Today in Brussels the EU top diplomat Josep Borrell met with Fayez al-Sarraj, and Mohamed Taha Siala  in two separate meetings, addressing them as the “Prime Minister” and the “Minister of Foreign Affaris” of Libya.

The first meeting was hosted by the President of the European Council Charles Michel (pictured)  a separate meeting was held jointly with the Foreign Minister of Germany, Heiko Maas.

They discussed the latest developments in Libya and the need to immediately cease the hostilities and return to political negotiations under UN leadership. Josep Borrell reiterated that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis and further military action will have “catastrophic consequences for the Libyan population and for the whole region”. He underlined that in order to find a solution to the situation, all sides will need to sit around the table and have a “genuine political dialogue”.

Following Minister Maas’ debrief on the Berlin process, Borrell also expressed the EU’s readiness to mobilize the required tools and resources to guarantee the full implementation of practical measures to ensure a sustainable ceasefire and accompany the political process. He confirmed the EU’s readiness to engage with all sides to find a way forward.

The Berlin process and the UN mediation efforts put the needs of all Libyans to the forefront and suggest sustainable solutions to core issues such as unifying institutions, distributing the country’s wealth equitably, and outlining a realistic roadmap towards a political settlement. It also aims at ensuring the buy in of all international players to put an end to external interference which will only exacerbate further the conflict.

Today’s meetings follow a meeting of the High Representative/Vice-President with the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK on 7 January in Brussels and is part of the EU’s active engagement with all actors. Further meetings, including an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council on Friday 10 January, are foreseen in the coming days.