Libya Urges Egypt for Flight Resumption

Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohammad al-Hawaij, during his meeting with the Egyptian Chargé d'Affairs, Mohammad Tharwat Selim (Libyan Ministry of Economy)
Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohammad al-Hawaij, during his meeting with the Egyptian Chargé d'Affairs, Mohammad Tharwat Selim (Libyan Ministry of Economy)
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Libya Urges Egypt for Flight Resumption

Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohammad al-Hawaij, during his meeting with the Egyptian Chargé d'Affairs, Mohammad Tharwat Selim (Libyan Ministry of Economy)
Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohammad al-Hawaij, during his meeting with the Egyptian Chargé d'Affairs, Mohammad Tharwat Selim (Libyan Ministry of Economy)

Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammad al-Hawaij received the Egyptian Chargé d'Affairs Mohammad Tharwat Selim in Tripoli to discuss a number of bilateral issues including the arrangements for the meeting of the Higher Joint Libyan-Egyptian Committee.

The committee will convene during this year's third quarter to review, develop, and activate a number of economic, investment, and residence agreements.

During the meeting, Hawaij stressed the need to resume flights through Cairo International Airport, operate civilian flights between the two countries, and facilitate the entry procedures through all ports.

He also called on Egypt to participate in the Benghazi exhibition and organize a Libyan-Egyptian business forum on its sidelines, within the framework of encouraging investment and supporting the partnership between the private sector of the two countries.

Egypt should participate in the Tripoli International Fair, to be held in September 2021, said Hawaij, indicating that this will enhance trade exchange between the two countries and create foreign markets for Libyan products.

Meanwhile, the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Volcano of Rage operation swapped 35 detainees in the Shwerif area, within the framework of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC).

Member of presidential council Abdullah al-Lafi vowed to continue efforts to help release all detainees, pointing out that the operation took place in the presence of Major General Mustafa Yahya, member and the rapporteur of the JMC, and a number of notables and sheiks of Shwerif.

Yahya affirmed that this exchange deal is not the first, and won’t be the last, praising the efforts that led to its completion.

Furthermore, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) to convene on May 26 and 27 to discuss the constitutional basis finalized by the Legal Committee.

A member of the Legal Committee of the LPDF, Zahra Naqi, said the discussions will focus on the matters that were not addressed by the legal committee.

She pointed out that there are some outstanding issues, which must be determined before the meeting.

She explained that the sessions will be a live broadcast to ensure transparency, participation, and the effectiveness of the discussions.

Naqi also called for a digital consultative session to be held by the UNSMIL ahead of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum and the presidential elections.

She warned that failure to hold the elections on time threatens the political legitimacy, which could divide the state institutions.



UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The UN rights chief on Tuesday voiced concern about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, where his office said nearly 100 people had been reported killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, including women, children and medics.

Israel has been locked in fighting with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since Oct. 2023, and fighting has escalated dramatically since late September of this year.

"UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk is gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon with at least 97 people reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between the 22nd and 24th of November," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told a Geneva press briefing.

He said that at least seven paramedics had been reported killed in three Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon on Nov. 22-23, adding to 226 healthcare worker deaths since Oct. 7, 2023. He did not specify how many of the recent deaths had been verified by UN human rights monitors.

Israel says it targets military capabilities in Lebanon and Gaza and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas, of hiding among civilians, which they deny.