Interview by: Marwa Mohammed for 218News
Admiral Fabio Agostini, commander of the European Union’s “IRINI” operation to monitor the UN arms embargo on Libya, confirmed in an exclusive interview with “218News” that he will visit Libya soon to meet with the Government of National Unity headed by Abdel Hamid Dabaiba.
He also revealed the renewals made within the mandate of the second operation. He spoke about the future of the European Union’s Operation after elections in Libya.
Second term..more than military
Agostini emphasized that the renewal of the mandate for two years until March 31, 2023 is a very important decision that underscores the value of what has been accomplished so far through Operation IRINI.
He added: “It should be remembered that despite the complex geopolitical context due to the constant interference of external actors in Libyan dynamics and the coronavirus crisis, IRINI has been able to act in a neutral and balanced way in its area of operation, which is the central Mediterranean region.”
He noted that these results prompted Member States not only to extend the operation for two years, which is the minimum strategic horizon to give credibility and depth to the work of the European Union, but even to implement the contents of the strategic review through which IRINI mission will extend not only to go beyond the European military contribution to the implementation of the embargo on weapons, but also to reach the full operational capacity and independence of the Libyan Navy and Coast Guard in the area of responsibility, in accordance with international standards.
He added that the renewal demonstrates the desire of the European Union to play an essential role and to implement it increasingly as an actor in the field of maritime security in a region of the Mediterranean that is a strategy for trade and communication between Europe and Africa.
24 sources that fuel the “IRINI Power”
The commander of the operation revealed that it includes several naval units, aircraft, drones and satellite systems, and this is the result of the support of 24 contributing countries from the European Union, adding that the level of contributions from member states is also important given the difficulties related to the Coronavirus pandemic, while the contribution remains almost unchanged currently with some countries that have announced their intention to provide more people and means, which gives hope for the future.
He pointed out that through these assets, they continue to implement the United Nations mandate related to the arms embargo in Libya, in respect of international maritime law.
Secondary and Sensitive Tasks
Agostini said Operation IRINI was launched on March 31, 2020 by EU Council Resolution 472/2020 and started with the main task of implementing the UN embargo on Libya on the basis of Security Council Resolutions 2292 (2016) and 2526 (2020). The mandate of the operation was extended until March 31, 2023, while the operation includes 3 secondary tasks: monitoring the illegal trade in oil and its derivatives, training and monitoring the Libyan Coast Guard and the Libyan Navy of the Ministry of Defense, as well as contributing to dismantling the human traffickers’ business model.
He continued his speech to 218News, saying: “Unfortunately, the secondary mission related to training and monitoring of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy has not yet begun, pending an agreement with the Libyan authorities, so we are dependent on the results obtained from the mission that preceded us (Operation Sophia), which in turn trained 477 Libyan soldiers from the Coast Guard and the Navy, in compliance with all international laws, human rights, gender issues and children’s rights.
He added: “When I went to Libya for the first time last November, I found a willingness to cooperate with the European Union on resuming training, while Libyans stressed the need, which is still an objective need, for training to be accompanied by some form of support in terms of materials. The Libyan Navy and Coast Guard employ outdated and often inappropriate units and therefore need to provide them with the necessary means in order to carry out their tasks in the best possible way.”
He expressed his hope that this situation would soon be lifted and then the training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy would resume, in accordance with the laws of international humanitarian law.
In this context, the IRINI commander stated that he will travel to Libya soon to meet the new Libyan political and military authorities and to support the dialogue that Europe has started with the new national unity government.
Achievements of the first mandate; in numbers
To date, IRINI has carried out monitoring activities on 3,241 merchant vessels (through radio communications for information), 126 “friendly approaches” (consensual visits on board), and 12 on-board inspections. Also, 16 ports and oil terminals, 25 airports and airstrips, and about 235 suspected aircraft bound for Libya were monitored.
Operation IRINI submitted 24 requests to European countries to conduct port inspections of suspicious commercial ships, and sent 23 reports to the Panel of Experts on Libya, the body established by the United Nations to monitor the situation on the ground and verify the implementation of its decisions.
Reports recorded violations of the embargo imposed on Tripoli and Cyrenaica by various international actors. Just at the end of March, a 548-page UN report highlighted a series of ongoing violations, and between October 2019 and January 2021, the embargo by those countries that support the parties to the conflict. An important part of this report was drawn up thanks to the IRINI reports.
According to Agostini, this underscores the need for the international community to be able to continue to rely on Operation IRINI, which has so far been the only international actor implementing the United Nations arms embargo on Libya and has proven its effectiveness, balance and integrity.
On the details of the Operation’s secondary missions, he said that it also serves as a maritime security provider in the Central Mediterranean, a role that is in the interest of the entire international maritime community operating in a very volatile region such as the Central Mediterranean.
He continued: “Since the IRINI operation began, a ceasefire was reached, a new government was formed, elections were announced, and oil production was resumed on a large scale. We have not been able to gauge the extent to which Irene has contributed to this, but it is clear that change has occurred since IRINI was launched.”
IRINI Operation….Who sees it as piracy?
Regarding those accusing the European naval operation of being impartial, the commander of “IRINI” said that he was not surprised that there were always those who objected when a shipment coming from their country was stopped or if the arrested ship raised their country’s flag, stressing that they work within the framework of the United Nations rules of engagement and law, yet sometimes, they have been identified as “pirates”.
On the basis of the activity conducted at sea and through monitoring conducted using air and satellite assets, we have recorded illegal traffic in the ports and airports in both Cyrenaica and Tripoli, and 23 reports have been sent to the United Nations regarding potential or confirmed embargo violations, which shows the complete neutrality of IRINI towards the conflicting parties in Libya and their international supporters.
Agostini reminded those who like to criticize the Operation’s work that all UN countries are required to implement Security Council resolutions so that Operation IRINI is allowed to conduct inspections on board commercial ships suspected of violating the embargo.
He added: “After receiving accusations of bias from supporters of both sides in Libya, I feel that we have been completely impartial. There are international interests that want to devalue the European Union and by targeting IRINI are trying to dismantle the unity of purpose of the European countries that wanted in 2020 to unanimously launch IRINI and which unanimously renewed the mandate for another two years.”
Watever interest the various international actors intend to pursue, there is no doubt that peace in Libya should be everyone’s goal because this means greater security in the Mediterranean and prosperity for the Libyan people, greater economic stability for the entire region and fewer and more orderly migration flows, according to IRINI Commander.
Promising international vision
Agostini talked about holding a series of high-level meetings both at IRINI headquarters and abroad with many of the heroes of the Libyan peace process, adding that IRINI is seen as a major player in the Mediterranean and that they are working to develop a wide network of cooperation and information exchange with a group of wide and diverse range of national and international stakeholders has led the international community to become more aware of the EU’s presence in the Mediterranean, saying there are many authorities that he has had the opportunity to meet in their countries, in Europe or at the Operation Headquarters.
Regarding the details of these meetings, he said: “The most important meetings were with representatives of the United Nations, the defense and foreign ministers of some European countries, and the authorities of the Government of National Accord.
The commander of the Operation also believes that after the elections scheduled to take place in the country in December, and in order to complete the peace process, an unexpected time horizon will be needed at the present time, and it is important at that point that there is no outside interference, nor the arrival of weapons, so he sees that IRINI mission will not end with elections either to allow the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy to be completely independent in managing security in the waters of the jurisdiction.
Agostini is optimistic
“I had the opportunity in Libya to talk to many people. Libyans want to go back to normal life as much as possible,” says the commander of Operation IRINI.
“The negotiation process supported by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, along with the Libyan-led political process, allowed the birth of a unified, albeit temporary, authority in Libya after 6 years of division. This executive body was formed to meet the basic needs of the Libyan people and to move the country to elections scheduled for December 24, 2021.” He added.
He said: “The process has begun now, and there is an international control following this path, and most importantly, the national unity government is showing its willingness to go to the elections with the strong support of the people who want to restore the leadership and the future of their country in full. The current National Unity Government offers more activity both inside and outside the country and seeks to re-establish more fruitful relations with the entire international community.”
Personally, Agostini said he is optimistic: “I don’t know when that will happen, but I also believe that in the medium to long term Operation IRINI can resume the training of the Libyan Coast Guard which is based on respect for all international laws, human rights and attention to gender and child rights.”
When does IRINI’s mandate end?
Agostini believes that IRINI’s mission ends when support for a military operation is no longer necessary to implement the peace process in Libya and when the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy prove the ability to carry out duties independently within territorial waters.
He wished IRINI’s mission would be over soon, but Europe realized that it still took time to solve Libya’s problems, so the mandate was extended for another two years.
Message via 218News to Libyans and the world
At the end of the conversation, Agostini sent a message saying: “Although Operation IRINI is not perfect, it has accomplished a lot in the first year of its tenure and is the only actor trying to implement UN resolutions on the arms embargo. We will continue to carry out our mission impartially in order to contribute to the efforts of the European Union and the international community to ensure peace and stability for the Libyan people.”
“A stable Libya is in the interest of everyone, Libyans above all, and the interest of Europe, the countries bordering Libya, and all the countries bordering the Mediterranean. All actors in the international community should do their utmost to achieve this.” He added.
