Libya Talks Make Progress towards New Temporary Government, UN Says

This handout picture distributed by the United Nations Office at Geneva shows Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya Stephanie Williams.
This handout picture distributed by the United Nations Office at Geneva shows Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya Stephanie Williams.
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Libya Talks Make Progress towards New Temporary Government, UN Says

This handout picture distributed by the United Nations Office at Geneva shows Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya Stephanie Williams.
This handout picture distributed by the United Nations Office at Geneva shows Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya Stephanie Williams.

A Libyan political dialogue arranged by the United Nations has made progress towards agreeing a new transitional government to oversee the run-up to elections in December, the UN said on Saturday.

Participants at talks in Geneva agreed on a mechanism for choosing the new government, whose formation has been the subject of wrangling among the main factions in a country that is a major oil producer.

Acting UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams said the agreement represented the "best possible compromise" on the issue and could lead to the selection of a transitional government "in several weeks".

However, she also warned that there would still be "people seeking to obstruct" peacemaking efforts.

The talks are part of a wider peace process, after years of chaos and warfare, which also involves a military ceasefire and an economic track.

Libya has been split since 2014 between rival factions in Tripoli, in the west, and Benghazi in the east.

In November, the United Nations invited 75 Libyans to join a political dialogue in Tunis, which set a date of Dec. 24 this year for presidential and parliamentary elections and agreed on the need for a new, unified transitional government.

The transitional government will be responsible for preparing for the elections, combating corruption and restoring public services across Libya, Williams said.

However, November's Tunis meeting stalled when the delegates started discussing the make-up of the new government. Saturday's agreement was made by a smaller committee drawn from the participants.

All 75 members of the dialogue will vote next week on the mechanism the Geneva committee agreed on Saturday.



Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
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Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)

Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.

AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from June 16.

Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added, Reuters reported.

Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from June 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.

Türkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country's reconstruction.

Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria's airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.