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UN Demands Protecting Migrants from Traffickers in Libya

Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
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UN Demands Protecting Migrants from Traffickers in Libya

Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)

The United Nations has underscored the importance of protecting vulnerable illegal migrants from traffickers.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and European Union emphasized the need to continue to raise awareness about human trafficking.

“Every year the entire world commemorates the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on the 30th of July as a reminder of the crucial role we should continue to play in raising awareness on this crime and its forms, in preventing it from taking place and protecting the vulnerable populations from falling prey to criminal groups, in supporting victims of trafficking in persons, and in prosecuting offenders and bringing them to justice,” they said.

This year the day comes at a time when all countries and communities are confronting challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has affected the lives of men and women, adults and children from diverse backgrounds and with the deterioration of the economic conditions, their vulnerability to be trafficked has increased,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Navy spokesman said that the coast guard rescued 18 illegal migrants off the coast of the western city of Khoms after their rubber boat broke down.

On Tuesday, Libyan security forces deported 27 Tunisians who had taken part in an illegal migration operation.

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Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
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Iran Seeks to Turn ‘New Page’ in Ties with Lebanon

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lebanese officials on Tuesday that Iran wanted to turn a "new page" in relations with Beirut, hinting at a shift in diplomatic ties that were long grounded in supporting Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was once a powerful armed movement and political party with sway over Lebanon's state, but it was severely weakened by Israel's bombing campaign last year. Since then, Lebanon's army commander was elected president and a new cabinet with curtailed influence for Hezbollah and its allies took power.

Araqchi's one-day trip to Beirut on Tuesday was his first since February, when he attended the funeral of Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, killed in Israeli air strikes in September.

Araqchi told both Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to "turn a new page" in Iran's ties with Lebanon, according to statements by Salam and Raggi's offices.

"Araqchi affirmed his country's keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Salam's office said. Araqchi also extended a formal invitation for Salam to visit Iran.

The statement from Raggi's office said the pair had a "frank and direct discussion," including on establishing the state's monopoly on the use of arms - an apparent reference to possible negotiations on the future of Hezbollah's arsenal.

The top Iranian diplomat briefly addressed reporters on Tuesday after meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a key Hezbollah ally. Unlike previous addresses by Iranian diplomats, his comments did not mention Hezbollah.

The visit followed several turbulent episodes in ties between the two countries.

Lebanon's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Beirut in April over comments alleging that plans to disarm Hezbollah were a "conspiracy".

Last year, then-Prime Minister Najib Mikati also issued a rare rebuke of Iran for "interfering" in internal Lebanese affairs.

In February, Iran blocked Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Tehran after Lebanon said it would not allow Iranian aircraft to land in Beirut because of Israel's threats that it would bomb the planes.