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Libyan Rivals to Hold Peace Talks on Home Soil, Says UN

In this Aug 31, 2019 file photo, fighters from a militia allied with the GNA aim at enemy positions at the Salahaddin neighborhood front line in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
In this Aug 31, 2019 file photo, fighters from a militia allied with the GNA aim at enemy positions at the Salahaddin neighborhood front line in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
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Libyan Rivals to Hold Peace Talks on Home Soil, Says UN

In this Aug 31, 2019 file photo, fighters from a militia allied with the GNA aim at enemy positions at the Salahaddin neighborhood front line in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
In this Aug 31, 2019 file photo, fighters from a militia allied with the GNA aim at enemy positions at the Salahaddin neighborhood front line in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)

The UN's Libya mission said Saturday that a joint military commission with representatives from the two parties to the country's conflict will meet this week on Libyan soil.

The November 2-4 talks will be the first time the teams have met on Libyan territory, UNSMIL said.

"Participants will initiate discussions in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," the UN said, referring to an October 23 deal signed in Geneva.

Talks will take place in Ghadames, a desert oasis some 465 kilometers (290 miles) southwest of the capital Tripoli, near Libya's borders with Algeria and Tunisia.

Libya has been wracked by conflict for nearly a decade, since the overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

It has since been dominated by armed groups and divided between two bitterly-opposed administrations: The Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli, and another in the east backed by Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar.

The October 23 deal saw the two warring factions sign a "permanent" ceasefire deal intended to pave the way towards a political solution to the country's grinding conflict.

The military commission is dubbed "5+5", because it is made up of five officers from each camp.

The talks will be attended by the UN's Libya envoy Stephanie Williams.

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EU’s Borrell Urges Israel to Accept Lebanon Ceasefire ‘Today’

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell gives a statement to the media after his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell gives a statement to the media after his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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EU’s Borrell Urges Israel to Accept Lebanon Ceasefire ‘Today’

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell gives a statement to the media after his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell gives a statement to the media after his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

The European Union's foreign policy chief urged the Israeli government on Tuesday to back a proposed ceasefire deal in Lebanon which he said has all the necessary security guarantees for Israel.

Speaking at a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Italy, Josep Borrell said there was no excuse for not implementing the deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah, adding pressure should be exerted on Israel to approve it immediately.

"Let's hope that today (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu will approve the ceasefire agreement proposed by the US and France. No more excuses. No more additional requests," Borrell said, criticizing hard-line Israeli ministers who have spoken against the deal.

Israel looks set to approve a US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah on Tuesday, a senior Israeli official said.

Borrell, who said he discussed prospects for a deal in a recent trip to Lebanon, said one of the sticking points was whether France should be included in a committee monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire, which the US is due to chair.

He said the Lebanese have specifically asked for France's involvement, but the Israelis have misgivings.

"This is one of the points that are still missing," he said.

Borrell also criticized what he saw as Western double standards on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

"You cannot applaud when the court goes against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and remain silent when the court goes against Netanyahu," he said, urging European Union member states to support the ICC.

Italy, which holds the G7 presidency, said on Monday it was trying to broker a common position for the group on the ICC decision, but progress is hard since the US has said it does not recognizethe jurisdiction of the court and opposes the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

The G7 comprises the US, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Canada and Japan.