Algerian President, Jordanian King Sign 5 Cooperation Agreements

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune awarded Jordan's King Abdallah the national order of merit "El-Athir" (APZ)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune awarded Jordan's King Abdallah the national order of merit "El-Athir" (APZ)
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Algerian President, Jordanian King Sign 5 Cooperation Agreements

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune awarded Jordan's King Abdallah the national order of merit "El-Athir" (APZ)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune awarded Jordan's King Abdallah the national order of merit "El-Athir" (APZ)

Jordan's King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and signed five cooperation agreements in various sectors.

Abdullah arrived Saturday in Algiers for a two-day visit at the invitation of the Algerian President.

The Algerian presidency said in a statement that the two leaders held "private talks" without providing further details about the talks.

The agreements included a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral political consultations, an agreement on the mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports, and an MoU between the two countries' diplomatic institutes.

It also included a draft memorandum of understanding between the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and the Algeria Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations, a cooperation program between Petra News Agency and the Algerian Press Service, and the mutual recognition of maritime qualification certificates for seafarers, education program, and level of maritime training between the two countries.

At his residence in Algiers' western suburbs, King Abdullah received Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Said Chanegriha, Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane, President of the People's National Assembly Brahim Boughali, and speaker of the upper house of parliament Salah Goudjil.

The President awarded King Abdullah the national order of merit "El-Athir," said the Presidency in a statement.

Later, the Jordanian monarch visited the "Martyr's Shrine," where he paid respects to the martyrs of the liberation revolution (1954-1962).

The state-owned newspaper, el-Masaa, reported that the King's visit is expected to give a new push to bilateral ties, especially in the economic aspect, as the two countries prepare for the upcoming meetings of the Joint Higher Committee.

The newspaper pointed out that the visit constitutes an opportunity to embody the common will to push bilateral relations to higher levels based on solid ground for cooperation.

The newspaper quoted Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, during his meeting with Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi in October, that many bilateral agreements need to be activated and implemented.

The two countries are discussing ways to establish a real and sustainable partnership in various fields to face future economic challenges, said el-Masaa.



Libya's Eastern Parliament Approves Transitional Justice Law in Unity Move, MPs Say

Members of Libyan legislatures known as the High Council of State, based in Tripoli in the country's west, and the House of Representatives, based in Benghazi in the east, meet for talks in Bouznika, Morocco, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Eljechtimi/File Photo
Members of Libyan legislatures known as the High Council of State, based in Tripoli in the country's west, and the House of Representatives, based in Benghazi in the east, meet for talks in Bouznika, Morocco, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Eljechtimi/File Photo
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Libya's Eastern Parliament Approves Transitional Justice Law in Unity Move, MPs Say

Members of Libyan legislatures known as the High Council of State, based in Tripoli in the country's west, and the House of Representatives, based in Benghazi in the east, meet for talks in Bouznika, Morocco, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Eljechtimi/File Photo
Members of Libyan legislatures known as the High Council of State, based in Tripoli in the country's west, and the House of Representatives, based in Benghazi in the east, meet for talks in Bouznika, Morocco, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Eljechtimi/File Photo

Libya's eastern-based parliament has approved a national reconciliation and transitional justice law, three lawmakers said, a measure aimed at reunifying the oil-producing country after over a decade of factional conflict.

The House of Representatives (HoR) spokesperson, Abdullah Belaihaq, said on the X platform that the legislation was passed on Tuesday by a majority of the session's attendees in Libya's largest second city Benghazi.

However, implementing the law could be challenging as Libya has been divided since a 2014 civil war that spawned two rival administrations vying for power in east and west following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

"I hope that it (the law) will be in effect all over the country and will not face any difficulty," House member Abdulmenam Alorafi told Reuters by phone on Wednesday.

The United Nations mission to Libya has repeatedly called for an inclusive, rights-based transitional justice and reconciliation process in the North African country.

A political process to end years of institutional division and outright warfare has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed amid disputes over the eligibility of the main candidates.

In Tripoli, there is the Government of National Unity (GNU) under Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah that was installed through a UN-backed process in 2021, but the parliament no longer recognizes its legitimacy. Dbeibah has vowed not to cede power to a new government without national elections.

There are two competing legislative bodies - the HoR that was elected in 2014 as the national parliament with a four-year mandate to oversee a political transition, and the High Council of State in Tripoli formed as part of a 2015 political agreement and drawn from a parliament first elected in 2012.

The Tripoli-based Presidential Council, which came to power with GNU, has been working on a reconciliation project and holding "a comprehensive conference" with the support of the UN and African Union. But it has been unable to bring all rival groups together because of their continuing differences.