Dbeibeh Surprises Libyans with Expanded National Unity Govt

Libyan Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. (Reuters)
Libyan Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. (Reuters)
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Dbeibeh Surprises Libyans with Expanded National Unity Govt

Libyan Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. (Reuters)
Libyan Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. (Reuters)

Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh surprised Libyans with his announcement of an expanded national unity government.

In remarks late on Friday, he said the cabinet will be comprised of 35 ministers.

The lineup will be presented to parliament on Monday for a vote. The legislature will meet in the central city of Sirte.

The cabinet will be formed of 27 minister who will hold portfolios and six ministers of state.

Dbeibeh vowed that the ministers will prioritize the improvement of services provided to the people, the unification of state institutions and holding elections.

The PM has until March 19 to receive the parliament’s vote of confidence before embarking on the most challenging part of his mission, which is unifying institutions and leading the transitional phase until the December 24 elections are held.

Dbeibeh has divided the cabinet into seven sovereign and 14 service portfolios and six state ministers.

The lineup confirmed a previous Asharq Al-Awsat report that said Khaled Mazen would be appointed interior minister. Government of National Accord (GNA) Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha would no longer retain his post, despite the support he had received from Washington and Ankara.

He also named Lamia Bosidera, as foreign minister.

Dbeibeh will act as defense minister, similar to his predecessor GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj.



Britain 'Taking Forward' Gaza Food Airdrop Plan, Says PM Starmer's Office

A volunteer distributes rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
A volunteer distributes rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
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Britain 'Taking Forward' Gaza Food Airdrop Plan, Says PM Starmer's Office

A volunteer distributes rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
A volunteer distributes rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday spoke to his French and German counterparts and outlined UK plans to get aid to people in Gaza and evacuate sick and injured children, his office said.

"The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance," a statement said, AFP reported.

In a phone conversation, Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza "which they agreed is appalling".

"They all agreed it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace," according to a readout released by Downing Street.

"They discussed their intention to work closely together on a plan.... which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region. They agreed that once this plan was worked up, they would seek to bring in other key partners, including in the region, to advance it," it added.

The discussion comes a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip, calling it a "moral crisis that challenges the global conscience".

Aid groups have warned of surging cases of starvation, particularly among children, in war-ravaged Gaza, which Israel placed under an aid blockade in March amid its ongoing war with Hamas. That blockade was partially eased two months later.

The trickle of aid since then has been controlled by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.