement to reform the Petroleum Facilities Guard and break the cycle of predation by certain armed groups against energy resources that belong to all Libyans.

"The Embassy lends its full support to Libyan parties as they seek to implement a sovereign Libyan solution for the energy sector rooted in the best interests of the Libyan people," the statement said.

The intra-Libyan dialogue sessions in Bouznika between the Tripoli-based High Council of State and the House of Representatives in Tobruk resulted in a final declaration calling for the continuation of the dialogue and the resumption of these meetings during the last week of September.

The two sides asked the United Nations and the international community to support the efforts of Morocco aimed at creating adequate conditions and an appropriate atmosphere to achieve a comprehensive political settlement in Libya.

Last week, the city of Montreux, Switzerland, hosted a consultative meeting between the Libyan parties, at the invitation of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and under the auspices of the United Nations, during which participants agreed to hold elections in 18 months and start restructuring the Presidential Council to form a government of national unity.

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