Turkey: Holding Elections Most Important Way Ensure Libya’s Unity

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
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Turkey: Holding Elections Most Important Way Ensure Libya’s Unity

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)

Turkey described on Friday the situation in Libya as "very critical", saying that holding elections is one of the most important ways to guarantee its unity.

At the same time, it demanded that discussions about the legitimacy of its Government of National Unity (GNU) be dropped until the elections are held.

Ankara expressed its ongoing support to the GNU, headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu remarked that the West had set a date to hold the elections as soon as possible, but the Libyans said that the conditions in the country were not yet suitable to stage them. As a result, the polls were postponed.

The elections were supposed to be held on December 24, but political disagreements led to their postponement.

Meanwhile, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told the Anadolu Agency on Friday that his country has supported the political process in Libya from the very beginning to the end, and that Ankara will continue to support it from now on.

“Elections were one of the steps and stages of this political process. We made the necessary suggestions for it to be held, but the Libyans decided to postpone the elections with an agreement among themselves since the conditions were not suitable there,” he said.

Kalin said the Maritime Boundary Treaty and the Military Cooperation and Training Agreement signed between Ankara and Tripoli in 2019 remain valid.

“Even if there are objections from some groups in Libya or some countries in the region, Libyans have a very clear and unequivocal stance on this issue,” he stressed.

The spokesperson noted that his country will continue to stand by the Libyan people and the legitimate government, both in terms of security, supporting the political process, and rebuilding Libya, and strengthening its infrastructure.

He said there is an ongoing political negotiation process among the Libyans on how long the elections will be postponed and who will manage this process.

“We hope that this new political process is announced to everyone with a new date and a transparent roadmap as soon as possible without causing any tension or conflict,” Kalin stressed, adding that Ankara will continue to stand by the Libyans as a supportive and facilitating actor in the process led by the Libyans, whenever they will be held, and in whatever way, they will be planned.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.