Libya’s Mishri: Bouznika Dialogue Helped End Political Deadlock

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita receives Khalid al-Mishri, the chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, (MAP)
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita receives Khalid al-Mishri, the chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, (MAP)
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Libya’s Mishri: Bouznika Dialogue Helped End Political Deadlock

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita receives Khalid al-Mishri, the chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, (MAP)
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita receives Khalid al-Mishri, the chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, (MAP)

Khalid al-Mishri, the chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, an advisory body to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, re-emphasized on Thursday the importance of the Bouznika dialogue, saying the discussions brought Libya’s crisis out of stagnation.

Speaking at a presser after meeting with the speaker of Morocco’s House of Councillors, Hakim Benchamach, in Rabat, Mishiri said: “The first meeting at Bouznika has moved stagnant Libyan waters, and that the world now evokes dialogues in different countries, in Geneva, Cairo, and Tunis.”

Mishri added that his visit to Morocco seeks to affirm and implement the resolutions of the Bouznika dialogue sessions, as well as to thank Morocco for its support of Libyans in finding solutions.

The visit, at the invitation of Benchamach, also seeks to facilitate discussions on how to implement the resolutions discussed in Bouznika, Mishri said.

“We receive all the support from Morocco and we thank them for everything they have provided us with in order to end the institutional division and the political deadlock,” he said.

Al-Mishri arrived in Morocco on Wednesday, when he held a meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.

Bourita echoed Mishri’s statements on the importance of the 2015 Skhirat Agreement, saying there is no alternative to it as a reference for Libya’s crisis resolution process.

He said that the agreement “grants legitimacy to institutions and to all the components of the dialogue and must remain a reference in the context of all the developments in this issue and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.”

Morocco’s top diplomat recalled that concerned parties can develop and adapt the agreement as realities evolve, renewing Morocco’s support for all efforts that seek to end the Libyan crisis.

Bourita also emphasized Morocco’s willingness to continue its positive neutrality in the search for a solution, free from any foreign interference.

He congratulated the Libyan parties who took part in the Bouznika talks, thanking them for showing “the spirit of responsibility and consensus which marked the debate on Article 15 [of the Skhirat Agreement], while making the interest of Libya prevail.”

The FM also called for the delegations to continue with the same positive dynamic to find a political solution for the conflict.



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.