European Union Discusses Ways to Monitor Libyan Borders

Head of the EUBAM Natalina Cea meets with Libyan military officials. (Twitter)
Head of the EUBAM Natalina Cea meets with Libyan military officials. (Twitter)
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European Union Discusses Ways to Monitor Libyan Borders

Head of the EUBAM Natalina Cea meets with Libyan military officials. (Twitter)
Head of the EUBAM Natalina Cea meets with Libyan military officials. (Twitter)

The European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya) discussed with military officials in the country ways to secure the borders.

Head of the EUBAM Natalina Cea said she discussed joint cooperation in monitoring and securing the border.

Illegal migration and organized crime are challenges across Libya’s vast borders.

Cea and Commander of the Border Guard Training Center Brigadier General Fawzi Al-Fiqi visited the center, which is being renovated by EUBAM.

Meanwhile, the Specialized Training Institute of the General Directorate of Security Operations of the Government of National Unity (GNU) concluded the first training course in the field of “Collection, Analysis and Exchange of Information”.

Libya’s Interior Ministry said the course is part of efforts to raise the efficiency of border guards and officers from other units under the General Directorate of Security Operations.

Meanwhile, head of the GNU Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah met on Saturday with Minister of Transportation Mohammed Al-Shahoubi and various officials and airlines' representatives.

The meeting focused on obstacles in the aviation sector, said a statement from Dbeibah’s office. The minister welcomed Dbeibah’s interest in improving the sector.

Shahoubi explained that 15 Libyan Airlines and eight Afriqiyah Airways planes were completely destroyed during past wars, while more than 14 planes need maintenance.

He also said a number of administrative and technical problems are hindering their return to the fleet.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Election is My Priority After Ceasefire

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Election is My Priority After Ceasefire

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian (L), in Beirut, Lebanon, 28 November 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has set the presidential election session for January 9, 2024, calling it a “productive” meeting and announcing that accredited ambassadors in Lebanon will be invited.

Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that his priority after the ceasefire with Israel is the presidential election, which he called a “national necessity.”

The announcement came as French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese leaders about restarting stalled political efforts due to the war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Both Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati received a call from French President Emmanuel Macron late Wednesday.

Macron discussed with Mikati the current situation in Lebanon following the ceasefire, as well as the implementation of decisions made at the recent Lebanon Support Conference in Paris.

In his call with Berri, Macron addressed the general situation, recent steps taken by Lebanon regarding the ceasefire and Israeli provocations, and preparations for the presidential election.

This renewed presidential push comes after more than two years of a vacant presidency, with Lebanese political parties still divided over a consensus candidate.