Negotiation and the International Court of Justice among Libya’s maritime options
LIBYA – Mohamed Al-Harari, head of the Land and Maritime Borders Committee at the Government of National Unity’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said that all peaceful solutions for settling maritime disputes are on the table, including joint investment and recourse to the International Court of Justice if a negotiated settlement proves impossible.
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Al-Harari said Libya was ready to negotiate with the countries concerned, had declared its maritime zones to the United Nations with coordinates and maps in line with the approved procedures, and was open to options that protect its rights and sovereignty.
Dispute with Greece over the effect of islands
He explained that one reason for the dispute with Athens lay in differing interpretations of the effect of islands when maritime boundaries are delimited. Greece insists on giving them full effect, while Libya, according to Al-Harari, relies on different interpretations and international judicial precedents.
He cited the Libya-Malta and Libya-Tunisia boundary delimitation cases, noting that international case law does not give islands the same effect in every dispute but considers the geographical circumstances of each case.
He added that the semi-enclosed nature of the Mediterranean, the large number of coastal states and the narrowness of the areas available for delimitation were factors that must be taken into account in dealing with conflicting claims.
Contacts with Greece, Italy and Egypt
Al-Harari revealed that sessions had been held with the Greek side and that memoranda had been sent to Italy inviting it to negotiate, while Tripoli was still awaiting Cairo’s response. He affirmed readiness to continue contacts without compromising Libya’s sovereignty.
Al-Harari defended the maritime agreement with Turkey, arguing that it had given Libya extensive areas without detracting from the rights of other countries and had, in his assessment, given Libya larger maritime areas than the Egyptian-Greek agreement gave Egypt.
He pointed to earlier Egyptian statements which, he said, did not regard the Libyan-Turkish agreement as harming Egyptian interests, before speaking of what he described as the later ambiguity of Egypt’s position.
