German minister demands sanctions for states delivering arms to Libya

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for sanctions against states that deliver weapons to war-torn Libya, during a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Berlin on Monday.

At a joint press conference, both Maas and Borrell reiterated that a recent international peace plan hammered out in Berlin was only a stepping stone on the road to resolving Libya’s almost decade-long conflict.

World powers agreed to work towards implementing a ceasefire in the country, which has been in turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi and has become a proxy battleground for rival forces.

The Berlin Process is also pushing for a long-ignored UN weapons embargo to be adhered to.

Maas wants the peace plan to be set out in a UN Security Council resolution, which would allow states violating the arms embargo to be sanctioned.

“No one believed that there was a fast solution,” Maas said, responding to a weekend UN report that the embargo continues to be flouted.

“These kinds of problems cannot be solved overnight but we need a point to start with,” Borrell added, praising Germany for launching the process.