EU delegation blamed for failed migration meeting in Libya

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner is facing the bulk of the blame for a high-level meeting on migration in Libya that fell apart, resulting in the European delegation being expelled from Benghazi on Tuesday, according to Politico.

“It was a meeting canceled at the last minute due to resentment on the Libyan side over excessive zeal from some officials in the European delegation,” said Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, who was part of the delegation.

Greece’s Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis added: “There was an organizational bottleneck, which also led to a failure to follow diplomatic protocol.”

The meeting was intended to push Libya to step up efforts to stem irregular migration to Europe. Talks with Libya’s Tripoli-based government proceeded smoothly, but the delegation ran into problems when it came to dealing with Khalifa Haftar, the de facto leader of eastern Libya.

According to reports, the EU officials sought a private meeting with Haftar. However, Haftar demanded they meet with other Benghazi government officials as well, since he does not officially lead the eastern government. The situation was complicated by the fact that the UN does not formally recognize the eastern Libyan administration.

The EU delegates eventually agreed to a broader meeting on the condition that no photos be taken. Haftar refused this condition and dismissed the European delegation.

Despite the setback, Greece said it will pursue its own dialogue with Libya and it announced that it would not process the asylum claims of migrants from North Africa for a period of three months.

An EU Commission spokesperson said: “The EU will maintain open channels of communication and continue working in a ‘Team Europe’ approach with all actors involved.”