The weekly newsletter from 21th to 27th of May 2021
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Tunisia
The legislative authority approves draft amendments to the provisions of six laws
The House of Representatives, headed by Counsellor Dr. Hanafi Jabali, finally approved 6 legislations, after receiving the State Council’s speeches regarding these legislations.
The approvals were as follows:
- 1. A draft law amending some provisions of the Penal Code.
- 2. A draft law amending some provisions of Law N°70-1964 regarding documentation and notification fees.
- 3. A draft law amending some provisions of Law N° 84- 2015 establishing the Long Live Egypt Fund.
- 4. A draft law amending some provisions of the Electricity Law promulgated by Law N° 87-2015.
- 5. A draft law establishing the Egyptian portal for Umrah and the implementation of Umrah trips by tourism companies. The House of Representatives held a re-deliberation to adjust the wording of the Umrah portal bill submitted by Representative Ihab Al-Tamawi, Deputy of the Legislative Committee.
- 6. Draft law regarding some conditions for occupying or continuing jobs.
The House of Representatives’ Housing Committee, headed by Imad Hammouda, also approved Presidential Decree No. 182 of 2021 regarding a loan agreement between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the African Development Bank regarding the integrated sanitation program in rural areas in Upper Egypt in Luxor for an amount not exceeding 108 million euros, signed on March 3, 2021.
Egyptian efforts in support of Gaza succeed leading to a truce agreement between the Palestinians and the occupation forces
Egyptian efforts succeeded in recent days in reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions in Gaza after 11 days of escalation, and the Israeli government agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas, and an Israeli cabinet statement said that the Gaza truce was proposed by Egypt and would be “reciprocal.” And unconditional”. In turn, Hamas and” Islamic Jihad “announced the approval of a” reciprocal and simultaneous “truce with Israel, starting at Friday 2 a.m. Egypt, which is adjacent to Gaza, has made extensive contacts with various parties to restore the truce that existed between Israel and Hamas, which Cairo played a key role in establishing and renewing time after time. The Wall Street Journal reported that Egyptian officials have visited Israel twice since the start of the fighting for ceasefire talks, according to a senior Egyptian intelligence official.
An ice-breaking call between Biden and Sisi
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received a phone call from US President Joe Biden this evening, and they discussed developments in the Palestinian issue and ways to revive the peace process in the wake of recent developments, in addition to supporting the consolidation of the ceasefire that was reached between the Palestinian and Israeli parties with Egyptian mediation and full American support. , as well as international efforts to reconstruct Gaza and provide urgent humanitarian aid to it, where President Biden made it clear about his country’s determination to work to restore calm and the situation as it was in the Palestinian territories, as well as coordinating efforts with all international partners to support the Palestinian Authority in addition to reconstruction. In this Context, the US President renewed Washington’s expressions of great appreciation for the successful efforts of the President and the Egyptian apparatus to reach the final ceasefire, expressing his aspiration for continued consultation and coordination with his Excellency in this regard. The contact also covered the latest developments in the Libyan issue. As agreement was reached in this context on the importance of working to restore balance and stability of the pillars of the Libyan state, and to preserve its national institutions, leading to the elections at the end of the current year. The communication also dealt with an exchange of views on the developments of the current position of the Renaissance Dam file. Al-Sisi welcomed the continued US efforts in this regard, affirming Egypt’s adherence to its water rights by reaching a fair and binding legal agreement that includes clear rules for the process of filling and operating the dam. President Biden made clear Washington’s full understanding of the utmost importance of this issue to the Egyptian people, indicating his intention to exert efforts for the sake of ensuring water security for Egypt, and it was agreed to strengthen diplomatic efforts during the coming period in order to reach an agreement that preserves water and development rights for all parties.
A lawsuit before the administrative court to allow women to stay in hotels without a mahram, and the judiciary upholds in favour of women.
Two lawyers have filed a lawsuit before the Administrative Court against the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Interior and Tourism, the Presidents of the National Councils for Women and Human Rights, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Tourism Establishments, to prevent many hotels in Egypt from residing women, especially under the age of 40, without male relatives, according to the text of the case that he viewed. The two lawyers have also submitted complaints with the same content to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Interior, and it is expected that the court will set an urgent session within a week,. The lawsuit demanded the cancellation of the decision, security instructions and alerts issued by the Ministry of the Interior for hotels and bungalows and all related facilities, especially one and three star hotels. Not to allow Egyptian women or citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries under the age of 40 to check in on their own and stay without their husbands or male relatives. It also demanded the revocation of the defendant’s negative decision not to alert and clarify the entitlement of women of any age to stay in hotels, including the concerned authorities issued instructions to hotels to accept the residency of Egyptian women without discrimination from males, and the lawsuit was based on written rules set by some hotels electronically on reservation sites, stating a text that they do not allow Egyptian or Gulf women under 40 to reside with them, as it was based on an incident that took place last August that prevented some members of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights from staying in some hotels in the governorates without being accompanied.
The lawsuit considers that not allowing women to stay in hotels is a violation of the constitution in Articles 11 and 53, which stipulate equality and non-discrimination. Also a violation of Article 62, which guarantees freedom of movement and residence, as well as Articles 161, 176, and 309 of the Penal Code, which stipulate penalties for any act or omission that discriminates between individuals, offends them, or degrades them.
Today, the Giza Criminal Court in Egypt issued a verdict on the defendants in the case of defamation and rape of Menna Abdel Aziz, known as the “Tik Tok Girl.” The court punished the first defendant with 11 years in prison and a fine of 14,000 pounds, while the second defendant received 9 years and a fine of 14,000 pounds. The third defendant got 9 years of imprisonment and a 10000 pounds fine, the fourth got 4 years and a 10.000 Egyptian pounds fine, while the fifth accused got 4 years imprisonment and a 105.000 pounds fine, the sixth and last accused got innocence, and the counsellor Hamada El Sawy, the Public Prosecutor, On July 26, he ordered the referral of 6 defendants in the incident of assaulting a tik-tok girl, “Menna Abdulaziz”, to the Criminal Court, accusing them of kidnapping her with fraud and coercion, accusing her of coercion, violating her display by force and threats, stealing her with coercion, and violating the sanctity of her private life through the international information network through broadcasting a video of her “naked” after sexually assaulting her, beating her, destroying her phone, threatening to divulge matters that violate her honour, taking drugs, and managing and preparing a place for that, which is a room in the Zoser Hotel on Haram Street in Giza Governorate.
Ziad El Elaimy and Ahmed Samir were physically assaulted inside Leman Tora prison
Journalist Ikram Youssef, the mother of the lawyer and former parliamentarian, Ziyad Al-Alimi, said that her son, along with the researcher and master’s student at the Central European University, Ahmed Samir Santawi, had been physically assaulted by officers at Leman Tora Prison last Friday, adding that Al-Alimi’s lawyer, Khaled Ali, submitted a report to the Supreme State Security Prosecution about the incident of his assault, and Youssef explained that, in contrast to the report, she sent telegrams to the Minister of Interior, the head of the Prisons Authority, the head of the Maadi Prosecution, and the Attorney General of the State Security Prosecution, requesting an investigation into the incident and summoning her son to question him as he is a victim Youssef published the details of the attacks, according to what Al-Alimi narrated on her visit to him, and explained that on Friday, May 21, after her son and Santawi learned of the death of the father of a fellow prisoner, last Thursday, they asked prison officers to allow them and their colleagues to go to him in his cell, with the same ward, in Leman Tora Prison, for a minute to console him, but the officers invoked the prison list, and that when Al-Alimi reminded the prison officers that the regulation also stipulates two hours exercise per day, which is not implemented, one of the officers attacked him, who is the deputy warden of the prison, where He pushed him hard against the iron door, taunted him and insulted him, while Al-Alimi also heard the officers’ assault on Santawi in a neighbouring cell, on the same day he was accused in a new case.
Egypt begins manufacturing the Chinese vaccine and production at the end of next June, and the number of doctors’ martyrs continues to rise
The Ministry of Health and Population announced that it had received the first batch of raw material to manufacture about two million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, at a rate of 1400 litres, as part of the agreement with the Chinese side to manufacture 40 million doses in Egypt as the first African country to manufacture Corona virus vaccines, with the first production being at the end of next June. The Minister of Health explained that the vaccine was given to more than 95% of the tourism sector workers, especially in South Sinai and the Red Sea, stressing that they are among the most completely safe global tourist destinations from the Corona virus, and that the state will begin to start vaccinating all prison inmates, And all the supervisors of the high school examination monitoring process, university professors and supervisors of the university examination process, noting that Egypt thus guarantees a safe return for the new academic year next September.
Tunisia
Great attention for the economic and health affairs amid new quarrels surfacing on the Parliament’s surface
This week witnesses the return of quarrels to Parliament, as the Assembly’s office meeting was adjourned on Thursday, May 20, 2021, and its work will resume on Friday, against the because of fights between the head of the Free Constitutional Bloc, Abir Moussi, on the one hand, and the representative of the Democratic Current bloc on the other hand, Samia Abbou and the representative of the Ennahda movement, Jamila Kssikssi. Moussi demanded, according to what was shown in a live video that she posted on her official Facebook page, that the Speaker of Parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, set a date to consider the draft law criminalizing normalization and the regulation criminalizing violence against women, as well as a list of the classification of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. To this regard, Ghannouchi left the session hall without providing any answers.
The economic issue remains the main concern of the deputies, as the Assembly held a plenary session on Friday, May 21, 2021, during which a dialogue was held with the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, as well as with the Minister of Economy, Finance and Investment Support, and the Governor of the Central Bank stressed during this session that the GDP In Tunisia, went down to numbers that have not been recorded since 1962, reaching 9%, as the Corona pandemic hit the real economy and the parallel economy alike. He warned that political instability prevented foreign investment, and that there is no solution today for Tunisia but to resort to the IMF.
Apart from that, the Youth, Cultural Affairs, Education and Scientific Research Committee met today, Friday, May 21, 2021, in the presence of representatives of the reform bloc, the Karama coalition bloc, the Free Constitutional Party bloc, the Ennahda movement bloc, and the Democratic bloc. This meeting was devoted to reviewing the text of the draft law N°118-2021 relating to organizing domestic work by adding a set of amendments related to gendering the text and facilitating the tasks of the worker or domestic worker, whether with one or more landlords. The session was concluded with the approval of the draft law in its entirety.
Parliament also approved, during a plenary session on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, a bill law submitted by the People’s Movement deputies, aiming to exceptionally allocate the contractual state employees who are between the ages of 45 and 55 , in annual payments or by granting an exit check to those who chose voluntary exit, and that After long waiting .
The Prime Minister seeks to strengthen his position within his political belt, and reviews the results of the Libyan visit in an attempt to improve the economic situation
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi supervised at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, a meeting during which he gathered with representatives of the parties and parliamentary blocs supporting the government. This session was attended by Imed Khemiri and Anwar Maarouf from the Ennahda movement, Oussama Khelifi and Samira Chawachi from the Heart of Tunisia party, Hassouna Nasfi and Khaireddine Zahi from the reform bloc and Sonia Bel cheikh on behalf of the Long Live Tounes movement, and Ridha Charafeddine and Ayachi Zamal from the National Bloc. The chief of government stressed the importance of this periodic meeting with representatives of parties and parliamentary blocs supporting the government and to listen to a set of constructive perceptions and proposals on the economic, health, social and political conditions and cooperation relations in a number of economic fields, especially with Libya.
In the framework of the follow-up to the ministerial work, a meeting of the Council of Ministers was held on Thursday morning, May 20, 2021 at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, under the supervision of the chief of government to consider a number of draft laws and governmental decrees. The deliberations of the council were as follows:
- A draft law related to approving the electricity production contract agreement and the site occupancy agreement and their annexes for the photovoltaic station in Bordj Bourguiba.
- A draft law related to the approval of the electricity production contract agreement and the site occupancy agreement and their annexes for the photovoltaic station in Tozeur.
- A draft law related to the approval of an electricity production concession agreement and a site occupancy agreement and their annexes for the photovoltaic station in Mazzouna.
- A draft law related to approving the electricity production contract agreement and the site occupancy agreement and their annexes for the photovoltaic station in Motbassta.
- A draft law related to approving the electricity production contract agreement and the site occupancy agreement and their annexes for the photovoltaic station in Saqdud.
- A draft organic law relating to the approval of the Tunisian Republic’s accession to the 1996 Protocol to amend the 1976 Convention on Limits of Liability for Maritime Claims.
- Draft governmental decree relating to the granting to the company “KROMBERG & SCHUBERT TUNISIE” the privileges provided for in article 20 of law n° 2016-71 dated September 30, 2016 relating to the investment law.
- Draft governmental decree relating to the granting of “HUTCHINSON TUNISIE” the privileges provided for by article 20 of law n° 2016-71 dated September 30, 2016 relating to the investment law.
- Draft governmental decree relating to the granting of the privileges provided for by article 20 of law n° 2016-71 dated September 30, 2016 to the investment law, to the “MARQUARDT AUTOMOTIVE” company.
- Draft governmental decree relating to the granting to the company “SE BORDNETZE EL FEJJA” the privileges provided for in article 20 of law n° 2016-71 dated September 30, 2016 relating to the investment law.
- A draft government decree relating to the expropriation for the public interest of plots of land located in the delegations of Sidi Makhlouf and Southern Medenine in the governorate of Medenine and necessary for the construction of the Gabes Medenine motorway and its dependencies from kilometre point 54 to kilometre point 84 (the premium of the province of Medenine).
- A draft governmental decree relating to the expropriation for the public interest of two plots of land located in the governorate of Ben Arous and necessary for the construction of a bridge over the malyen river on the local road 571 in Naasan.
- A draft governmental decree related to the approval of the list of stakeholders to settle the status of international agricultural real estate located in the governorates of Siliana, Beja and Sousse, by means of Al mourakana contract and the prices of these real estate.
Visiting Libya: Was it Really fruitful or was it embarrassing and useless
The chief of government seeks to discuss all possible solutions and ways to advance the economic situation by requesting assistance from other countries, especially the close ones, as he made a working visit to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, accompanied by three major delegations, the first is an official government, the second is organizations, and the third is businessmen. On this occasion, the Libyan-Tunisian Forum and Exhibition will be opened, with the participation of about 150 Tunisian economic institutions in the fields of equipment, construction, laboratory industries, trade, services and the banking sector, which will represent an important push to strengthen the partnership between the two countries, especially in the field of reconstruction.
The latter also met his Libyan counterpart in private, and stressed, on the occasion, Tunisia’s permanent support and standing by the Libyan people so that they can achieve their aspirations to restore security and stability and preserve their territorial safety. He stressed Tunisia’s readiness to accompany the Libyans in rebuilding their institutions and securing the transitional phase and to put its experience at the disposal of the Libyan brothers in this field, as well as the need for joint action in order to give a new impetus to the Tunisian-Libyan economic relations and raise them to the level of strategic partnership to achieve the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples. The chief of government stressed that the movement between the two countries is smooth for the good of the two peoples, and the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government added that Libya will stand with Tunisia because Tunisia is an important economic partner and has expertise in several areas that Libya can benefit from, and one of the most important outcomes of this meeting is the need to establish guarantees for investment and money. In the event of changing policies, encouraging inter-trade and creating joint financial pools.
The head of the Libyan National Unity Government stressed that Libya will not leave Tunisia alone in the face of difficult economic conditions and will take all necessary steps to help the brothers, and that it is working to activate the signed agreements and review what needs to be reviewed from them, as well as working to solve some security problems and debts between the two countries, as well as the issue of funds. Recently reserved for Libyans in Tunisia, so he asked to return these funds to their owners and to enable the Libyan citizen to own absolute ownership, especially in the trade sector, and in response to his request, Mechchi confirmed the lifting of restrictions on Libyans’ ownership of residential real estate in Tunisia and the move towards lifting restrictions on their ownership of commercial real estate. Permission to cancel the procedures for the similarity of names related to Libyans, except for those related to the security issue, and he also confirmed that he is working to enable Libyans to enter Tunisia in the best conditions. The chief of government, in a unilateral way, took the decision to exempt those coming from Libyan airports to Tunisia from quarantine.
A leaked document raises the issue of the coup again in Tunisia under the name of “the constitutional coup”
Recently, rumours and leaks regarding the political issue circulated, which escalated to reach the Presidency of the Republic. From the controversial constitution, as a platform known to have close ties with Ennahdha party (middle east eye) leaked a document from the presidency of the republic related to article 80 of the constitution, which is a controversial provision, as a result, the President of the Republic was accused of lining up the intention to overthrow the Ennahda movement and several other accusations. The movement demanded that an investigation be opened and issued statement in that regard. Pursuant to that, a source from the presidency rejected the allegations and described it as a play that is poorly directed, ensuring that the Presidency of the Republic rises above such trivial allegations.
The President of the Republic: An activity at the European level raises controversy… His continued commitment to the Palestinian cause
During an interview conducted by the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, with “France 24” on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, Said stated that some of the investments that have been made in some Tunisian cities have failed, and he asks: Are we really a poor country or a country that is being looted from its looting at home? He stressed that Tunisia needs money and also needs social justice to eliminate corruption, and highlighted that the political atmosphere in Tunisia is impure. He also stressed that the pure political atmosphere in Tunisia will be achieved when the official is accountable before the citizen. It appears through this dialogue that the president of the Republic is still insisting on adopting the same method of dialogue that relies on the conspiracy theory and accusations against unknown persons without ever identifying them. These statements, despite their harshness, especially when they come from a president of a country in the midst of a suffocating economic crisis and seeking support and foreign investment, but they describe the reality and the Tunisian economic climate realistically.
On the international level, the President of the Republic continues his support for the Palestinian cause, as he, in interaction with the UGTT’s decision to provide material support to the brothers in Palestine, contacted the Secretary-General of the UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi, and confirmed during this call his support for this initiative and placing military aircraft at the disposal of the Tunisian General Labor Union To deliver support to Palestine.
The President of the Republic also received at the Carthage Palace both Mrs. Luciana Lamorgese, the Italian Minister of the Interior, and Mrs. Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner in charge of Home Affairs, and stressed during this meeting the need to adopt a comprehensive approach in the field of migration that goes beyond security solutions that have proven to be limited and works to address the root causes to this phenomenon by fighting poverty and unemployment and supporting development policies in original countries. From her part, the minister of interior affairs of Italy stressed on her country’s commitment to continue on supporting Tunisia through pushing investment and contributing into developing internal regions and creating jobs for the benefit of the youth in order to limit the phenomena of immigration.
- The case of the killing of Rebekah: the president of the Women’s Association is accused of concealing dangerous information (video)
- 29 Organizations and Associations: The Accountability of the President of the Association in the Case of Rebekah Al-Sharni “Harassala” and the Statements of the Public Prosecutor pose a threat to her life
- Is this why Arwa Al-Taroudi was left to grapple with death? (photo)
The latest of developments in cases of violence against women (Refka Cherni &Aroua Troudi)
The Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in El Kef stated that the president of the Association of Women and Citizenship in El Kef, Karima Birini, was questioned about her concealment of extremely dangerous information, by her being informed by the deceased before her appearance before the Public Prosecution that her husband threatened to slaughter her in the event that she did not drop her complaint against him. The Public Prosecutor said that this secrecy in itself is a clear violation of the duty to inform as stipulated in articles 14 and 39 of Law n° 58 criminalizing violence against women, and it is a new development in the case of the late Refka Cherni , who was killed by her husband, the police agent, using his service gun, last week at their residence. This statement angered women’s and human rights organizations in Tunisia, which in their turn relied and issued a statement presenting their position rejecting the statements of the Public Prosecutor.
In a follow-up to the latest developments in the case of the murder of the young woman, Aroua Troudi, and by continuing the investigation , the suspicion was limited to 6 people who were present at the scene of the accident, so their homes were raided and they were arrested, and one of them admitted that they were already near the highway where the traffic accident occurred and two of them went (a young man born in 1997 and a girl born in 2003) to the destroyed car, and they searched it and seized some of its possessions which were a JBL and sunglasses, and by presenting the suspects to the witness, he recognized them at first sight. By searching their residences, a USB flash memory, a pen, an iron box and a JBL belonging to Aroua Troudi were seized, but her mobile phone, which was located, right before it was shut down, in the area of Megrine, was not found. and on this basis the six people were kept for theft and participation in it and not delivering required legal assistance.
Anger in the health and engineering sectors
A group of engineers in charge of the completion of the power station of Rades joined the protest movement carried out by public sector engineers, which disrupted the project’s implementation, and posed a threat to providing citizens with electricity during the summer of 2021, due to the government’s failure to adhere to its previous promises and the non-disbursement of increases planned for engineers in the public sector
For its part, the Public University of Health and the Syndicate of Public Health Physicians and Pharmacists protested against the inclusion of the educational framework in the list of priorities for receiving coronavirus vaccination, as these structures refused to work outside the EVAX system. This was a blow to the credibility and transparency of the national campaign for vaccination, and the employees and frameworks of the Tunisian Company for Pharmaceutical Industries entered an open sit-in protesting what they described as the catastrophic situation of the company and its financial misappropriation and the disruption of the payment of their wages and financial grants.
In a follow-up to corruption cases, the request to release Karoui was refused and 10 years in prison for Jarraya, and “I Watch” continues to monitor violations in the health sector
In a follow-up to the financial corruption cases for this week, on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, the request for the release of Nabil Karoui was rejected in the form of the money laundering case for which he was arrested, and the criminal division specialized in financial corruption cases at the Court of First Instance in Tunis onTuesday 25 May 2021 with a ten-year prison sentence for each of the four cases filed against businessman chafik Jaraya, with his enjoyment of joining the cases together (the Dhamm procedure) , so that the penalty will be ten years in prison. The department also imposed a prison sentence of between 5 and 10 years in the four cases against three employees of El-Marsa municipality , with their enjoyment of joining the four cases together The four cases relate to the fraud of contracts for the sale of confiscated property.
As usual, the “I Watch” organization continues to monitor the health situation and seeks to monitor all the violations related to the vaccination campaign against Covid 19, and it has recently reached the existence of a set of imbalances related to conducting laboratory analysis (RT-PCR) to investigate test the existence of the virus. The most important of these abuses is enabling private bodies (private companies, private factories, embassies of foreign countries, …) to conduct these analysis free of charge from the money of Tunisian taxpayers, in flagrant violation of a memorandum addressed by the Minister of Health to the regional directors of health, general directors and directors of structures Public Health on November 5, 2020, which includes inviting officials to content themselves with conducting tests for patients pledged in hospitals and directing the rest of the requests to private laboratories licensed to conduct analysis by the Ministry of Health, at the expense of those requesting analysis, and on the other hand, I Watch condemned the continued tampering with the strategy The National Vaccination Council by creating parallel systems to the EVAX system to register for vaccination, similar to the employees of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Interior and customs officials. The NGO is surprised by the silence of the Ministry of Health and, in many cases, its complicity towards these abuses. The organization issued a statement to that regard.
The epidemiological situation: an improvement in health indicators. Efforts to accelerate the vaccination campaign. “AstraZeneca raises controversy again.”
Despite the improvement in health indicators, caution remains a duty, especially with the slow pace of the vaccination process, as the number of vaccinated people has not yet reached one million and has so far reached 899,000 people. The Minister of Health is also seeking to improve the quality and control of the vaccination process at the national level, where The Minister of Health conducted field visits to a number of vaccination centers in various regions, such as Djerba, Zarzis, and Ben Guerdane, and in the same context, a new oxygen tank was installed at the Hedi Shaker University Hospital with a capacity of 20 thousand litres to support the needs of this large university hospital institution, which includes the Corona Center in addition to several departments.
In the same context of supporting the vaccination campaign and seeking to speed it up, vaccination with the “AstraZeneca” vaccine was launched on May 22, 2021, which sparked controversy and is still doing so, by talking about its serious complications for certain age groups. Dr Riadh Daghfous the general director of the national centre of pharmaco-vigilance receive the st shot of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine and ensured that it is indeed a safe and effective vaccine and it is the most wide-spread one in the world as it is currently being used in 148 countries.
Libiya
The Political Dialogue Committee discusses the constitutional rule for the December elections
A session of the Libyan Political Dialogue Committee was launched on the proposed constitutional rule for the upcoming December 24 elections. In his speech at the opening of the session, the UN envoy to Libya, Jan Kubis, stressed, via video technology, the importance of holding the Libyan elections on their scheduled date, which were approved by the Legal Committee of the Political Forum. He explained that there are different opinions regarding the proposals for a solution in Libya, calling on the members of the Political Forum to unify efforts with the Presidential Council and Parliament. He also stressed that the House of Representatives was called to expedite support for holding the elections on time and issuing laws related to the elections, to ensure that they take place at the end of this year, The Presidential Council and the executive authorities were also called upon to speed up the process of national reconciliation and rebuild confidence among all Libyans.
In the same context, the reporter of the legal committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, Salwa El-Deghidi, said that the committee held 15 virtual meetings between December 21, 202AND March 2021 to discuss the constitutional rule, in addition to the meetings of the committee’s rapporteurs and bilateral meetings among its members, adding that there is a great popular will for the election of the president directly, and made it clear that the members of the committee made seven proposals during those meetings, and they were combined into one proposal, according to her speech during the activities of the virtual session of the forum, and she added that the departure of the constitutional rule was not an easy thing, but we had nothing but consensus for Libya and overcoming differences. The constitutional rule was established on the decisions of February, and includes four chapters containing 47 articles:
and it affirmed that the committee set general controls for state institutions, and did not deviate from the constitutional organization of institutions in general, leaving the matter is to the election law and the internal rules of these institutions, expressing hope that al-Qaeda will receive the acceptance of the forum to enable the people to determine their own destiny, and indicated the importance of having guarantees to end the transitional phase and the success of the elections, namely removing foreign bases and mercenaries, and rebuilding trust among Libyans by releasing detainees, returning displaced persons and making reconciliation a national commitment to the integrity of the elections and an emphasis on the parties to respect their results and not to overturn them, as happened in 2014.
A member of the Dialogue Forum, Akram Al-Jinn, explained that the most contentious points among the members are: the direct or indirect election of the president, dual nationality, representation of components, the oath on February principles, the president’s salary, and the conditions for candidacy in the issue of judicial conviction. Rewarding the head of state with the minimum wage in Libya, which represents 20 times, noting that the proposal for the constitutional rule was developed to avoid any vacuum in the absence of a vote on the draft constitution in the country. Earlier, the head of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, discussed 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 parliament during this period to reach the elections as scheduled, and he explained that if the dialogue forum agreed on a constitutional basis for holding elections It will be referred to the House of Representatives for approval and inclusion in the Constitutional Declaration, but in the event that the Forum does not agree on a constitutional rule, Parliament Resolution N°5- 2014 will be implemented which provides to conduct the presidential elections directly from the people, according to Saleh, who stated that “the proposal for the President’s election bill from the people is ready to be presented to the parliament.”
Will the Tunisian prime minister’s economic visit bring new gains for the Libyan and Tunisian sides?
Upon his arrival in the Libyan capital, Tunisian chief of government Hichem Mechichi stressed his country’s desire to improve economic cooperation with the neighbouring country that is trying to turn the page on a decade of conflict and instability, and upon his arrival in Tripoli and before heading to meet his Libyan counterpart. The visit aims to “confirm the depth of historical political ties economic and especially the humanitarian ties between Libya and Tunisia, and he added that our economic fields are intermingled, which affects Libya from the economic point of view also benefits Tunisia, and the Tunisian chief of government made his first visit to Libya on Saturday and Sunday following the invitation of his counterpart Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, accompanied by a number of ministers and about a hundred company owners who will participate in an economic and financial forum in Tripoli, according to the Tunisian government presidency, the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, the Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union, the President of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, and the President of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishing also participated in the visit.
There are close economic relations between Tunisia and Libya, in addition to family ties between both sides of the border, but they were damaged by the overthrowing of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. Despite this, Tunisia remains a main destination for Libyans for tourism and healthcare, especially for residents of the west of the country, in this sense, Tunisian Airlines (Tunisair) announced on Monday the resumption of its flights to Libya with the arrival of its two planes to Tripoli and the city of Benghazi, in the east of the country, to become the first international airline to return to Libya since August 2014. The Libyan Prime Minister, Abd al-Hamid al-Dabaiba, called on his Tunisian counterpart, Hichem Mechichi, to intervene on behalf of a number of his citizens who had their money stuck in Tunisia during the period of instability and their migration to Tunisia and their suffering, Dabaiba calls on Mechichi to intervene to retrieve the Libyans’ money detained in Tunisia.
Dabaiba called during a joint press conference at the headquarters of the Libyan government, his Tunisian counterpart, to “enable Libyans to have the absolute right to own property. For his part, Mechichi stressed that the Libyan and Tunisian economies are complementary, and what benefits Libya from the economic point of view benefit Tunisia, according to his estimation, and that the visit is a brotherly visit to the Libyan people, pointing out that he was looking forward to making the visit to congratulate the Libyan government, and to emphasize the depth of the historical, political, economic, and especially humanitarian ties that bind the two countries.
Haftar is preparing for a major military celebration during the seventh anniversary of Operation Dignity
The Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Counselor Aqila Saleh, Muhammad Al-Manfi, President of the Presidential Council, and Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, called for the military parade that will be held at the military base at Benina Airport in the eastern city of Benghazi next Saturday on the occasion of the celebration of the seventh anniversary of the revolution of Dignity. The Libyan Army Commander said in his official invitation: “We are pleased to invite you, your two deputies, the members of Parliament, your government ministers and your respected deputies to attend the military parade held at the Bennina military base on Saturday 05/29/2021. The 53rd graduation batch of military college officers, during a ceremony and military parade on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of the launch of the Dignity Revolution on May 15, 2014, during which Khalifa Haftar announced the purification of the country from terrorist and extremist groups that were controlling the country after the overthrowing of the regime of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi .
Armed militias control of the coastal road weakens humanitarian aid and threatens a political solution
The Libyan Minister of Health, Al-Zanati, launched an initiative to partially open the coastal road between Misurata and Sirte, which was closed two years ago due to wars. In a statement, Al-Zanati announced an initiative under the name “The Power of Hope” to open the coastal road to transport humanitarian cases, patients, corpses, medicines, medical gases and humanitarian needs. Al-Zanati explained in the statement, of which a copy was annexed, that he is making progress in the success of this initiative, thanking the concerned parties for their cooperation in making it a success.
He added that there are some technical arrangements being made to implement the initiative and open the “humanitarian corridor” in cooperation with the concerned parties, saying: “The strength of our hope is our will that Libya will only be one”. About this initiative, Libyan political analyst Muhammad al-Tarhouni says that the militias will not accept this initiative.” Because it does not trust everyone, and because its closure of the coastal road is mainly for extortion and not military purposes, and Al-Tarhouni continued, there is a really urgent need to open the coastal road, especially with the spread of the Corona epidemic and some other diseases and shooting injuries in local quarrels, weddings, and so on, and added that the militias know very well that the army should retreat from Tripoli to Sirte was aimed at clearing the way for a political solution, and that his apparent strength, which appears in the huge show that is being prepared for, is unable to open the road by force or enter the heart of Misrata, but they prefer to clear the way for a political solution and abides by its international obligations, and he continued that the militias are extorting The new government insists on closing the coastal road to obtain huge sums in compensation for its participation in wars because it knows that the stability of the country means the end of the militia story until now bad.
European shame on Libyan shores
The Spanish NGO “Open Arms” said, “The bodies of migrant children dumped on the Libyan beach are a disgrace to Europe, and the founder of the humanitarian organization, Oscar Camps, posted on Twitter horrific pictures of the lifeless bodies of children lying on the shore of Libya, possibly victims of another shipwreck. It was not publicized, and Camps wrote: “I am still in shock at the terrible situation, young children and women who had nothing but dreams and aspirations in life. They were abandoned on a beach in Zuwara (northwest) Libya for more than 3 days, without anyone paying attention to them. He added: “They are abandoned corpses, forgotten souls, horror left out of sight to be extinct .. It is a shame for Europe.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is progressing well
The Director of the National Center for Disease Control, Dr. Badr Al-Din Al-Najjar, said that the national campaign for vaccination against the emerging corona virus is still progressing at a satisfactory and very excellent pace, according to the available capabilities and the number of available vaccination doses, pledging to accelerate the pace of the campaign if possible, and explained in a video briefing broadcast by the center on its Facebook page, about the developments of the epidemiological situation and the course of the vaccination campaign, the use of about a third of the available doses of the Sputnik vaccine in Russia, estimated at 200,000 doses, pointing out that the use of this vaccine is progressing at a very slow pace due to difficulties related to preservation and storage, and pointed out that finishing of all available doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, estimated at 57.000, of which a new shipment arrived through the COVAX initiative on Wednesday, is estimated at 117.000 doses that are expected to be released during the coming period, and with regard to the Chinese vaccine, Al-Najjar said that its estimated doses of 150000 doses were targeted at groups. Age 60 to 70 years old, without saying how many doses of this vaccine were used.
Last update : 28/05/2021 - 15:00
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