Eastern Libyan tribesmen to submit conditions to reopen blocked oil terminals: U.N.
CAIRO (Reuters) - The United Nations expects eastern Libyan tribal leaders to submit by Thursday their list of conditions to reopen blocked oil terminals, UN envoy Ghassan Salame said. Libya's oil production had dropped sharply since groups loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar began a blockade on Jan. 18, closing ports and fields in the east and south. "The (UN Libya) mission wants the oil to flow as soon as possible," he added. Libya's oil production had dropped to 204,000 barrels per day (bpd) by Monday due to the blockade, a source from the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said. The NOC says output will eventually fall to 72,000 bpd if the stoppage continues, from about 1.2 million bpd previously.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 18:13 UTC
Most Arab countries to begin holy month of Ramadan today
ANKARA: Most Arab countries are set to mark the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Monday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. After the new moon was sighted on Sunday, religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that the observation of the fasting month will begin on Monday. Similarly, Muslims in Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Sudan will begin fasting on Monday. However, in Jordan, Oman, Libya, Morocco, and Iran, Ramadan will commence on Tuesday as the new moon was not sighted on Sunday. In Turkiye, the Religious Affairs Directorate relies on the sighting of the crescent new moon from anywhere in the world (ihtilaf-i metali) rather than its local sighting to determine both the start of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which directly follows Ramadan.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 13:18 UTC
UN envoy calls for unified government to lead Libya to elections
UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily has called for the urgent need of electoral law implementation and forming a unified government to pave the way for elections in the country. “I encouraged them to continue seeking consensus within the HCS, the House of Representatives, and the broader Libyan political spectrum, including key actors, on implementing electoral laws and forming a unified government to lead Libya towards elections,” Bathily added. During a phone conversation with Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, Bathily also emphasized the need for prompt efforts to reach a political compromise in Libya. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled, due to disagreements among the Libyan parties over election laws. Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid escalating violence and unrest.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 10:58 UTC
American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza this Ramadan as threat of mass starvation looms
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Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 10:56 UTC
Libyan leaders back unity government efforts after talks in Cairo
The leaders of three Libyan political bodies agreed to work on forming a unity government in the divided country after talks in Cairo hosted by the Arab League. The country remains divided between rival governments in the west in Tripoli and the east in Benghazi. The House of Representatives no longer recognises the legitimacy of the GNU but Mr Dbeibah has vowed not to cede power to another government without national elections. Saudi Arabia welcomed the outcome of the talks in Cairo to reach a political settlement in Libya, the kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. International diplomacy to resolve the conflict in Libya has focused on pushing for parliamentary and presidential elections to replace the House of Representatives, the High Council of State and the GNU.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 10:56 UTC
Libya: Rival leaders agree to form unified government
After years of conflict and chaos, Libya‘s rival leaders have agreed to form a unified government. The three key leaders announced their decision to form this unified government on Sunday, calling it a “necessity” in order to supervise long-delayed elections. They said they had agreed to form a technical committee to “look into controversial points”. In a joint statement, the three leaders called for support from the U.N. Mission in Libya and the international community. Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow and killing of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 by Nato-backed forces.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 08:09 UTC
UN envoy to Libya voices concern about current political stalemate in Libya – Famagusta Gazette
UN envoy to Libya voices concern about current political stalemate in LibyaThe Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, on Sunday voiced concern over the country’s political stalemate, urging the formation of a unified government to pave the way for holding elections. Bathily had a meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah here, during which they examined Libya’s political, security, and economic situation, and discussed ways to move the political process forward through a political settlement. “I reiterated my concern regarding the current political stalemate and its consequences on the security and economic situation of ordinary Libyans and renewed my call on all Libyan leaders to rise to the challenge and agree on a unified government to lead the country to elections,” said Bathily on X. During a meeting with members of the High Council of State on Saturday, Bathily emphasized the urgent need to implement the election laws and form a unified government. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among Libyan parties.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 05:05 UTC
UN envoy to Libya voices concern about current political stalemate in Libya
TRIPOLI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, on Sunday voiced concern over the country's political stalemate, urging the formation of a unified government to pave the way for holding elections. Bathily had a meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah here, during which they examined Libya's political, security, and economic situation, and discussed ways to move the political process forward through a political settlement. "I reiterated my concern regarding the current political stalemate and its consequences on the security and economic situation of ordinary Libyans and renewed my call on all Libyan leaders to rise to the challenge and agree on a unified government to lead the country to elections," said Bathily on X. During a meeting with members of the High Council of State on Saturday, Bathily emphasized the urgent need to implement the election laws and form a unified government. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among Libyan parties.
Source:Libya Today
March 11, 2024 02:22 UTC
Muslim nations begin Ramadan in shadow of Gaza war
After the sighting of the crescent moon, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar also announced a Monday start for Ramadan, through their own official news outlets. Egypt's Islamic advisory body the Dar al-Ifta also confirmed Ramadan would begin on Monday, as it will in the Palestinian Territories including Gaza, and in Algeria and Tunisia. Iran had earlier set the beginning of Ramadan for Tuesday after its "Estehlal" moon observation office said it had not been possible to observe "the crescent of Ramadan". The war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has cast a long shadow over festivities in the region, with hopes dashed that a ceasefire agreement could be reached before Ramadan began. At a market in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where nearly 1.5 million people have sought refuge, Palestinians on Sunday bemoaned food shortages and wartime uncertainty hanging over the holy month.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 21:31 UTC
Egypt welcomes hosting Libyan parties meeting by AL
CAIRO – 10 March 2024: Egypt has welcomed a meeting of key Libyan institutional stakeholder, namely the head of Libya's Presidential Council, House of Representatives speaker and head Libya's High State Council, by the Arab League (AL). The meeting, held in Cairo, is meant to support a Libyan-led and owned political solution alongside reinforcing the role of Libyan institutions in ensuring the constitutional and legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections shortly. The outcomes of the meeting are key steps on the right track towards fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people, in a way that preserves Libya's sovereignty, unity, security and stability, according to a statement issued by Egypt's Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 20:50 UTC
What the world continues to get wrong about Libya
What the world continues to get wrong about LibyaHafed Al-GhwellHead of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi meets Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Al-Burhan. The fact that the Sirte summit is in jeopardy is symptomatic of a broader pathology affecting international efforts in Libya. We keep seeing the same diplomatic mechanisms and backroom dealings being deployed, each promising to be the panacea for Libya’s political ills. Lastly, a near-decade-long misalignment between foreign and local actors with what most Libyans yearn for still persists. We must move away from a strategy that places disproportionate emphasis on the agency of international actors and overpromises the efficacy of external interventions.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 20:33 UTC
Muslim nations announce start of Ramadan in shadow of Gaza war
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Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 20:25 UTC
3 Libyan Leaders Agree on Necessity of Forming New Unified Government
But there was little to celebrate after five months of war that has killed over 30,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. President Joe Biden has said an attack on Rafah would be a “red line” for him, but that the United States would continue to provide military aid to Israel. The United States and other countries have begun airdropping aid in recent days, but humanitarian groups say such efforts are costly and insufficient. The ship in Cyprus is expected to take two to three days to arrive at an undisclosed location in Gaza. Once the ship reaches Gaza, aid will be offloaded by a crane, placed on trucks and driven north.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 18:21 UTC
Libyan leaders agree to form new unified government
Three key Libyan leaders said on Sunday they had agreed on the “necessity” of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections. A political process to resolve more than a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed. In a joint statement, the three leaders also called on the U.N. Mission in Libya and the international community to support their proposals. They said they had agreed to form a technical committee to “look into controversial points”. The House of Representatives was elected in 2014, while the High State Council was formed as part of a 2015 political agreement and drawn from a parliament elected in 2012.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 18:09 UTC
UN envoy to HCS members: Consensus of all political actors is necessary
The United Nations Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, discussed with Adel Karmous, Waheed Burshan, Salah Mito and Nazar Kaawan, all of whom are members of the High Council of State, the current political stalemate in the country and ways to overcome it. He discussed with them “the current political stalemate in Libya and explored ways and means to overcome the deadlock,” according to a statement by the UN diplomat via X. “I encouraged them to continue seeking consensus within the HCS, the House of Representatives, and the broader Libyan political spectrum, including key actors, on implementing electoral laws and forming a unified government to lead Libya towards elections,” he added.
Source:Libya Today
March 10, 2024 13:53 UTC