Belgium: EU FMs agree on new mission to enforce Libyan arms embargo

W/S EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell walking to podium, Brussels
SOT, Josep Borrell, High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: “We agreed to launch a new operation in the Mediterranean and Operation Sophia will be closed. Operation Sophia was reaching its end on the 20th March and on that day Operation Sophia will finish. But we are going to launch a new operation in the Mediterranean and we agreed that this operation will have as a goal to (the) implementation of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council. The operation will comprise aerial, satellite, and maritime assets - not only maritime assets, satellite and aerial - and the war ships themselves will serve as the basis of the radar control of the airspace."
W/S Press conference in progress *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Josep Borrell, High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: "We have noticed legitimate concerns of some member states regarding (the) potential impact on migration flows, the so-called 'pull effect,' and indicated that these will be carefully monitored and reported regularly to the operation commander. On this basis, in case of (the) observation of 'pull factors' on migration, maritime assets will be withdrawn from the relevant areas. In case that there is a 'pull effect', a 'pull factor' - there are several different opinions about (this), some believe that this pull factor will appear, others believe that on the east part, this is not going to happen because the migration routes go from the centre and west - but let's see what's happening. In case of this 'pull factor' appearing, maritime assets will be withdrawn from the relevant areas.”
W/S Borrell ending press conference
SCRIPT
European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to commence a new aerial and maritime operation focused on reinforcing a UN arms embargo around Libya, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell confirmed in Brussels.
"We agreed to launch a new operation in the Mediterranean and Operation Sophia will be closed," Borrell said referring to the bloc's current naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
Borrell said Operation Sophia would end on March 20, the expiry date of its mandate.
The new operation "will comprise aerial, satellite, and maritime assets," said the EU's foreign policy chief.
Borrell said the new operation would address concerns that the presence of European ships in the Mediterranean would produce a "pull effect" on migrants attempting to reach the EU from Libya. "In case of (the) observation of 'pull factors' on migration, maritime assets will be withdrawn from the relevant areas," said Borrell.
Operation Sophia, which aims to combat the people smuggling in the Mediterranean, currently has no ships of its own after a compromise struck under pressure from the Italian government in March 2019, by which the operation was limited to aircraft alone.