Arab Parliament: Turkish Military Intervention Worsens Libyan Situation

Speaker of the Arab parliament Meshaal al-Salami. Asharq Al-Awsat
Speaker of the Arab parliament Meshaal al-Salami. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Arab Parliament: Turkish Military Intervention Worsens Libyan Situation

Speaker of the Arab parliament Meshaal al-Salami. Asharq Al-Awsat
Speaker of the Arab parliament Meshaal al-Salami. Asharq Al-Awsat

Speaker of the Arab Parliament Meshaal al-Salami stressed on Wednesday the importance of disarming militias in the Libyan capital Tripoli and halting Turkey’s support for them.

He stated that the Turkish military intervention worsens the situation in Libya and spurs division among different factions. It also prolongs the conflict, curbs peace efforts, hinders a political solution, destabilizes the region and jeopardizes Libya’s neighboring countries and Arab national security.

Salami addressed the UN Secretary General, and heads of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the European Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament and NATO Parliamentary Assembly with written letters.

In his letters, he rejected and denounced the decision of the Turkish parliament to dispatch troops to Libya in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions that have imposed an arms embargo on Libya.

The Arab Parliament decried all forms of support to militias, including the transfer of terrorists to Libya. It demanded the disarming of militias and called on the UN Security Council to take urgent steps to prevent the infiltration of foreign terrorists to Libya.

Moreover, the Parliament requested a clear mechanism to oversee and sanction parties funding the conflict in Libya.

In addition, it welcomed the ceasefire as a step towards finding a political solution to the country’s war. It underscored that the political solution is the only viable option in Libya, away from foreign intervention.

The Parliament agreed with the Libyan legislature’s rejection of the Turkish intervention in the country’s internal affairs, demanding prompt action from the international community.



18,000 Syrians Returned Home from Jordan Since Assad’s Fall

Syrians work at a vegetables market in Aleppo, on December 23, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
Syrians work at a vegetables market in Aleppo, on December 23, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
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18,000 Syrians Returned Home from Jordan Since Assad’s Fall

Syrians work at a vegetables market in Aleppo, on December 23, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)
Syrians work at a vegetables market in Aleppo, on December 23, 2024. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)

About 18,000 Syrians have crossed into their country from Jordan since the government of Bashar Assad was toppled earlier this month, Jordanian authorities said on Thursday.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya told state TV channel Al-Mamlaka that “around 18,000 Syrians have returned to their country between the fall of the regime of Bashar Assad on December 8, 2024 until Thursday.”
He said the returnees included 2,300 refugees registered with the United Nations.
Amman says it has hosted about 1.3 million Syrians who fled their country since civil war broke out in 2011, with 650,000 formally registered with the United Nations.

Earlier this month, Al-Faraya said that security circumstances now allow Syrian refugees to return to their country.

"What prevented refugees from returning to their country was the security issue and now this has changed,” he said.

The minister said information suggests that security conditions on the northern border of the Kingdom with Syria are stable, adding that what is happening today in Syria represents "the end of a tragedy and years of suffering."

The Jaber-Nasib border crossing, which is located about 80 kilometers west of Amman, is currently the only functioning crossing between the two countries.