LNA, Presidential Council, UN Discuss Efforts to Unify Libyan Army

UN envoy Jan Kubis (L), LNA chief Haftar (C) and Vice President of the Presidential Council, al-Kouni meet on Saturday.
UN envoy Jan Kubis (L), LNA chief Haftar (C) and Vice President of the Presidential Council, al-Kouni meet on Saturday.
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LNA, Presidential Council, UN Discuss Efforts to Unify Libyan Army

UN envoy Jan Kubis (L), LNA chief Haftar (C) and Vice President of the Presidential Council, al-Kouni meet on Saturday.
UN envoy Jan Kubis (L), LNA chief Haftar (C) and Vice President of the Presidential Council, al-Kouni meet on Saturday.

Vice President of the Presidential Council, Moussa al-Kouni held talks with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar on efforts to unify the military in eastern and western Libya.

The meeting on Sunday night was attended by head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Jan Kubis.

Al-Kouni said the meeting followed up on previous discussions on the unification of state institutions and the army.

Haftar’s office issued a brief statement confirming that the meeting was held at the General Command’s headquarters in al-Rajma near the eastern city of Benghazi. It did not provide further details.

On Sunday, al-Kouni and head of the Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, toured the eastern city of Tobruk without their security guards.

Menfi had kicked off on Saturday a visit to Derna city, the first by a high-ranking official since the February 17 revolution.

He met with senor officials, elders and civilian and military leaderships to discuss several pending issues, such as the return of the displaced and national reconciliation.

In a statement, he vowed to support the city in all fields, in coordination with the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Kubis met with Menfi in Tobruk on Sunday. They discussed ways to expedite the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in full, without any further delay with the opening of the coastal road as a necessary confidence-building step, said a UN statement.

They discussed needed steps at national and international levels to start the withdrawal process of mercenaries and foreign fighters and forces from the entirety of Libya without any delay as requested by the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, GNU chief Abdulhamid Dbeibeh held a meeting that included the finance minister and Tripoli officials to address efforts to improve the power supply to the capital.



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.