US Supports Holding Libyan Elections, Preserving Oil Resources

US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland with MP Abdul-Salam Nassiya in Tunis (US Embassy)
US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland with MP Abdul-Salam Nassiya in Tunis (US Embassy)
TT
20

US Supports Holding Libyan Elections, Preserving Oil Resources

US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland with MP Abdul-Salam Nassiya in Tunis (US Embassy)
US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland with MP Abdul-Salam Nassiya in Tunis (US Embassy)

US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has met with MP Abdul-Salam Nassiya in Tunis to discuss the important efforts underway to support Libyans’ demand to hold elections.

The US will continue to support this effort and work with all sides in Libya with the goal of completing Libya’s transition to a democratic, stable, and prosperous country, Norland said.

A statement issued by Speaker of Parliament Aguila Saleh on Saturday ordered the freezing of oil revenues in the Foreign Bank of Libya until establishing safeguards and a mechanism to ensure that all Libyans benefit from this income, "in a manner that achieves justice and equality for all.”

Washington has reiterated support for the temporary freezing of oil revenues in the National Oil Corporation (NOC) account at the Libyan Foreign Bank until reaching an agreement on a revenue management mechanism.

A statement issued by the US Embassy in Libya said Saturday that an agreement on a mechanism for transparent management of oil revenues is imperative for restoring Libya's oil production.

"The Mechanism should incorporate agreement on priority expenditures, transparency measures, and steps to ensure oversight and accountability," the embassy said.

It affirmed Washington's willingness to provide technical assistance at the request of the Libyan parties to assist in setting up such a mechanism, emphasizing that progress on such important issues will contribute to creating a more stable political environment that will help restore momentum toward parliamentary and presidential elections.



Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Fire Kills 20 Aid Seekers, UN Decries ‘Horrifying Suffering’ 

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Fire Kills 20 Aid Seekers, UN Decries ‘Horrifying Suffering’ 

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)

Gaza's civil defense agency said that Israeli gunfire killed 20 people waiting for aid in the south of the Palestinian territory on Monday.  

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that "20 martyrs and more than 200 wounded by occupation gunfire... were transferred to the Red Cross field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, then to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis".  

He added that the people had been waiting to reach an aid center in Rafah "when the occupation forces opened fire" near the Al-Alam roundabout.  

When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was checking the reports.  

Meanwhile, a new UN food crisis report released on Monday said the resumption of military operations in Gaza was escalating the food crisis in Gaza "to unprecedented levels."   

The Hunger Hotspots report by the World Food Program and Food and Agricultural Organization said that no adequate humanitarian aid or commercial supplies have reached the Gaza Strip since the end of the eight-week ceasefire, the longest interruption since the start of the conflict.   

According to the latest projections, released in May, the whole of Gaza's 2.1 million people are at risk of falling into acute food insecurity by September.   

The UN human rights chief said Israel’s warfare in Gaza is inflicting “horrifying, unconscionable suffering” on Palestinians and urged government leaders to exert pressure on Israel’s government and the Hamas movement to end it.  

“Israel’s means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza,” Volker Türk told the 47-member Human Rights Council in an address that raised concerns about the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel and the fallout from sweeping US tariffs among other topics.  

Israeli authorities have regularly accused the council of anti-Israel bias, and the Trump administration has kept the United States out of its proceedings.