The General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, met today in Cairo with Chairman of the Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi, according to multiple press reports. Haftar and Al-Menfi reportedly discussed deescalation efforts between Libya’s political parties. This is the second meeting between both leaders. The two first met in February of 2021 in Benghazi.
The secretary general of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, underlined the continued support for all efforts aimed at stabilizing Libya and putting an end to the state of division that the North African country has been experiencing for years. Aboul Gheit said in a recorded message for the opening of the preparatory forum for the National Reconciliation Conference, held yesterday in Tripoli, that the Libyan parties should sit at the same table for the good of the country, resolve all outstanding issues and provide a clear vision for Libya’s future. The secretary general of the Arab League hoped that this “preparatory forum will restore hope that our Libyan brothers will take the initiative to stabilize their country and bring it to the elections that the people want”.
(AP) — Bernard Kalb, a former television reporter for CBS and NBC who quit his job as a State Department spokesman to protest a U.S. government disinformation campaign against Libya, died Sunday. (AP) — Bernard Kalb, a former television reporter for CBS and NBC who quit his job as a State Department spokesman to protest a U.S. government disinformation campaign against Libya, died Sunday. “Anything that hurts America’s credibility, hurts America.”New York Times columnist William Safire praised the resignation. “In his final official act, Bernard Kalb rose above ‘State Department spokesman’ to become the spokesman for all Americans who respect and demand the truth,” Safire wrote. At CBS Marvin and Bernard were known as “The Kalbs,” but Bernard lived somewhat in the shadow of his younger brother.
A military force halted the municipal elections in the desert town of Zella, southwest Libya, on Saturday, the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE) has said. In a press briefing, representatives of the committee said they have been preparing for these elections for months. The Ministries of Local Government and the Interior had begun an investigation into the incident to reveal those behind the act, the committee's officials told the reporters. As for the municipal elections in Khums city, the participation rate reached 72%, according to the CCMCE, which considered the turnout excellent compared with other municipal elections in the country. They called on voters to show responsibility and cooperate with the staff in order to make the elections a success, away from regionalism.
President of the Libyan Presidential Council (LPC), Mohamed al-Menfi, said Sunday that ignoring reconciliation and power-sharing has only made the situation in the Libya more complicated. “The solution to the Libyan crisis lies in restoring the spirit of the homeland, reparation for damage, and a return to wisdom,” al-Menfi pointed out in his speech during the launch of the preparatory meeting for the National Reconciliation Conference. He stated that LPC stands at the same distance from all parties, and was not a party to the struggle for power in Libya. Al-Menfi stressed the need to put pressure on all political institutions in the country to reach national reconciliation. The preparatory meeting for the National Reconciliation Conference, organized by the Presidential Council, was held Sunday with the participation of representatives of the various parties to the political process, and participants from various Libyan cities.
Libya’s Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation signed an MoU with French NGO Supernovae in Tripoli last Thursday to rehabilitate and empower conflict affected youth. Adel Ali Al-Aqbi, Director of the International Cooperation Department signed for the Ministry while Raif Wafa, Director of the Libya Office signed for Supernovae. The signing of the MoU comes in order to strengthen the strategic cooperation between the Supernovae and the Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation regarding support, training, rehabilitation and integration of youth affected by the conflict. According to the MoU, support and training will be provided to 100 labour inspectors to activate the oversight role of the Libyan Ministry of Labour and help them settle the conditions of expatriate workers in accordance with Libyan law. Moreover, 150 Libyan youth will be trained in entrepreneurship and vocational training, with 15 trainers trained for psychological support and 10 trainers trained as labour inspectors.
The Italian government has rejected a request from a ship run by Doctors Without Borders non-governmental organization (NGO) to assign a safe port closer to the place where it rescued 73 migrants, an NGO official said on Sunday. On Saturday Doctor Without Borders’ ship Geo Barents received permission from Rome to dock to Ancona port, which is in central Italy and on the country’s east coast, far away from Sicily where NGO boats normally disembarked rescued migrants. “The interior ministry rejected our request for a closer safe port for the disembarkation of the 73 survivors on board the Geo Barents. The ship is heading north,” Doctors Without Borders’ Mission Head Juan Matias Gil said in a message on Sunday. After rescuing migrants on a rubber dinghy offshore Libya, Geo Barents on Saturday asked for a closer port, adding it would take it more than three days to reach Ancona while weather conditions were deteriorating.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of National Unity announced Saturday the arrival of the body of the Libyan citizen, Abdel Monaem Al-Masry, at Mitiga Airport, on board a Libyan Airlines plane. Al-Masry was found dead in his apartment, after his friends lost contact with him for several days. The ministry revealed that the Libyan embassy in South Korea is closely following up with the relevant authorities all necessary procedures and measures to finalize investigations into the circumstances of his death. The ministry explained that the embassy stated that the final investigations report of the Korean Prosecution’s will be issued within a month.
CAIRO - 8 January 2023: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid welcomed the outcome of a meeting between the Libyan House of Representatives and Libya's Higher Council of State, which was held on Thursday. The two sides agreed to refer the draft constitutional document for endorsement, with the aim of finalizing the procedures represented in encouraging the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections. In a press release, Abu Zeid praised the role of the Libyan House of Representatives and the Higher Council of State in carrying out their responsibilities. The spokesman, meanwhile, voiced hope that the two sides would complete the rest of their tasks in the upcoming period. Egypt has also communicated with politicians, military men and social powers without mediators and paved the way for all meetings with the aim of ending the conflict, Saleh stated.
France said it “fully supports” the United Nations in its call on House of Representatives and the High Council of State to finalize the constitutional basis for the elections after achieving a breakthrough during negotiations in Cairo last week. In a statement via Twitter on Sunday, the French embassy in Libya affirmed the need to reach a “Libyan-Libyan solution to resolve the political crisis through elections within a specific timeframe.”The U.N. Mission had urged the two Libyan chambers to “swiftly reach a complete and final agreement including on the contentious issues to finalize the steps required to take the country to inclusive national elections within a specific timeframe.”
Two people were injured Saturday following a multi-vehicle crash that involved 14 cars, including two trucks on Airport Road in Tripoli. However, the Tripoli Security Directorate said that the Abu Salim Traffic Department is still investigating the cause of the incident. Luckily, only two motorists got hurt, as the Abu Salim Traffic Department said they suffered minor to moderate injuries. Meanwhile, the Traffic Affairs Office urged motorists to be cautious while driving in the rain, especially on highways, and to avoid flooded roads. In late November, two people died in Gharyan after a car they were occupying got stuck in a pool of rain in the city.
Musbah Awhida, a member of Libya’s parliament, has expressed disappointment over the number of seats dedicated for the region of Fezzan in the parliament and the senate under the latest agreement between the House of Representatives and High Council of State. In a statement via Twitter, Awhida said that he was “counting a lot” on the Cairo meeting last week the leaders of the House and the State Council. However, he said he was “surprised” by the number of seats that both chambers agreed to dedicate for the southern region of Fezzan. Last week in Cairo, Speaker of the House Aguila Saleh and Chairman of the State Council Khaled Al-Mishri achieved a breakthrough in negotiations concerning the establishment of constitutional framework for presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya. Both leaders are expected to send the agreement to their respective chambers for vote.
Minister of Oil and Gas of the Government of National Unity, Mohamed Aoun, discussed Friday, in Washington with Josh Corless, Vice President of International Governmental Affairs at ConocoPhillips, continuing investing in Libya. They also discussed accelerating implementation of projects that will have an impact on oil and gas production increase, such as North Jalu Project and Plot NC 98. The two parties emphasized the need to continue contacts and consultations to overcome the challenges facing ConocoPhillips in order to carry out its obligations in Libya. It is to be noted that the Government of National Unity agreed, November last year, to sell the share of the American company ‘Hess’ in the Waha (Oasis) wells concession amounting to 8.16%, equally between the French Total and the American ConocoPhillips.
The Libyan Vice Prime Minister and Health Minister-designate Ramadan Abu Janah met Friday with the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff and her accompanying team. According to the media office of the Minister, the meeting saw a discussion of a number of files, especially, the follow-up on the implementation of the agreement signed between the National Oil Corporation and WHO, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, through which medicines will be provided for pediatric oncology patients, 720 children, after the arrival of 70 % of the medicines to Libya, while the rest of the shipments are expected to arrive next February. The meeting also saw a discussion of strengthening joint cooperation to treat 106 patients that require bone marrow transplantation, and allocating sums of money for their treatment in Italy and Greece. WHO representative expressed a desire to unite efforts with the Ministry of Health to develop a mechanism for treating muscular dystrophy patients, as WHO will start forming a specialized technical team to deal with patients and develop a mechanism for treating them.
French NGO Supernovae and the Turkish-based Bina Libya signed an MoU last Thursday for the Start-Up Project to support Gharian University Incubator. The signing took place in the presence of the Director of the Gharian University Business Center, Dr. Abdulaziz Boudhina. The Libya Startup project is a project that supports the Libyan entrepreneurial environment through training and guidance, in addition to strengthening the capabilities of entrepreneurs in Libya. The Libya Startup project is a project funded by the European Union in Libya and implemented by Supernovae in partnership with Spark. For her part, Ghada Arhouma, Director of the Bina Libya Programme, confirmed that the aim of this agreement is to support the business incubator of Gharian University.
