US Denies Links with Efforts to Postpone Libyan Elections

A photo distributed by the US Ambassador to Libya during his visit to a polling station accompanied by the Head of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli.
A photo distributed by the US Ambassador to Libya during his visit to a polling station accompanied by the Head of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli.
TT

US Denies Links with Efforts to Postpone Libyan Elections

A photo distributed by the US Ambassador to Libya during his visit to a polling station accompanied by the Head of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli.
A photo distributed by the US Ambassador to Libya during his visit to a polling station accompanied by the Head of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli.

The United States has denied any intervention in Libya’s affairs, affirming that the country’s fate and its elections is a matter only Libyans get to decide.

Spokesman for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had refuted what was attributed to UN Special Advisor for Libya Stephanie Williams about a road map related to the elections, scheduled for December 24.

He pointed out that her mission is to lead the mediation efforts between the Libyans to help them implement the three-point-plan emanating from the Berlin conference, including supporting the elections not deciding its outcomes.

Williams is currently conducting consultations and listening to the point of views of involved Libyan parties from various political, social and security spectrums, the spokesman affirmed, noting that only Libyans get to have decisions on the upcoming elections.

The US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, arrived in Tripoli on Monday for discussions on providing support for the electoral process.

“The US continues to support the vast majority of Libyans who want elections and to cast a vote for their country’s future,” Norland said.

“A major takeaway from our visit is that Libyans, and numerous Libyan institutions and organizations, are working toward this goal.”

He pointed out that the US is working to be a partner in this process, allowing Libyans to make the choice, adding that it does not support any particular candidate, but rather the process.

“The US will continue to engage with Libyan institutions and leaders with the goal of peaceful, free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections that will pave the way for a unified and stable future for Libya.,” Norland asserted.

The ambassador met with Head of Libya’ss Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah for a discussion of key Libyan issues in the context of the electoral campaign.

He also met with Williams and several Libyan officials and civil society activists.



Türkiye Continues Strikes on PKK in Iraq, Syria Despite Ocalan Call 

Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Türkiye’s jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Türkiye’s jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Continues Strikes on PKK in Iraq, Syria Despite Ocalan Call 

Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Türkiye’s jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Türkiye’s jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Türkiye’s armed forces have killed 26 Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria in the week after jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan's disarmament call, the defense ministry said on Thursday.

Ocalan last week called on his outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down its arms and dissolve, and the militant group declared an immediate ceasefire on Saturday.

"The Turkish Armed Forces will continue its operations and search-scanning activities in the region for the survival and security of our country," the defense ministry spokesperson told a weekly press briefing.

"(It) will continue its fight against terrorism with determination and resolve until there is not a single terrorist left," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson Zeki Akturk said the PKK militants had been "neutralized" in Iraq and Syria, without specifying where the incidents took place. The ministry's use of the term "neutralized" commonly means killed.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Türkiye and its Western allies, said it was ready to convene a congress, as Ocalan urged, but the necessary security conditions should be established for him to "personally direct and run" it.

The Syrian Kurdish YPG, the spearhead of the key US ally against ISIS in Syria that Ankara views as an extension of the PKK, has said Ocalan's message did not apply to them.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Türkiye would continue operations against the PKK if the group's process of disarmament is stalled or promises are not kept.

Erdogan's ruling AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said all Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, including the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), must lay down their weapons.