European, US Officials Reiterate Importance of Holding Libyan Elections on Time

The High National Elections Commission discusses arrangements for launching electoral awareness campaigns (the HNEC)
The High National Elections Commission discusses arrangements for launching electoral awareness campaigns (the HNEC)
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European, US Officials Reiterate Importance of Holding Libyan Elections on Time

The High National Elections Commission discusses arrangements for launching electoral awareness campaigns (the HNEC)
The High National Elections Commission discusses arrangements for launching electoral awareness campaigns (the HNEC)

Officials from France, Germany, Italy, and the US have reiterated the importance of implementing the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap, which would lead to holding the Libyan elections scheduled in December.

UN Special Envoy to Libya Jan Kubisch, accompanied by Assistant Secretary-General/UNSMIL Coordinator Raisedon Zenenga, held a meeting on Tuesday with Special Envoys, Ambassadors and other senior officials representing France, UK, US, Germany and Italy in the P3+2 format.

The aim of the meeting was to advance the implementation of the LPDF Roadmap leading up to the holding of national elections on December 24, and the full implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement.

An official from the Independent High Electoral Commission told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper there is a race against time to ensure that the elections are held on time.

The meeting’s participants reiterated the importance of committing to the date of elections on 24 December and of expediting the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters and forces from Libya, in accordance with the Ceasefire Agreement and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including the recently adopted UNSCRs 2570 (2021) and 2571 (2021).

“The meeting also discussed possible next steps to implement the LPDF Roadmap and the UNSC Resolutions,” UNSMIL said in a statement on its website.

It further added that “within the same context and objectives and in the light of the political and security situation in Libya and the region, the Special Envoy held telephone conversations with high -level representatives of the GIS of Egypt, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov and NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană.”

In an attempt to resolve the obstacles hindering holding the elections on time, Minister of Finance Khaled Al-Mabrouk met with Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) Imad Al-Sayeh.

Mabrouk stressed the importance of the role entrusted to the commission, underscoring the need to give it full support.



G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
TT

G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Foreign Ministers from the G7 democracies on Tuesday upped the pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement."

In a draft statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Italy, the G7 ministers urged Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians, and condemned increasing settler violence in the West Bank, Reuters reported.

The ministers also condemned recent attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and expressed their support for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying it plays a "vital role."