Cocaine case strains relations between Libya and Spain

Haftar aligned authorities in eastern Libya have threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with Spain after Madrid’s handling of relations with Benghazi came under criticism, as reported by The Libya Observer and agencies on May 14th.

The escalation arose after an official letter was sent by the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Committee of the House of Representatives to the Spanish Foreign Ministry. The letter accused Spain’s ambassador to Libya of following an unclear diplomatic approach and failing to engage professionally with institutions based in eastern Libya.

The letter began by stressing appreciation for Libya-Spain relations, but then shifted to a sharper tone calling on Madrid to show greater seriousness in managing its diplomatic presence in Libya and to deal more clearly with the institutions that the House of Representatives considers legitimate.

This dispute reflects the wider problem over recognition inside Libya, where eastern authorities continue to push foreign states to treat Benghazi based institutions as official counterparts rather than secondary actors.

The escalation arose one week after Spanish authorities announced the seizure of a massive cocaine shipment of more than 30 tonnes aboard a vessel reportedly heading toward eastern Libya.

On May 7th that Spanish police seized 30 tonnes of cocaine from the Comoros flagged Arconian off the Canary Islands and detained 23 crew members, in what Spain described as Europe’s largest cocaine bust.

The letter warned that the House of Representatives, in coordination with what it described as the military institution, could move toward suspending relations with Spanish representation in Libya if Madrid does not correct the conduct of its mission.

In eastern Libya the boundary between formal institutions, armed authority and Haftar-aligned power structures remains politically sensitive.

The cocaine seizure has placed Benghazi under international scrutiny at the same time as eastern Libya is demanding greater diplomatic recognition. Rather than separating the drug trafficking problematic from the legitimacy issue, the latest warning to Spain shows how both files are now being considered on an equal level.

Libya Observer plus agencies, maghrebi.org