The UN political chief urged Libya’s rival factions on Monday to agree on measures governing the transition to elections during talks in Geneva this week, expressing hope this will lead to long-awaited voting “at the earliest possible date".
Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council that during talks in Cairo from June 12 to 20, the rivals reached “a broad consensus on most of the contentious articles” in the proposed 2017 constitution, which she called “commendable".
Oil-rich Libya has been racked by conflict since a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
The country was then split by rival administrations; one in the east, backed by military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army; and another in the capital, Tripoli.
The Cairo meeting was the first to see Libya’s east-based parliament, the House of Representatives, and west-based High Council of State engage in “a serious review” of the constitutional proposal since its adoption in 2017, Ms DiCarlo said.
“We are encouraged that the leaders of both chambers have accepted the invitation of (UN) special adviser Stephanie Williams to meet in Geneva from June 28 to 29, to discuss and reach agreement on the measures governing the transitional period leading to elections,” she said.
Ms DiCarlo urged the Security Council’s 15 member nations and all of Libya’s international partners “to call on the leadership of the two chambers to seize the opportunity presented by the agreement reached in Cairo” and “make elections happen".
Libya’s plan for elections last December 24 fell through after the interim administration based in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, failed to go ahead with the vote.
The failure was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya.
Mr Dbeibah refused to step down, raising questions over his mandate.
In response, the country’s east-based legislators elected a rival prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, a powerful former interior minister who is now operating an administration out of the city of Sirte.
The rival administrations are now claiming power, after tentative steps towards unity last year.
Ms DiCarlo called for work towards national reconciliation, warning that “continued political divisions are contributing to a tense security environment in and around Tripoli".
The issue of Libya’s chief executive has not been resolved and she warned that as armed groups position themselves to support Mr Dbeibah or Mr Bashagha, “the risk of escalation increases".
After the recent Cairo meeting, Libyan media reports claimed the main contested topic was the criteria for a presidential candidacy.
According to the reports, the Tripoli-based council insisted on banning military personnel from running for the country’s top post.
That was apparently a move directed at Field Marshal Haftar, a divisive military leader who announced his bid to run in December’s elections.
The east-based legislators called for allowing military personnel to run.
US deputy ambassador Richard Mills called it “appalling that small cabals of men, in most cases backed by weapons rather than popular legitimacy, have spent the last six months cutting deals and crafting schemes to determine who will be in power and who will get which spoils – while some three million Libyans are still waiting to exercise their right to vote for Libya’s leaders".
“Libya has reached a critical moment and its leaders must choose a trajectory – whether to build consensus and foster unity that can lead to free and fair elections and stability, or to wallow in the status quo and consign the Libyan people to uncertainty, stagnation and potential violence,” Mr Mills said.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, blamed “the western aggression in 2011, which caused the Libyan state to collapse” for the continuing political crisis.
Mr Polyansky welcomed the progress at the Cairo meeting and expressed hope that this week’s Geneva talks would resolve differences between the political rivals.
But he warned that “due to the persistent inter-Libyan differences and the egotism of our western colleagues, the situation in Libya is liable to spiral out of control".
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
CREW
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
The%20specs
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Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Race card
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m.
The National selections:
1.45pm: Galaxy Road – So Hi Speed
2.15pm: Majestic Thunder – Daltrey
2.45pm: Call To War – Taamol
3.15pm: Eqtiraan - Bochart
3.45pm: Kidd Malibu – Initial
4.15pm: Arroway – Arch Gold
4.35pm: Compliance - Muqaatil
THE%20SPECS
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