German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 19/223,
pp. 28325-28326.
Right honorable Frau President. Right honorable ladies and
gentlemen.
Lately, there was for once gladdening news from Libya. A
government of national unity has been formed and this shall conduct elections on
December 24. It can only be truly hoped that it also succeeds and nothing
intervenes. And yes, the diplomatic efforts of the Federal government have had
their part therein.
Operation Irini, however, on which we speak today, does not
have the potential to make a substantial contribution to the improvement of the
situation in Libya; we have distinctly seen it in the last year. We simply have
no means of searching ships if the nation of the ship’s flag refuses. Thus no
weapons smuggler can be arrested. Operation Irini thus becomes a largely
symbolic mission. Could we arrest the weapons smuggler, it would besides work
out very asymmetrically, essentially into a party to a conflict.Yet we cannot
do it. Operation Irini is a toothless tiger. In addition exists the potential
that Operation Irini becomes a pull factor for illegal migration, with all
negative accompanying aspects. On that account, we will reject it today.
The principle which one wants to employ here is the
principle of naming and shaming. One wants to name and expose before the world
public anyone who brings weapons to Libya. Yet here we again arrive at what I
have already addressed: If a ship is not boarded so as to establish that weapons
were being smuggled, then naturally there is also no basis for naming a weapons
smuggler before the world public. The entire initiative of naming and shaming
naturally does not function.
This was nevertheless tested a bit with Erdogan. Because he
has refused searches of his ships, one has nevertheless attempted to employ the
principle of naming and shaming. Yet let us look at the past year. Does anyone
have the impression that Erdogan ate humble pie [kleine Brötchen gebacken] or in any way had been intimidated? I do
not have the impression. He has behaved aggressively towards Greece, he has
behaved aggressively towards France, and when the EU Commission President was
with him, he off-handedly set her in the farthest corner of his sofa and acted
not especially abashed.
Thus, this initiative does not function. Despite this, we
must naturally remain in Libya; since it is not clear that the peace holds.
Khalifa Haftar is not represented in the new government, as he had desired, and
the Libyan army announces that weapons from Egypt have been delivered to him.
Yet – I have already said it many times – Operation Irini is here not the right
tool. Here, one must continue to be active diplomatically, to speak with the
actors, not only within Libya; the previous speaker has plainly addressed this.
There are states outside Libya which have interests in Libya, which deliver
weapons. We finally need, certainly in relation to the weapons deliveries to
General Haftar, a means of stopping this, and naturally the mercenaries must be
withdrawn from Libya.
For a corresponding diplomatic proceeding, the Federal
government also has the support of the AfD. But not for this mission, which is a
toothless tiger and in which is contained the potential of developing into a
pull factor.
[trans: tem]
