Libya’s Menfi Warns FM for Committing Violation

Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Menfi (Reuters)
Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Menfi (Reuters)
TT

Libya’s Menfi Warns FM for Committing Violation

Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Menfi (Reuters)
Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Menfi (Reuters)

Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammad al-Menfi has warned Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, saying she committed a violation after dismissing and replacing three ambassadors and delegates.

In a message leaked to the media, Menfi asked Mangoush to refrain from such measures in the future, unless done in accordance with the law, political agreement, and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.

Menfi toured Sirte on Wednesday for the first time and visited a number of main streets that include shops and cafes.

Upon landing at Gardabiya International Airport, Menfi was received by a number of security and local officials including leaders of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls the city, as well as a number of lawmakers.

A number of Sirte residents asked the head of the Presidential Council to improve their living conditions after years of destruction and wars, according to the Libyan News Agency.

Menfi expressed hope that the unity government, chaired by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, would address various problems in Libyan cities, especially those affected by conflict.

He pointed out that the government recently decided to establish funds for the reconstruction of destroyed cities, including Sirte.

Meanwhile, Moussa al-Kouni, a member of the Presidential Council, announced Algeria's agreement to reopen the Ghat-Ghadames border crossing with Libya.

Kouni expressed in a tweet his gratitude for Algeria's Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum, who ordered the re-opening of the Ghat-Ghadames crossing border, indicating that the closing of borders has made the conditions in these areas more difficult.

He said this step will contribute to resolving the conditions of the people and residents of the border areas, revealing that the Libyan FM will meet her Algerian counterpart and a number of businessmen to discuss the matter.

In turn, Dbeibah toured on Wednesday a number of municipalities of al-Jaffara and met with the mayors and residents.

The government’s media office issued a statement indicating that the meeting discussed the situation in the region, and the prime minister promised to review their needs and direct the concerned authorities to address the urgent challenges.

Dbeibah received a phone call from US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who stressed that all aspects of the Libyan Government of National Unity should meet the deadlines and make the necessary changes to ensure a successful election.



Lebanese President to Consult on New Prime Minister from Monday

 Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun smiles as he walks into a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun smiles as he walks into a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Lebanese President to Consult on New Prime Minister from Monday

 Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun smiles as he walks into a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun smiles as he walks into a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)

Newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will hold consultations with members of parliament from Jan. 13 to nominate a prime minister, the presidency said on Friday.

Once named, the new prime minister must form a government, a process that often takes many months. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is widely seen as a frontrunner, but opposition parliamentarian Fouad Makhzoumi may have the backing of a number of lawmakers, political sources said.

The post is reserved for a Sunni figure in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, which also reserves the presidency for a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament post for a Shiite.

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Aoun as president on Thursday, filling a post that has been vacant since October 2022 with a general who has US support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

In his first remarks as president on Thursday, Aoun said that he would work to assert the state's right to hold the monopoly on arms.

Mikati said on Friday that the state would begin disarming in southern Lebanon, to assert its presence across the country.

Lebanon and Israel agreed in November to a 60-day ceasefire that stipulates that only "official military and security forces" in Lebanon are authorized to carry arms.

The proposal refers to both sides' commitment to fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, including provisions that refer to the "disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon".