Saudi Arabia Mulling Reopening its Embassy in Libya

The Saudi Foreign Ministry delegation in Tripoli. (Government of National Unity)
The Saudi Foreign Ministry delegation in Tripoli. (Government of National Unity)
TT

Saudi Arabia Mulling Reopening its Embassy in Libya

The Saudi Foreign Ministry delegation in Tripoli. (Government of National Unity)
The Saudi Foreign Ministry delegation in Tripoli. (Government of National Unity)

A Saudi delegation arrived in Libya to discuss the necessary arrangements for reopening the Kingdom’s embassy in Tripoli.

The delegation was led by Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Director General of the General Administration for Arab and African Countries Affairs Abdullah bin Fahd al-Shammari.

Director of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Department of the Libyan Foreign Ministry Rashid Abu Ghafah received the Saudi delegation on Sunday.

Abu Ghafah underscored the deep historic relations between their countries, reiterating that the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) is keen on boosting ties to broader horizons to achieve common interests.

The Saudi delegation's visit comes as Libya is preparing to hold presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.

Head of the Presidential Council Mohammed Menfi chaired on Sunday an expanded meeting at the headquarters of the High Electoral Commission in Tripoli. Menfi was accompanied by head of the GNU Abdulhamid al-Dbeibeh. Chairman of the commission, Imad al-Sayeh, was also present.

The meeting discussed the funding crisis of the upcoming elections, urging the joint 6 + 6 committee to finalize the electoral laws before the end of June.

The committee is represented by the House of Representatives and High Council of State and is tasked with providing the legal foundation for the elections and drafting electoral laws.

Menfi affirmed his full support for the commission and its presidency, stressing the importance of holding the elections this year.

Sayeh said the meeting comes within the framework of reviewing the commission's readiness for the elections and addressing its difficulties and challenges.

Furthermore, members of the High Council of State discussed the delegation's report to the 6 + 6 committee and the minutes of previous meetings.

Some members said the High Electoral Commission was not ready to hold the elections amid disagreements among officials over electoral laws.

In other news, Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush arrived in Qatar on Sunday on the second stop in a tour before the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

She met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, praising Doha’s role in supporting the stability of Libya and the electoral process.

Mangoush visited Bahrain on Saturday as part of her tour to several countries ahead of the Jeddah summit. She is aiming to coordinate and support joint Arab efforts and positions on regional challenges, especially in Sudan.

The tour also seeks to garner Arab support for the elections in Libya and preserving consensus on supporting its stability.



Syria's New Rulers Urge US to Lift Sanctions During Visit to Doha

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, meets Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, January 5, 2025. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, meets Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, January 5, 2025. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria's New Rulers Urge US to Lift Sanctions During Visit to Doha

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, meets Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, January 5, 2025. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, meets Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, January 5, 2025. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's new rulers said on Sunday that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.

"These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries," Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani told reporters after meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister.

"We reiterate our calls for the United States to lift these sanctions, which have now become against the Syrian people rather than what they previously were: imposed sanctions on the Assad regime," he said.

Shibani, on his second foreign trip less than a month after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by opposition factions on Dec. 8, said that Qatar will be a partner in the new phase in Syria.

Doha had not normalized ties with Assad over his government's violent response to 2011 protests and backed the opposition instead.

Shibani, who was joined by Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Head of Intelligence Anas Khattab, met with other senior Qatari officials including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, a Qatari official told Reuters earlier.

Shibani presented the Qataris a clear roadmap for the near future in Syria and steps that would be taken by the new Syrian administration, Al-Khulaifi told reporters after the meeting.

"We are working together to prevent any foreign interference in Syrian affairs," Al-Khulaifi added.

Shibani said the roadmap is meant to "rebuild our country, restore its Arab and foreign relations, enable the Syrian people to obtain their civil and basic rights, and present a government that the Syrian people feel it represents them and all their components."

He is expected to also visit the United Arab Emirates and Jordan this week to "support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships," according to his account on X.

Shibani embarked on his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday where Saudi officials discussed how best to support Syria's political transition.