The US Embassy in Libya on Monday regretted foreign interference in the Libyan economy.
“EMBASSY EXPRESSED DETERMINATION TO PROTECT LIBYA’S SOVEREIGNTY”
“After several days of intense diplomatic activity aimed at allowing the National Oil Corporation [NOC] to resume its vital and apolitical work as a way of defusing military tensions, the US Embassy regrets that foreign-backed efforts against Libya’s economic and financial sectors have impeded progress and heightened the risk of confrontation,” the embassy said in a statement.
It noted that incursions by Russian Wagner mercenaries against NOC facilities and conflicting messages conveyed by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s militia “hurt all Libyans striving for a secure and prosperous future.”
On Sunday, the NOC accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of instructing Haftar’s forces to disrupt the country’s oil output and exports. The NOC said oil production has been halted, referring to a recent statement by Haftar saying that output would continue to be interrupted if certain conditions were not met.
The embassy expressed determination to continue to work “to protect Libya’s sovereignty, achieve a lasting ceasefire, and support a Libyan consensus on the transparent management of oil and gas revenues.”