EU removes two prominent Libyan political figures from sanctions list

Imprimer

Brussels, Belgium, October 4 (Infosplusgabon) – The Council of the European Union on Friday removed two leading political figures from the list of individuals and entities subject to restrictive measures in relation to the Libyan conflict.

 

A press statement issued by the Council said Agila Saleh, Speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, and  Nuri Abu Sahmain, former president of the internationally unrecognised General National Congress of Libya, had been subject to EU restrictive measures – a travel ban and an asset freeze – since 2016.

 

According to the Council’s decision, the delisting of Speaker Saleh was agreed in light of his recent “constructive engagement in support of a negotiated political solution” to the Libyan crisis.

 

The Council said it will continue to follow his behaviour closely, notably in relation to his support for the Berlin Process and for the efforts of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

 

The delisting of Abu Sahmain was agreed based on the overall “absence of any recent role in the Libyan political process.”

 

The EU welcomed the announcements made on 21 August by the president of the Presidency Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, which accelerated promising developments in Libya and created a window of opportunity to move the Libyan transition  towards completion through a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process.

 

Friday’s decision underlined the strategic use of the EU’s sanctions regime, following developments on the ground. Restrictive measures are intended to bring about a change in policy or activity by entities and individuals responsible for malign behaviour, and are of a proportionate, targeted and non-punitive nature.

 

Further, the Council said that delisting is appropriate wherever the criteria for listing are no longer met, as was the case here.

 

 

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/PLM/GABON2020

 

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