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)
TT
20

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.



Syria Announces 200 Percent Public Sector Wage, Pension Increase

FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
TT
20

Syria Announces 200 Percent Public Sector Wage, Pension Increase

FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo

Syria announced on Sunday a 200 percent hike in public sector wages and pensions, as it seeks to address a grinding economic crisis after the recent easing of international sanctions.

Over a decade of civil war has taken a heavy toll on Syria's economy, with the United Nations reporting more than 90 percent of its people live in poverty.

In a decree published by state media, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a "200 percent increase to salaries and wages... for all civilian and military workers in public ministries, departments and institutions.”

Under the decree, the minimum wage for government employees was raised to 750,000 Syrian pounds per month, or around $75, up from around $25, AFP reported.

A separate decree granted the same 200 percent increase to retirement pensions included under current social insurance legislation.

Last month, the United States and European Union announced they would lift economic sanctions in a bid to help the country's recovery.

Also in May, Syria's Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh said Qatar would help it pay some public sector salaries.

The extendable arrangement was for $29 million a month for three months, and would cover "wages in the health, education and social affairs sectors and non-military" pensions, he had said.

Barnieh had said the grant would be managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and covered around a fifth of current wages and salaries.

Syria has some 1.25 million public sector workers, according to official figures.