Dbeibeh Vows to Rebuild Everything Destroyed by War in Libya

Dbeibeh visits Bani Waled on Thursday. (GNU press office)
Dbeibeh visits Bani Waled on Thursday. (GNU press office)
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Dbeibeh Vows to Rebuild Everything Destroyed by War in Libya

Dbeibeh visits Bani Waled on Thursday. (GNU press office)
Dbeibeh visits Bani Waled on Thursday. (GNU press office)

The Libyan parliament called on its members to meet for an official session on Monday to discuss the state budget law and appointments to sovereign positions.

The parliament is set to convene at its headquarters in the east-based city of Tobruk.

First Deputy Speaker, Fawzi al-Noueri, questioned the call, saying it was made unilaterally and denying that he was informed of any planned meeting next week.

His announcement reflected the current divisions within the legislature.

“There can be no work in violation of reached agreements, especially after the unification of institutions,” he added.

Head of the High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri had proposed on Thursday that the state budget be approved in cooperation with the Presidential Council and central bank given the parliament’s delay in meeting and approving the draft bill.

Mishri made his proposal to head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in a letter that was leaked to the media.

Dbeibeh, meanwhile, was in the city of Bani Waled, which he vowed to make the launch point for national reconciliation.

He pledged to local officials to reactivate halted projects and rebuild what was destroyed during the war in the past ten years.

The GNU ministers will be present at all Libyan cities without exception to meet the people’s needs and hear their problems, he vowed.

On Wednesday night, Dbeibeh had received in the capital Tripoli the heads of local councils from Benghazi who invited him to visit the eastern city.

The head of the GNU has yet to visit the city since his appointment. A planned visit earlier this year was scrapped due to a dispute related to his entourage.



UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency.

The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

"We are lifting asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," a foreign office spokesperson said.

"At the same time, sanctions on members of the Assad regime and those involved in the illicit trade in captagon remain in place."

Captagon in an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant widely produced in Syria during Assad's rule.

A notice posted on the British government website said entities including the central bank, the Commercial Bank of Syria and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank had been delisted and were no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Syrian Arab Airlines, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company (SYTROL) and Overseas Petroleum Trading were also among those delisted.

Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called repeatedly for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed to isolate Assad during the civil war.

Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place the sanctions. The US has said its sanctions on the central bank remain in place.

A Syrian government media official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.