CELLE-SAINT-CLOUD, France: The French presidency hopes Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez Al-Serraj and the divided country’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar will agree on a conditional cease-fire and to work toward elections, according to a draft statement it mistakenly sent.
The two men were due to meet President Emmanuel Macron in the afternoon, just outside Paris, in a second encounter between the rivals since talks in Abu Dhabi in May that produced little concrete progress.
“We commit to a cease-fire and to refrain from any use of armed force for any purpose that does not strictly constitute counterterrorism,” they said in the draft statement, which Macron’s Elysee office later said was a working document that had been e-mailed prematurely.
Past attempts at peace deals in oil-producing Libya have often been scuttled by internal divisions among the myriad of competing armed groups that have emerged since rebels toppled strongman Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
Serraj and Haftar are set to commit to working for elections as soon as possible from July 25 under UN supervision, the document added.
The draft statement was the result of negotiations between emissaries of the Libyan rivals and French officials but its content could still be subject to some changes, a source at the Elysee said.
The French initiative has angered officials in Italy, which has previously taken the lead in efforts to bring peace to its former North African colony and borne the brunt of successive waves of African migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya.
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano on Tuesday told La Stampa newspaper he supported the French initiative. But he added: “There are too many open questions on Libya, too many mediators, too many initiatives... we need to combine our efforts and focus them on (UN envoy for Libya Ghassan) Salame.”
Western governments are pushing a UN-backed political agreement to unify the country under which Serraj’s Tripoli-based government was installed. One key sticking point has been the role Haftar could play and who would control Libya’s army.
Haftar, who this month declared victory over rival armed groups in the battle for Libya’s second city Benghazi, has refused to accept the government’s legitimacy. He has been gaining ground backed by allies Egypt and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Serraj is backed by Haftar’s rivals, armed brigades in the western city of Misrata, and by some factions in Tripoli. But he has struggled to extend his government’s influence and faces resistance from some hard-liners in the capital.
Libya’s PM, Haftar likely to agree on cease-fire
Libya’s PM, Haftar likely to agree on cease-fire
UK Police arrest 86 people at prison protest for Palestine Action hunger striker
- Demonstration outside Wormwood Scrubs held in support of Umer Khalid
- Khalid 1 of 5 people charged in connection with break-in at RAF base last year
LONDON: A protest outside a prison in the UK in support of a man detained for supporting the banned group Palestine Action has led to the arrest of 86 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police said a group of demonstrators breached the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in the capital, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and threatened officers. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The group, several of whom attempted to gain access to the prison itself, were protesting in support of Umer Khalid, who is currently on hunger strike at the facility.
Khalid is one of five people charged in relation to a break-in by Palestine Action members at an RAF base at Brize Norton last year, in which two military aircraft were damaged.
Khalid, who denies the charges, is one of several people who are on or who have taken part in hunger strikes in recent months, all of whom have been held on similar charges for over a year without their cases being brought to trial.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Ministry of Justice said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.
“At no point was prison security compromised. However, where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with longstanding policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
