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UN Extends Libya Mission by Three Months

Jan Kubis (AFP)
Jan Kubis (AFP)
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UN Extends Libya Mission by Three Months

Jan Kubis (AFP)
Jan Kubis (AFP)

The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for three months, with Russia vetoing a longer prolongation until a new envoy is appointed.

The text extends until July 31, 2022 the mandate of UNSMIL and “calls upon the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative promptly” to be based in the capital Tripoli.

The resolution requires the UN chief report monthly on its implementation until the end of July.

Since the resignation in November of Slovak envoy Jan Kubis, the Security Council has been marked by growing Russian opposition to any common agreement on Libya.

UNSMIL’s annual mandate was renewed in September for only four months, before being extended in January for another three months.

According to diplomats, at the start of negotiations, Britain presented its 14 partners in the Security Council with a draft text renewing UNSMIL’s mandate for one year.

But faced with Russian resistance, the text was transformed into a technical renewal of the current mandate for only three months.

Resolution 2629 is the fourth issued by the Council since mid-September 2021, due to the division among its members on the appointment of a new special envoy to the UN mission to succeed Kubis.

On December 6, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a fluent Arabic speaker who served as deputy UN special representative in Libya from 2018-2020 as his special adviser and sent her to Tripoli.

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Arab World

Iraq’s Parliament Delays Presidential Vote

A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on December 29, 2025. (AFP)
A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on December 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Iraq’s Parliament Delays Presidential Vote

A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on December 29, 2025. (AFP)
A photograph shows Iraq's parliament building in Baghdad as newly elected lawmakers are due to hold their first session on December 29, 2025. (AFP)

Iraq's parliament postponed the election of the country's president on Tuesday to allow Kurdish rivals time to agree on a candidate.

The parliament delayed the session, the official INA press agency reported, without saying whether a new date had been agreed.

The agency reported earlier that speaker Haibat al-Halbousi received requests from Iraq's two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), to postpone the vote to "allow both parties more time" to reach a deal.

By convention, a Shiite holds the powerful post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.

Under a tacit agreement between the two main Kurdish parties, a PUK member holds the Iraqi presidency, while the president and regional premier of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region is selected from the KDP.

But this time the KDP named its own candidate for Iraq's presidency: Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Once elected, the president will then have 15 days to appoint a prime minister, expected to be former premier Nouri al-Maliki.

On Saturday, the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shiite parties with varying ties to Iran that holds a parliamentary majority, endorsed Maliki.

But his nomination appeared to stoke concern in Washington.

The 75-year-old shrewd politician is Iraq's only two-term premier (2006-2014) since the 2003 US invasion.

Seen as close to Iran, Maliki left power in 2014 following heated pressure from Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Sunday against a pro-Iranian government in Iraq.

An Iraqi source close to the Coordination Framework told AFP that Washington had conveyed that it "holds a negative view of previous governments led by former prime minister Maliki."

In a letter, US representatives said that while the selection of the prime minister is an Iraqi decision, "the United States will make its own sovereign decisions regarding the next government in line with American interests."

Another Iraqi source confirmed the letter, adding that the Shiite alliance had still moved forward with its choice, confident that Maliki could allay Washington's concerns.

Iraq has long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, with successive governments negotiating a delicate balance between the two foes.

Iraq's new premier will be expected to address Washington's longstanding demand that Baghdad disarm Tehran-backed factions, many of which are designated terrorist groups by the US.

Arab World

Three French Tourists Killed as Boat Capsizes off Oman

Image published by the Royal Oman Police of the distressed tourist boat (Oman News Agency)
Image published by the Royal Oman Police of the distressed tourist boat (Oman News Agency)
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Three French Tourists Killed as Boat Capsizes off Oman

Image published by the Royal Oman Police of the distressed tourist boat (Oman News Agency)
Image published by the Royal Oman Police of the distressed tourist boat (Oman News Agency)

A boat carrying French tourists capsized off the shore of Oman on Tuesday, police said, killing three people and injuring two others.

The boat overturned 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) from Sultan Qaboos Port in the capital Muscat "carrying a group of 25 French tourists including the tour guide and boat captain, resulting in the death of three tourists and injuries to two others," Omani police said in a statement on X.

"Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident," they added.

Oman is increasingly attracting attention from international travelers, especially nature lovers drawn to its mountains and coastline.

The country welcomed nearly four million visitors in 2024, with the government aiming to triple that figure by 2040 by focusing on sustainable tourism.

Arab World

Mazloum Abdi: We Will Take Advantage of Truce to Advance Dec. 18 Agreement

Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
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Mazloum Abdi: We Will Take Advantage of Truce to Advance Dec. 18 Agreement

Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 
Forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) completed their withdrawal to the Hasakah region in northeastern Syria (Reuters). 

Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said efforts had been underway for some time to reach a ceasefire, noting that the current truce was implemented “at the request of the US military.”

“We are ready to implement the agreement in the near term, and there is understanding on many issues,” Abdi said in remarks to the Kurdish Ronahi TV channel. “We will use the truce period to make tangible progress on the Dec. 18 agreement.”

He explained that, under the agreement, government forces would not enter Kurdish-majority areas, while SDF institutions would be integrated into state institutions.

He added that Damascus had been asked not to enter the city and had agreed, expressing hope that the commitment would be upheld. Abdi said any solution for Kobani and Qamishli must also include Ras al-Ayn and Afrin.

Abdi said negotiations with Damascus were continuing under international sponsorship, with the involvement of the United States at political and military levels, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.

He stressed that the talks should not be considered a final agreement, adding that international efforts to de-escalate would succeed as long as Damascus honored its commitments and no “unacceptable” conditions were imposed.

He said the SDF remained ready to implement the Dec. 18 agreement with Damascus within a short period, noting that names had been proposed for the posts of deputy defense minister and governor of Hasakah, though no final list had yet been agreed.

Meanwhile, the SDF said on Monday that heavy clashes had erupted with Syrian government-affiliated factions southeast of Kobani, after attacks launched at dawn.

The fighting continued, particularly in the town of Jalbiya, amid reinforcements including tanks and armored vehicles and intensive Turkish drone activity. Syria’s Defense Ministry accused the SDF of violating the ceasefire and launching more than 25 drone attacks on army positions around Kobani.