Thirteen countries as well, as the European Union and the United Nations, signed onto a joint communiqué this afternoon condemning the “the ongoing violence, terrorism and extremism” in the increasingly unstable country of Libya.
Calling for a cease-fire from all parties, Algeria, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, the United States, the E.U. and U.N. agreed that the only way to resolve the ongoing crisis in Libya was through “a peaceful political dialogue,” and not a military solution.
The communiqué, negotiated yesterday and dated today, states in clear, concise language that the group, “reject(s) any outside interference in Libya,” despite previous intervention by an international coalition at the start of the rebellion in 2011. When asked if any country in the assembly objected to the shifted opinion, senior U.S. state department officials simply said, “there were certainly areas of dispute.”
State Officials added, “there was certainly a recognition by everyone present that the international community should have done more in Libya after Gadhafi fell, so it's our shared responsibility to do everything we can to bring about peace there.”
A second line of diplomacy will occur when Libya’s neighbor, Algeria, meets with warring factions to try and further negotiate a cease-fire. No details were provided on when that meeting would occur.