Libya's GNU, LNA Discuss Means to Unify Military

LNA Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori meets with GNU Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad in Sirte. (LNA press office)
LNA Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori meets with GNU Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad in Sirte. (LNA press office)
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Libya's GNU, LNA Discuss Means to Unify Military

LNA Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori meets with GNU Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad in Sirte. (LNA press office)
LNA Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori meets with GNU Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad in Sirte. (LNA press office)

Libyan National Army (LNA) Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrazek al-Nadoori held talks on Saturday with Mohammed al-Haddad, the Government of National Unity (GNU) chief of staff, on efforts to unify the military.

Member of the 5+5 joint military committee, Khairy al-Tamimi said the meeting, which was held in Sirte city, was aimed at building trust between the two sides.

Efforts to unify the military institution "are moving in the right direction," he added.

Meanwhile, the High National Election Commission denied reports that it had declared "force majeure", meaning the cancellation of the upcoming elections.

A statement had been published on the commission's official website, claiming the polls have been canceled.

The commission said the website was hacked and the statement has since been taken down.

The statement had condemned what it said was the threat of one presidential candidate, who holds dual nationality, to use force against the commission, which prompted it to declare "force majeure".

Meanwhile, Stephanie Williams, adviser to the UN chief on Libya, stressed on Friday the need to respect the will of 2.8 million Libyans who had registered to vote in the elections.

The diplomat had held talks with head of the High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri in Tripoli.

In a tweet, she said she highlighted the calendar set by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum roadmap and "called for urgent and serious efforts to end Libya's already too long transitional period with free, fair and credible elections."

She added that talks with Mishri also "outlined his vision to work towards national elections via a referendum on the constitution in a timely manner."



Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged on Friday Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and devise a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani river.

In a press conference Friday, Geagea criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people.

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” he said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about a victory using a bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality.”

Geagea’s comments came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, also addressed Lebanon’s presidential deadlock. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for presidential elections in January. "Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and bringing them to parliament,” Geagea said.