The weekly newsletter from 14th to 20th of May 2021
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Egypt
Parliament approves a sovereign sukuk bill and the cabinet approves the prime minister’s report on the minimum wage
The House of Representatives Economic Affairs Committee approved the sovereign sukuk bill, after the Senate finally approved it, and during the meeting, the second, third and fourth articles of the bill were approved. the committee agreed, during its meeting, on the first article of the issuance articles in a draft bill submitted by the government. it stipulates that the Prime Minister will issue the executive regulations of the law within 3 months from the date of its entre into force, based on the proposal of the Minister of Finance, and after consulting with Al-Azhar and the Financial Supervisory Authority. The committee also rejected the proposal of Counsellor Muhammad Hani, the representative of the Central Bank, by taking the bank’s opinion on the executive regulations, similar to Al-Azhar and the General Authority for Financial Supervision, where it settled after listening to the clarifications of a number of bodies concerned with the law, provided that taking the bank’s opinion on the draft law in implementation of the constitution is sufficient, especially since the regulation is procedural.
The Cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s draft decision regarding the determination of the minimum wage for employees and workers of state agencies and public economic bodies. The first article of the decision stipulated that the minimum total monthly wage that the employee / worker is entitled to, starting from July 1, 2021, for the excellent degree or The equivalent of 8400 pounds, 6000 pounds for the high degree or its equivalent, 4800 pounds for the general manager’s degree or its equivalent, 4200 pounds for the first degree or its equivalent, 3600 pounds for the second functional degree or its equivalent, 3120 pounds for the third degree or its equivalent, and 2880 pounds for the class The fourth or its equivalent, 2,640 for the fifth degree or its equivalent, and 2,400 pounds for the sixth degree or its equivalent.
The Egyptian position on the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attempts to expel the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, appears different from Cairo’s positions on the last major Israeli aggression on Gaza, which took place in 2014. The recent Egyptian positions led to the directing of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, to a thank you note To both Egypt and Qatar during a conference in support of the Palestinian people in Doha. The head of the Hamas region abroad, Khaled Meshaal, noted that there are Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediation to solve the crisis. It is remarkable that since the beginning of the current crisis, Cairo appeared to send firm signals and messages, demanding Israel to stop the aggression as well as the attacks on Al-Aqsa and the attempts to expel the residents of Jerusalem, in addition to Cairo quickly opening the Rafah crossing, hosting the wounded Palestinians in Egyptian hospitals and sending ambulances to receive them.
- From attacking Hamas to criticizing Israel ... the secret of the change in the Egyptian position towards the Palestinian resistance in the recent crisis
- President El-Sisi announces the allocation of $ 500 million as an Egyptian initiative for the reconstruction of Gaza
- North Sinai Governor: 3 hospitals are equipped to receive the Palestinian injured
But the most important thing is the Egyptian media coverage of the events, which if not intense, but it shows the ferocity of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and most importantly, some websites and private newspapers were allowed to highlight the relative achievements of the resistance in responding to the aggression through missile attacks. These are news that cannot be imagined as the jurisprudence of these Newspapers and websites in light of the presence of a censor in any Egyptian media institution, who follows all the news. It was also remarkable that the sermon delivered by Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashem, a member of the Senior Scholars Council of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, in which he said, “What is taken by force can only be recovered by force.” And he called on the rulers To be on one row to extract Jerusalem from the hands of the people of the earth and to deter those who have been wronged, a sermon reported by the Egyptian media, and since the beginning of the crisis, the Egyptian diplomacy has moved to achieve the calm, and has emerged as the main mediator between Hamas and the Israelis, in addition to the role of the United Nations and the Qatari role, but the most interesting part is that Egypt, in the current crisis, was keen to free itself from the Emirati-Saudi subordination in the Palestinian issue, and to show the intransigence of the Israeli side. Indeed, its media did not tend to hold Hamas responsible as it used to happen in the past. It even deliberately showed its displeasure with the Israeli side wrongdoings.
The Egyptian delegation left Israel after Tel Aviv refused to accept Cairo’s mediation to start a truce in the Gaza Sector reservations about the latter’s launching an expanded military operation, and Cairo decided to respond to the Israeli refusal by freezing a number of files with Tel Aviv. Israel warned against continuing the military operation and rejecting the truce. The Egyptian delegation revealed that it had offered Tel Aviv a truce for a year, with Cairo to monitor and coordinate it, which was met with Israeli refusal. Egypt also asked Israel to stop settlement activity and end support for militants in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque, and also to stop assassinations targeting leaders in Gaza. Confirming its ability to persuade the Palestinian parties to commit.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also announced that Egypt would provide an amount of $ 500 million as an Egyptian initiative allocated for the benefit of the reconstruction process in the Gaza Sector as a result of recent events, with specialized Egyptian companies participating in the implementation of the reconstruction process. Major General Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Fadil Shousha, Governor of North Sinai, confirmed that the Ministry of Health has prepared 3 hospitals, which are Al-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Bir al-Abed, to receive the wounded and injured coming from Gaza through the Rafah crossing, and that the Egyptian Ambulance Authority has equipped 50 cars, 20 cars from North Sinai, and 30 cars from neighbouring governorates and an additional 50 other cars precautionarily , to be ready in case of need, equipped with doctors, paramedics, drivers, medical devices and others.
The US State Department calls for the resumption of the Renaissance Dam negotiations
Yesterday, Friday, the US State Department called for the speedy resumption of negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the Renaissance Dam. The State Department announced in a statement that it is looking into reconciling Egypt’s and Sudan’s concerns about water security with Ethiopia’s development needs through results-oriented negotiations within the framework of the African union’s leadership.
The statement stated that the region is going through important junctures, and that the decisions that will be taken in the coming weeks and months will have major repercussions on the peoples of the region as well as on US interests. The State Department indicated that the United States will work with its international allies and partners to secure a ceasefire in Ethiopia. The US envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, has completed his first visit to the region as a US special envoy, and the State Department said that the United States is committed to working with international partners to facilitate resolving regional tension points such as the conflict about the Renaissance Dam and the conflict on Sudan’s borders, so as not to undermine the fragile progress that has been achieved since the revolution.
Activists suffering pretrial detention and a human rights report calls for a specific law to be issued to regulate it
The North Mansour Prosecutor’s Office renewed the detention of activist Mohamed Adel for a period of 15 years in Case N° 4118- 2018. The administrator of Sherbin, and the Cairo Criminal Court considered the session of renewing the detention of dozens of pretrial detainees in Case 1530 of 2019 of State Security , and in Case 855 of 2020 of State Security and the decision has not been issued yet.
A human rights report calling for the issuance of special legislation to regulate the compensation process for pretrial detention, and the report issued by the Research and Studies Unit of the Dialogue Forum for Development and Human Rights called for a report on pretrial detention in Egypt, the necessity of making pretrial detention a precautionary measure and not akin to punishment and surrounding it with guarantees that prevent its transformation Because of the violation of human freedom and freedom of movement guaranteed by the constitution and the law. The report recommended the need to issue special legislation regulating the compensation process for pretrial detention and those who are entitled to that compensation, with the need to rectify the negative effects in the event of prolonged pretrial detention for a long period of time, and the judgment of innocence of the accused by compensating the person financially and morally with new legislative texts.
With the necessity to use other alternatives to pretrial detention, such as an electronic bracelet, the report called for a halt to the lengthy pretrial detention that the Public Prosecution and the courts resort to, and commitment to the amendments provided under Law 143 of 2006, and obligating the Public Prosecution or the courts to cause their judicial orders to be detained in custody. The report indicated that the 2014 Constitution affirmed that The most important guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards, and the Egyptian legislator has put in place many restrictions and guarantees that regulate this procedure and that lead to its goal. Moreover, the report discussed a number of axes related to pretrial detention, the most important of which is the historical development of pretrial detention.
Tunisia
Supporting the Palestinian cause is the most important axis of the Council’s work and its president
This week, the parliament held a plenary session on Tuesday and Wednesday 18TH and 19TH of May to consider the following bills:
- 1) Draft Law N°16-2021 related to the approval of the financing agreement concluded on February 18th, 2021, between the Republic of Tunisia and a group of local banks to finance the state budget.
- 2) Draft Law N° 16-2020 regarding approval of Appendix N°5 amending the agreement on the hydrocarbon search license and its annexes, which is known as the "ZARAT" license.
- 3) Draft Law N°119-2020 related to the creation of the cooperative of the employees of the Presidency of the Government.
- Ghannouchi launches an international donation campaign to support the Palestinian people
- A phone call between Rashid Ghannouchi and Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas
- A proposed law to criminalize normalization in Tunisia
- The movement calls on the government to open a special bank account in solidarity with the residents of Gaza
- Long Live Tunisia bloc calls on Parliament to discuss the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people
- Correspondence from the Amal and Amal Movement to urgently consider the proposal of Law No. 151/2020 related to the criminalization of normalization and submit it to the plenary session for a vote as soon as possible
The most important characteristic of this week remains the continuing violations and brutal aggression of the Zionist entity against Gaza, which made the political parties rushing from every direction and side in order to support the Palestinian cause, as the Speaker of the People’s Representatives launched an international campaign of donations to support the Palestinian people, during his participation in the virtual meeting of the conference. The 31st emergency of the Arab Parliamentary Union, and stressed the need to create a permanent virtual coordination mechanism between Arab parliaments to support the Palestinian cause and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people. In the same context, Rached Ghannouchi confirmed through a phone call with Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, and Khaled Meshaal, head of the movement Abroad, that the Tunisian parliament adheres to its historic duty towards the Palestinian cause as the mother of causes, and plays an important and continuous role in international forums to support the Palestinian right, reiterating its condemnation of the attacks of the occupation forces and the targeting of civilians and children in Gaza , and its denunciation of the incessant violations of all international treaties and conventions.
The representatives also sought to support the Palestinian cause at the legislative level, so the “People’s Movement” political party submitted a proposal regarding the enactment of a law to criminalize normalization in Tunisia, 5 months ago. In a communiqué, the “democratic current” denounced the crimes of the Zionist enemy, denouncing the complicity of Western governments with silence, encouragement and denial. The right of the Palestinian people to defend their occupied land, calling on the government to open a special bank account for solidarity with the residents of Gaza, expressing its insistence on passing the legislative initiative presented by the Democratic Bloc since December 2020 to criminalize normalization with the Zionist enemy. For its part, the “Long Live Tunisia bloc” in Parliament directed a request to the the Speaker of Parliament in which it called for changing the agenda of the plenary session scheduled for Tuesday 17 May 2021 in order to include an additional point related to issuing a clear and explicit position as per the crimes committed by the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people and their lands. In addition, “the Amal and Action” Movement directed a correspondence to the members of the Committee on Rights, Freedoms and Foreign Relations, to urge them into considering the bill of Law N° 151-2020 related to the criminalization of normalization and submit it to the plenary session for a vote as soon as possible.
Governmental action focused on confronting the economic situation and combating terrorism:
The harm caused to the majority of the commercial and tourism sectors as a result of the covid pandemic and the anger of merchants and workers in these sectors, is no secret today. Especially, posterior to the recent lockdown that was approved during the Eid period, where craftsmen and merchants decided upon a civil disobedience and rejected this decision. They considered it as a prejudice to their rights. In his speech to the Tunisian people on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the chief of government announced a set of measures for the benefit of those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that are as follows:
- The economic activities most affected by the recent measures shall be enabled direct financial aid, provided that these activities are determined by the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister of Economy and Finance.
- Postponing the collection of contributions carried by the lessor in the title of the second triple and rescheduling them throughout the third and fourth triples of 2021.
- Postponing the collection of contributions carried by the lessor in the title of the second triple and rescheduling them throughout the third and fourth triples of 2021.
- Enabling small merchants and craftsmen within the framework of the discretionary system to postpone the payment of the estimated tax until the end of 2021 without any sins.
In this context, the advisor to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in charge of Africa, Frank Barry, explained that Tunisia has not yet submitted a request to benefit from the joint framework for dealing with the debts of poor countries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which was developed by the Group of 20 and the Paris Club (Club de Paris).
Under the supervision of the chief of government, the authority approved a set of new procedures, which will be implemented starting May 17th, 2021. Hichem Mechichi supervised, on Wednesday 12 May 2021, at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, through remote communication technology, the periodic meeting for the Higher Advisory Commission and the National Commission to Combat the Spread of the Coronavirus. The meeting is designated to follow up and evaluate the measures that have been taken and to study the decisions to be taken after May 16, 2021, with the participation of a number of ministers, security and military leaders and members of the Scientific Committee. It was decided from Monday 17 May 2021 until the day 06 June 2021 the adoption of the following measures:
1. The curfew is continued with the amendment of its timing from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. of the following day
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2. Continuing the implementation of all approved health procedures and protocols in various activities as follows:
- Resumption of lessons in schools and institutes according to the cohort system.
- Resumption of lessons in universities and all activities with the integrated urban system, starting from May 19, with the opening of overnight stays, beginning on May 16, 2021.
- Application of all health protocols in places of worship and commercial spaces.
- Applying all health protocols in cafes and restaurants, limiting their capacity to 30% in closed spaces and 50% in open spaces, while prohibiting the use of hookahs.
- The application of compulsory quarantine procedures for arrivals from abroad, according to the latest communication issued by the Ministry of Health.
- The application of all quarantine measures in all areas with a very high level of risks and in the form of the emergence of dangerous mutated strains.
3. Intensifying efforts regarding the vaccination campaign while enabling the priority groups to maintain facilities and protect the most vulnerable groups, such as those working in the fields of education, higher education, transportation, tourism and the rest of the areas that will be identified this week.
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According to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ali Kaali, that the recent visit of the government delegation in Washington has achieved positive repercussions, which stated that there is support, understanding and a will to help Tunisia on the part of the American authorities. The minister indicated that the discussion with the IMF was an important part of the visit to Washington, but the meetings with the World Bank and the meetings with the American authority were the most important parts of the visit. The new technical talks with the Fund will begin on Tuesday, May 18th. These discussions will include all aspects of the reforms that the state is seeking to achieve, and it is considered that the government has almost achieved an agreement on the proposed reform program during its bilateral talks with national organizations and during the House of wisdom meetings. The minister also confirmed that Tunisia will receive an American grant of $ 500 million dollars, estimated at approximately 1400 million dinars. This donation will go to the benefit of the transport sector in Tunisia and the restructuring of the port of Rades, in addition to helping rural women.
Within the framework of the concerted international efforts to combat terrorism, the chief of government Hichem Mechichi participated in the second virtual summit to confront terrorism, on May 14, 2021, where he expressed that this collective institution will contribute to the further focus of international efforts to exclude digital Terrorist and extremist content, which does not exclude anyone. He insisted on the idea that ensuring a free, open and secure internet represents a fundamental challenge for our modern societies.
The summit’s meeting discussed several vital issues, the most prominent of which are:
- The need to better understand the results of algorithms and formulate effective interventions that have become more urgent than ever. That is after examining the links between the contents that reach users, extremism, incitement to violence, and the glorification of terrorist acts.
- Rapid and effective response to this crisis is crucial to reducing the damage caused by the spread of terrorist content and incitement to violence.
- The need to work on transparent, clear and comprehensive reports to highlight that the policies against terrorism and violent extremism are being fought against in full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including, in particular, freedom of expression.
- the importance of supporting digital content industry institutions to confront these terrorist phenomena on the Internet.
- Highlight the role of civil society in supporting the efforts of governments and technological institutions in developing sustainable and smart solutions to ensure the fulfillment of the obligations of the countries participating in this call.
Additionally, a joint military and security operation also took place on the night between Sunday and Monday 17 May in Kasserine Heights, which resulted in terrorist casualties. The Anti-Terrorism National Guard Unit also revealed a radical element originating from the governorate of Kasserine who is determined to join his son.The latter represents an active terrorist element within the “Uqba Ibn Nafie” brigade fleeing in the Kasserine Mountains.
- The measures announced by the Prime Minister to compensate those affected by the Covid pandemic
- Group of 20 - Paris Club: Tunisia did not request to benefit from the debt handling mechanism
- The meeting of the President of the Republic, Qais Saeed, with the President of Cote d'Ivoire
- The meeting of the President of the Republic, Qais Said, with the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the current President of the African Union
- Presidency statement on the Palestinian issue
Kais Saiid continues to support the Palestinian cause and seeks to improve the economic and humanitarian situation
In the context of finding ways to save the economic situation in the country and after the government delegation visited Washington to conduct the first negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, President of the Republic Kais Saiid turned to France on May 17th to participate in the Summit on Financing African Economies that was held on May 18, 2021 in Paris. The latter was invited by the French President Emmanuel Macron.
The President of the Republic began his visit to France by holding a conversation in the afternoon of Monday, May 17, 2021, with President Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory coast), and affirmed that the 2 countries have broad prospects for cooperation and partnership in various sectors. He also affirmed Tunisia’s full readiness to further strengthen its cooperation with Cote d’Ivoire in the field of health especially as concerns the creation of AL Aghaliba Medical City in Kairouan. The President of the Republic, met, in the afternoon of the same day, President Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the current President of the African Union, where he affirmed Tunisia’s adherence to its African dimension and the determination that it bears for further development. Saiid also stressed upon the brotherly relations and cooperation that it shares with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in areas of common interest.
This week, the President of the Republic continues his efforts to support the Palestinian cause, as the Presidency of the Republic issued a related statement in which it confirmed its faith in and recognition of the Palestinians ’right to the Palestinian Arab land and to live on it in peace. The statement also affirmed that Tunisia is doing everything in its power to hold the Council responsible for maintaining international peace and security, to quickly and efficiently intervene and take a clear and unambiguous position calling for an immediate cessation of the blatant aggression against the Palestinian people and put an end to the escalation and increasing civilian casualties. In this vein, through a Tunisian invitation and in coordination with the Palestinian side, the presidency of the Security Council and a number of member states, holding two emergency sessions of the Council, and calling for a third public session.
Arwa Troudi joins Refka Cherni and highlights the decline of human values within society
Scenarios of violence continue in Tunisia and vary every week. As well, the disappearance of human values continues in a rapid and frequent manner. In fact, the Lac region witnessed two incidents of trampling and theft. The young victim Arwa Troudi was left struggling with death, as a group of young men stole the contents of the deceased’s car.
- A group of marches in various directions in support of the Palestinian cause
- Young Doctors: We carry the Palestinian issue in our hearts and we want to help
- A protest stand by the lawyers on Tuesday, 18 May.
- A direct follow-up of the Tunisian General Labor Union’s march in support of the Palestinian cause
- A national march led by the labor union to criminalize normalization
Movement and a strong popular presence to support the cause despite the pandemic
This week, a group of marches were organized in many regions, such as Tunis, Sfax, Sidi Bouzid and Bizerte, as well as Nabeul, in support of the Palestinian cause.
Some sectors also showed great support, as the head of the Young Doctors Organization expressed their willingness to send a medical delegation to Palestine, saying that the issue is mainly symbolic and that the Palestinian cause is a central one, similarly to all just causes in the world. He added that the efforts to coordinate with the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and the authority of supervision were launched so that young doctors would be among the delegations that would transfer to the Palestinian territories, and for its part, the Tunisian General Labor Union organized a national march in front of the Ministry of Tourism under the slogan “In order to enact a law to criminalize normalization .. normalization is Betrayal”. In this context, the Union will also submit a formal request to the President of the Republic and to the relevant authorities in order to ease the procedures for receiving Palestinians for treatment, studies, or participation in conferences and seminars.
Lawyers too joined this movement, as the National bar association for lawyers issued a statement confirming its intention to hold a protest at the Justice Palace in Tunis and before the court of first instance of Tunis to denounce the brutal and systematic Zionist attacks against the Palestinian people.
For how long will the employees of the public financing administration strike?!
In another context, the agents of tax-collection, public accounting, and payment- extraction carried out a protest stand on Monday May 17th, 2021, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance in the Kasbah, denouncing the failure to reach an agreement with the supervisory authority represented by the Presidency of the Government and the Ministry of Finance and not opening the door to negotiations with them. Furthermore, they criticized the deduction from wages of employees as a result of the strike and the supervisory authority’s use of the mechanism of requisition to disperse it. The Ministry of Finance was held responsible for the material consequences of the strike on public finances and citizens, and condemning slogans were raised calling for the departure of Minister of Finance Ali Kaali.
The health situation is witnessing a relative breakthrough
This week, the health situation witnessed a relative breakthrough as the number of daily infections decreased, and became less than the daily cases of recovery, which represents a positive indicator compared to the situation during the last period. In his effort to accelerate the pace of vaccinations, the Minister of Health, accompanied by the Minister of Communication Technologies and the Mayor of Tunis, gave the signal to launch the exploitation of the Conference Palace in Tunis, which has a capacity of about 2000 people, to be the second largest vaccination center against Covid-19 in the Republic of Tunisia, in addition to the Chatt lkreknah vaccination centre in the governorate of Sfax. Posterior to the opening of this new center, the total number of vaccination centers rises to 53 which are distributed in various regions of the Republic.
Libiya
A session of the Forum for Dialogue on the constitutional rule for Elections and Aqila Salah declares that the alternative is a proposed bill for the President’s Election emanating from the people
The United Nations’ Mission in Libya holds a session for the Libyan Dialogue Forum to discuss the constitutional rule proposal for the December 24 elections. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya announced that a two-day meeting for the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum will be held from the 26 to 27th of May to complete the legal committee’s proposal on the constitutional rule for parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled to take place on December 24, 2021. The mission published the bill’s document and the letter of the Special Envoy, confirming that this was agreed upon by the legal committee emanating from the forum during its meeting in Tunis from 7 to 9 April 2021. During the consultations that took place later with the facilitation of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, it explained that after discussing the rule, the results of the deliberations on this proposal will be referred to the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of the State for consideration, noting that the deadline for the constitutional and electoral framework is set on July 1st. This date was called for initially by the Security Council Resolution n° 2570. It must be observed to enable the National Commission. Of the Supreme Council for the elections to proceed with preparing for it.
Earlier, the President of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh discussed, in his office in the city of al-Qubbah, with the UN envoy, the situation in Libya at all levels, the performance of the government during the last period, and the important role of the Parliament during this period to reach the elections on the scheduled date. He explained that if the dialogue forum agrees on a constitutional rule for holding elections, they will be referred to the House of Representatives for approval and inclusion in the Constitutional Declaration. Yet, in the event that the Forum does not agree on it, the House of Representatives Resolution N°05-2014 will be implemented, which mandates that presidential elections be conducted directly by the people, according to Saleh, who mentioned That the people’s proposal for the President’s election law is ready to be presented to the Council.
An international effort to get the foreign fighters out, and the International Criminal Court has evidence of crimes inside the detention centres
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, also said that foreign fighters are still operating in Libya, in violation of the ceasefire agreement concluded in October, and called for their withdrawal and an end to violations of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations, stressing that such elements are crucial to peace in North African countries and the region, and that the smooth transfer of power to the new interim government, which took office in March, renews hope for the reunification of the country and its institutions for the sake of lasting peace, and that progress must continue on the political, economic and security tracks to allow the Libyan elections to take place on December 24th.
Joy Hood, Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, affirmed Washington’s support for the new transitional authorities in Libya, calling on all parties to fully implement the ceasefire, and in a joint press conference with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Al-Manqoush after a meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dabaiba and Al-Manqoush in Tripoli, Hood said that the goal of the United States is a sovereign, stable and united Libya without foreign intervention. Hood added that the United States opposes any military escalation and any foreign military intervention, and that it urges all parties, Libyans and foreigners, to fully implement the ceasefire, and that this Includes withdrawing all foreign military forces, and agreeing on a roadmap for the December elections is very important for national reconciliation.
In the same context, the United Kingdom has renewed its full support for the efforts of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Libya, Jan Kubisch, aimed at helping the Libyans to hold the elections on December 24 and remove foreign fighters and mercenaries. This was stated by the British Minister for Middle East Affairs. James Cleverly, during his meeting with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Head of the International Organization for Support in Libya, Jan Kubisch, and the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development, through its Twitter account, said that Britain fully supports the efforts of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and the Special Envoy to Help the Libyans to achieve the holding of elections in the 24th December, the exit of all foreign fighters and mercenaries, and the achievement of long-term peace and stability. A few days ago, Kubisch discussed with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio the implementation of United Nations resolutions 2570-2021 and 2571-2021, including the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the roadmap that It was approved by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum leading to the holding of elections on December 24th.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, also warned the mercenaries and foreign military personnel deployed in Libya against judicial prosecutions that may be launched against them before the court calling for a halt to committing crimes in detention centres in a briefing that she presented to the Security Council during a video-conference on Libya. The International Criminal Court received worrying information about the activities of mercenaries and foreign fighters in Libya, without giving further details, and Bensouda added that the crimes committed by mercenaries and foreign fighters on Libyan soil could fall within the jurisdiction of the court, regardless of the nationality of the persons involved in it, and the United Nations appreciates The presence of more than 20 thousand people among mercenaries and foreign military personnel deployed in Libya, including Turkish soldiers, Russian mercenaries, Sudanese and Chadians, indicating that the court has received worrying information about crimes committed, ranging from forced disappearances and random arrests to crimes, torture and sexual violence, and is suspected It was committed in official and unofficial detention centres in Libya. the number of random detainees in 28 official prisons in Libya is 8,850, in addition to ten thousand detainees, including Children in centres belonging to armed factions, according to what was announced by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.
The President of the High National Elections Commission sends a message of reassurance about the roadmap to all parties
The head of the High National Elections Commission Dr. said Imed Seyah, that the plan prepared by the High National Elections Commission for December 24th will begin to be implemented by the 1st of the upcoming July, explaining that the plan contains more than 120 technical operations, which are the largest compared to our implementation of the past elections, and that the costs of preparation are currently covered by what was allocated by the Government of National Accord in the amount of 50 million dinars, which is sufficient to cover the costs of preparation, noting that the Commission is waiting for the Government of National Unity to allocate the costs of implementing the electoral processes scheduled for December 24, noting that this government has promised to allocate the necessary funds to support the efforts of the Commission, and with regard to the security conditions in the electoral districts. He considered that this is not new in the Libyan elections, indicating that securing the electoral process begins with the law that must take into account the social and political environment, and has to set fair standards in the delineation of districts and the distribution of seats, He stressed that “this procedure guarantees the securing of the elections by 70%, while 30% are secured by the security services of all kinds and specializations, and that the desire of public opinion and the Libyan people for the success of these entitlements is the biggest factor as It can create a positive environment that is far from the acts and phenomena of violence.
The international will is represented in the Security Council Resolution n° 2075, which is self-evident, noting that this resolution expresses the desire of the international community to achieve stability through peaceful means, not by using violence and weapons to bring about any change to the current situation, and that the message of the international community was clear to all political parties in Libya. Indeed, they have to choose between peace and security, or war and chaos. In fact, the required value depends on the number of electoral processes that will be carried out, and whether parliamentary and presidential elections or only parliamentary elections, and if they are presidential, is it one or two rounds. But, in any case, I think that the additional amount will be agreed upon with the government at that time.
More than 50 people were lost and more than 30 were rescued, after a boat sailing from the Libyan coast sank in the last tragic accident on one of the migration routes that took a large number of lives in the world. The spokesman for the Tunisian Ministry of Defence, Mohamed Zakri, said in a statement to the French Health Agency that The boat was carrying about 90 people, 33 of them were saved, and that according to preliminary data, the sinking occurred near the Miskar field for oil and gas extraction off the coast of the city of Zarzis in the south of the country. The survivors, most of them from Bangladesh, were transported to the floating oil platform, before they departed towards the port of Zarzis, in south-eastern Tunisia, close to the Libyan border. There are more than fifty missing persons whose nationalities remain unknown. At the same time, a humanitarian organization rescued 400 irregular migrants off the coast of Libya, including 150 minors. The organization’s ship “CI4” carried out several rescue operations. It also tried to land the migrants in Malta, but refused to receive them, according to a statement carried by the Italian news agency “AKI”. The agency indicated that the Mayor of Palermo, Italy, Liuluca Orlando, had authorized the reception of the German NGO ship.
Last update : 20/05/2021 - 15:00
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