Moscow Reiterates Need for ‘Historic Decision’ to End Libya Conflict

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala speaks at the Eastern Mediterranean Workshop in Antalya, Turkey on 7 December 2020. [Orhan Çiçek - Anadolu Agency]
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala speaks at the Eastern Mediterranean Workshop in Antalya, Turkey on 7 December 2020. [Orhan Çiçek - Anadolu Agency]
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Moscow Reiterates Need for ‘Historic Decision’ to End Libya Conflict

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala speaks at the Eastern Mediterranean Workshop in Antalya, Turkey on 7 December 2020. [Orhan Çiçek - Anadolu Agency]
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala speaks at the Eastern Mediterranean Workshop in Antalya, Turkey on 7 December 2020. [Orhan Çiçek - Anadolu Agency]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his counterpart in the Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohamed Siala discussed in Moscow on Wednesday the developments in Libya and the prospects of a political settlement.

Lavrov reiterated the need for Libyans to make a historic decision for national reconciliation and building their country, saying Russia is keen on helping Libya resolve its problems.

The Russian FM indicated that he and his Libyan counterpart also discussed the international community’s efforts in supporting Libyans.

Commenting on the role of Cairo, Siala asserted: "The visit of the Egyptian delegation (to Libya) came very late."

He was referring to the visit of Egyptian diplomats and intelligence officials last week.

"I invite the parties who believe that the solution to the Libyan crisis has to be military to reconsider their stances, support the implementation of the peaceful solution, and help end the presence of foreign fighters," Siala said.

He also announced that his country has asked Russia’s help in evacuating foreign fighters from the country.

He also stressed that the GNA is responsible for the security and stability of the capital, Tripoli, saying: "We hope that no party will attempt to inflame the war again in Libya."

In the meantime, GNA’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Omar Maiteeq hailed an agreement by Libyan parties to resort to dialogue in solving the country’s crisis.

Determining a date for the elections is also a significant success, he said.

In an interview with Sputnik, he pointed out that the recent visit of the Egyptian delegation is the first of its kind in more than seven years.

During their meetings, Libyan and Egyptian officials discussed boosting ties, Maiteeq said.



WHO Sends Over 1 Mln Polio Vaccines to Gaza to Protect Children 

Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, look out from a window as they take shelter, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, look out from a window as they take shelter, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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WHO Sends Over 1 Mln Polio Vaccines to Gaza to Protect Children 

Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, look out from a window as they take shelter, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, look out from a window as they take shelter, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization is sending more than one million polio vaccines to Gaza to be administered over the coming weeks to prevent children being infected after the virus was detected in sewage samples, its chief said on Friday.

"While no cases of polio have been recorded yet, without immediate action, it is just a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an opinion piece in Britain's The Guardian newspaper.

He wrote that children under five were most at risk from the viral disease, and especially infants under two since normal vaccination campaigns have been disrupted by more than nine months of conflict.

Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. Cases of polio have declined by 99% worldwide since 1988 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns and efforts continue to eradicate it completely.

Israel's military said on Sunday it would start offering the polio vaccine to soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip after remnants of the virus were found in test samples in the enclave.

Besides polio, the UN reported last week a widespread increase in cases of Hepatitis A, dysentery and gastroenteritis as sanitary conditions deteriorate in Gaza, with sewage spilling into the streets near some camps for displaced people.