EU will consider sending soldiers to Libya to back up a potential national unity government, but the plan has met with skepticism from EU governments worried about the risks.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels Monday will discuss whether to authorize EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to draw up proposals for a possible mission to Libya in the event U.N.-brokered talks to resolve a political crisis there bear fruit.
Libya has descended into chaos, with two rival governments and armed factions battling for power and oil wealth.
Mogherini has floated the idea of the 28-nation EU sending a team to Libya to monitor a cease-fire or to protect airports and other infrastructure if the talks led by U.N. envoy Bernardino Leon succeed. She has also suggested EU ships could help police an arms embargo.
EU diplomats said Mogherini’s plans would necessarily entail sending some European soldiers to Libya, where ISIS militants have established a presence.