Libya truce must be transformed into more formal cease-fire - France

PARIS, Jan 27 (KUNA) -- The fragile Libyan truce, brokered in Berlin last week, must be transformed into a more "official" cease-fire that will allow for military, institutional and financial reforms in the North African country, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday, Speaking to the diplomatic press, the Foreign Minister remarked that the current truce must evolve into a cease-fire and this prospect is to be worked on by a "5+5 military committee" in the coming days, while the procedure will be overseen by UN Special Envoy for Libya Ghassam Salame.
The truce is "a first step" and once it is maintained we should move on to a "cease-fire" which will "give necessary openings for dismantling militias, institutional reunification and also financial reunification" and a better share of national resources, followed by a "political process," Le Drian indicated.
The Foreign Minister also urged steps to ensure that the arms embargo against Libya is respected. This question will also be dealt with in the forthcoming "5+5" meeting, which is composed of nations on both sides of the Mediterranean.
The European members of the group will be proposing an initiative to boost resources for enforcing the arms embargo, beyond the naval patrols currently deployed. More air and land resources are to be devoted to monitoring the arms embargo, the French Foreign Minister revealed.
For the time being, he affirmed that while there were some minor violations of the Berlin truce agreement, these were relatively limited, but he warned they should not spread or intensify. (end) jk.sd