Minggu, 19 Januari 2020

Libya rivals, world powers set for high-stakes Berlin summit - Al Jazeera English

Leaders of Libya's warring sides and several foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for an international summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

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Among those also expected in Berlin are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo. Leaders from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League will also attend.

The summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, kicked off meetings with discussions with the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who heads an African Union committee on Libya.

Merkel has previously said that enforcing a UN arms embargo on Libya will be a priority at the summit attended by the leading parties in Libya's war, as well as representatives from their foreign backers and other nations.

"It will be extremely difficult to see how can Berlin convince all the parties to stop providing weapons to the warring factions and stop interfering in Libya when they have different agendas," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said.

Haftar is backed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Turkey strongly supports the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and its Parliament approved a motion to send troops to Libya earlier this month.

Libya summit in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the beginning of the Libya summit in Berlin [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]

Fragile ceasefire

The conference is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The UN-recognised GNA and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving to attend the talks, Erdogan on Sunday said he hoped for an "important step" to cement the fragile ceasefire "and a political solution".

In a column published on Politico on the eve of the talks, Erdogan had urged Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups such as ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

A fighter loyal to the internationally recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) walks past a vehicle in an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. Both sides in Liby

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month.

The draft communique calls on all parties to recognise Libyan state oil firm NOC as sole entity authorised to sell Libyan crude, and urges them to refrain from hostilities against oil production facilities, Reuters news agency reported.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

 This combination of pictures created on January 12, 2020 shows Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaking during a press conference in the capital Tunis on August 7, 2017 and Libyan Ge

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

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2020-01-19 12:23:00Z
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Libya rivals, world powers set for high-stakes Berlin summit - Al Jazeera English

Leaders of Libya's warring sides and several foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for an international summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

More:

Among those also expected in Berlin are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo. Leaders from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League will also attend.

The summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, kicked off meetings with discussions with the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who heads an African Union committee on Libya.

Merkel has previously said that enforcing a UN arms embargo on Libya will be a priority at the summit attended by the leading parties in Libya's war, as well as representatives from their foreign backers and other nations.

"It will be extremely difficult to see how can Berlin convince all the parties to stop providing weapons to the warring factions and stop interfering in Libya when they have different agendas," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said.

Haftar is backed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Turkey strongly supports the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and its Parliament approved a motion to send troops to Libya earlier this month.

Libya summit in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the beginning of the Libya summit in Berlin [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]

Fragile ceasefire

The conference is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The UN-recognised GNA and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving to attend the talks, Erdogan on Sunday said he hoped for an "important step" to cement the fragile ceasefire "and a political solution".

In a column published on Politico on the eve of the talks, Erdogan had urged Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups such as ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

A fighter loyal to the internationally recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) walks past a vehicle in an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. Both sides in Liby

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month. 

If all goes to plan, the Berlin participants will hold an evening press conference.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

 This combination of pictures created on January 12, 2020 shows Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaking during a press conference in the capital Tunis on August 7, 2017 and Libyan Ge

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

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2020-01-19 10:35:00Z
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Harry and Meghan: 'Nothing like this has ever happened before' - BBC News

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer receive public funds for royal duties as part of an agreement on their future role.

The couple will also no longer use their HRH titles or represent the Queen formally as they break away from being senior royals.

BBC royal correspondent Daniela Relph explains what happens next for Harry and Meghan.

Read more: Harry and Meghan drop royal duties and HRH titles

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2020-01-19 10:24:06Z
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Harry and Meghan: 'Nothing like this has ever happened before' - BBC News

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer receive public funds for royal duties as part of an agreement on their future role.

The couple will also no longer use their HRH titles or represent the Queen formally as they break away from being senior royals.

BBC royal correspondent Daniela Relph explains what happens next for Harry and Meghan.

Read more: Harry and Meghan drop royal duties and HRH titles

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2020-01-19 09:51:52Z
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Libya rivals, world powers set for high-stakes Berlin summit - Al Jazeera English

Libya's warring sides and representatives of foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for a highly anticipated summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

More:

Among those also expected in Berlin are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo. Leaders from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League will also attend.

The summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, kicked off meetings with discussions with the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who heads an African Union committee on Libya.

Libya summit in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the beginning of the Libya summit in Berlin [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]

Fragile ceasefire

The conference is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - which is recognised by the UN - and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving to attend the talks, Erdogan on Sunday said he hoped for an "important step" to cement the fragile ceasefire "and a political solution".

In a column published on Politico on the eve of the talks, Erdogan had urged Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups such as ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said the international community is committed to ending the conflict over concerns it could intensify, threatening Europe's security.

A fighter loyal to the internationally recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) walks past a vehicle in an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. Both sides in Liby

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month. 

If all goes to plan, the Berlin participants will hold an evening press conference.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

 This combination of pictures created on January 12, 2020 shows Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaking during a press conference in the capital Tunis on August 7, 2017 and Libyan Ge

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

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2020-01-19 09:41:00Z
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Sabtu, 18 Januari 2020

Queen Releases Statement On Meghan And Harry's Future As Royals | MSNBC - MSNBC

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2020-01-18 19:10:06Z
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Libya civil war: UN envoy Salamé says foreign intervention must end - BBC News

The UN's Libya envoy Ghassan Salamé has called on foreign powers to stop interfering in Libya's civil war.

On the eve of peace talks in Berlin, Mr Salamé said foreign support of proxy groups in the conflict had created a "vicious cycle" of violence.

But Mr Salamé told the BBC that he was optimistic about the negotiations.

It comes after nine months of conflict between the powerful General Khalifa Haftar and the UN-backed government in the capital Tripoli.

A truce was announced earlier this month between Gen Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA).

But both sides blame each other for reported breaches of the agreement, and attempts to broker a lasting ceasefire broke down last week at a summit in Moscow.

On Saturday, forces loyal to Gen Haftar blocked oil exports from several major Libyan ports. The move is a damaging blow to the country's main source of income, a day before renewed peace talks begin.

What did Ghassan Salamé say?

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Salamé called on international powers to stop supporting local proxy groups with mercenaries, arms, financing, and direct military support.

He said such actions created "a vicious circle where their proxies call for intervention in their fight, and their own ambitions bring more divisions."

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The role of foreign states in the conflict has come into focus in recent months, with Turkey passing a controversial law to deploy troops to help GNA forces in Tripoli.

Meanwhile, Gen Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) has the backing of Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Jordan.

Sunday's summit aims to extract a pledge from foreign powers to honour a UN arms embargo on Libya, and to halt any further interference in the conflict.

The meeting will bring the two sides together, along with their foreign backers, the UN and other global powers, including Russia's President Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr Salamé told the BBC that a political solution to the conflict was best for all parties involved because Libya - with its vast geography, strong local identities, heavily-armed population and weakened government infrastructure - was a difficult country for one group to control.

"Most of the national interests of all these countries, especially big [commercial] contracts and oil contracts, even geopolitical demands, can be accommodated by a peaceful and prosperous Libya, much better than a divided and war-torn country," he added.

What is the current situation in Libya?

Libya has been wracked by conflict since the 2011 uprising which ousted long-time strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Gen Haftar's LNA controls much of eastern Libya, and last April he launched an offensive against the country's rival government in Tripoli.

His forces have so far been unable to take the city, but earlier this month the LNA captured Libya's country's third-biggest city, Sirte.

According to the UN, the fighting has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more from their homes.

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2020-01-18 15:56:15Z
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