Ashton will open EU’s Libya delegation in Tripoli

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will open the European Union’s new delegation in Libya on Saturday and meet the country’s new authorities, she said in a statement. “Opening a fully fledged EU Delegation in Tripoli underlines the EU’s commitment to our close relationship with the Libyan people, both during the political transition and in the long term,” Ashton stated. She is to meet National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil and Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Keib, as well as speak at the first Libyan Women’s Rights Forum. Ashton said the visit aimed “to express the EU’s continued support to the Libyan people’s efforts to build a new Libya based on the rule of law, democracy and human rights.” Since the beginning of the crisis, the EU has provided more than 155 million euros ($213 million) in humanitarian support. The EU executive in addition is making some 30 million euros available to support the immediate stabilization priorities of the NTC, with a further 50 million euros set aside for longer-term programs.