EU to Discuss Developments in Libya

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends a news conference during the Southern EU Countries summit at Filoxenia Conference centre in Nicosia, Cyprus January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends a news conference during the Southern EU Countries summit at Filoxenia Conference centre in Nicosia, Cyprus January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo
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EU to Discuss Developments in Libya

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends a news conference during the Southern EU Countries summit at Filoxenia Conference centre in Nicosia, Cyprus January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends a news conference during the Southern EU Countries summit at Filoxenia Conference centre in Nicosia, Cyprus January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe said that foreign ministers will discuss Monday Libya developments and highlight the political solution for the crisis. The European Union (EU) will also host on the 23rd of July a meeting for high-rank officials to discuss the ceasefire in the country.

In his statement before the United Nations Security Council, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the EU will host in the last week of this month a meeting for the International Follow-up Committee on Libya (IFCL).

“As European Union, we believe it is high time to put an end to this military conflict. This meeting brings together all countries which have the capacity, if genuinely committed, to contribute to a political transition in Libya. We all took strong commitments in the Berlin conference in January; it is now time to translate our words into concrete actions. We need to work collectively, under a strong United Nations leadership, to implement truly the conclusions of Berlin, which everybody accepted,” he said.

“The polarization, which has turned Libya into a theater of proxy wars, needs to stop. Actions in support of one or the other Libyan party fuel the conflict, and some constitute clear provocations. We must go back to our Berlin-commitments, starting with the enforcement of the United Nations arms embargo, which unfortunately continues to be violated on all sides and every day, in all impunity,” Borrell added.

“We need a collective effort to favor the return of the Libyan parties to the negotiating table, starting with the UN-led 5+5 military talks to reach an agreement on a sustainable ceasefire.”

Moreover, European Union foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the success of Operation Irini in implementing the UN arms’ embargo in Libya would be an opportunity to stop the fight.

Amid the ongoing escalation between both parties, the situation has worsened, he added.



US Imposes Sanctions on Yemen Bank, Citing Support to Houthis

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
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US Imposes Sanctions on Yemen Bank, Citing Support to Houthis

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)

The United States unveiled sanctions Thursday on a Yemen bank, including its key leaders, citing its support for Houthi militants in that country.

The designation of the International Bank of Yemen (IBY) complements a government effort "to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea," said the US Treasury Department.

The Houthis launched an armed coup in 2014, seizing control of the capital Sanaa and other several provinces.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted shipping lanes using missiles and drones in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where a brutal war has raged since October that year.

"Financial institutions like IBY are critical to the Houthis' efforts to access the international financial system and threaten both the region and international commerce," said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender in a statement.

The official said the US government was "committed to working with the internationally recognized government of Yemen."

Thursday's action follows a designation in January of the Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment.

In a separate statement, the US State Department added that Washington was "committed to disrupting Houthi financial networks and banking access."

Besides the IBY, key leaders targeted in Thursday's actions are Kamal Hussain Al Jebry, Ahmed Thabit Noman Al-Absi and Abdulkader Ali Bazara, the Treasury Department said.

As a result of sanctions, property and interests in property of designated individuals in the United States are blocked and must be reported.