Rome, Moscow Follow Paris Path in Libya

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
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Rome, Moscow Follow Paris Path in Libya

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)

The number of players active in Libya witnessed an increase on Saturday, only a day after a tour carried out by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian between east and west Libya.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano made a surprise visit to Tripoli where he met Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Moscow announced a readiness to persuade Libyan parties to become involved in the political settlement.

The Italian embassy in Libya revealed in two separate tweets the presence of Italian military forces in the north African country.

According to the Italian foreign ministry, Alfano affirmed to Sarraj, during their meeting, that Italy supports the organizational framework detailed in the Skhirat agreement, Presidential Council and the National Accord government.

For his part, Sarraj reiterated his implicit complaint against Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, saying the lack of commitment by some parties destabilizes the political scene. This demands strict measures by the international community against all those hindering the political agreement.

Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meanwhile relayed to Mohammed Dairi, foreign minister of the Tobruk-based Libyan interim government, Moscow’s support for dialogue among Libyans under the auspices of the UN.

Furthermore, UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamah met on Friday with Mohammed Shukri, who was recently appointed a governor of the central bank, to listen to his financial plan to rescue the Libyan economy.



France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
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France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)

Paris declined to comment on Algeria’s “strong condemnation” of the French government’s decision to recognize Morocco’s claim over the Sahara.

The office of the French Foreign Ministry refused to respond to an AFP request for a comment on the Algeria’s stance.

It did say that further comments could impact the trip Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is set to make to France in late September or early October.

The visit has been postponed on numerous occasions over disagreements between the two countries.

France had explicitly expressed its constant and clear support for the autonomy rule proposal over the Sahara during Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s visit to Morocco in February, reported AFP.

The position has helped improve ties between Rabat and Paris.

On Thursday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed “great regret and strong denunciation" about the French government's decision to recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region "within Moroccan sovereignty”.

Algeria was informed of the decision by France in recent days, an Algerian foreign ministry statement added.

The ministry also said Algeria would draw all the consequences from the decision and hold the French government alone completely responsible.