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The House of Representatives, the High Council of State, and the Constituent Drafting Body have reiterated that the draft constitution is now in the hands of the Libyan people, who have the sole right to accept or reject it through a public referendum.

In a joint statement, the three blocks demanded the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to adhere to its mission by supporting the constitutional process and help clear the way for holding the constitutional referendum, which would lead to a permanent constitutional stage.

The statement noted that any dialogue that does not lead to a referendum on the constitution to end the transition phase would not fulfill the expectations of the Libyan people.

The blocks called on all stakeholders not to prejudice the draft constitution that has been accomplished and reinforced by the Supreme Courts ruling, which states that no authority could override the work of the elected constituent body except for the Libyan people themselves.

The UN mission announced on Friday that the participants in the Libyan Political dialogue Forum agreed to hold national elections on December 24, next year.

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Three political blocks in Libya insist: constitutional referendum must be held before the polls - The Libya Observer

Pope Francis prays for the fruitful outcome of international talks aimed at halting hostilities in Libya and at paving the way for a peaceful future for the country.

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis on Sunday decried years of hostilities and strife in Libya and prayed for fruitful peace negotiations taking place at an international level.

He turned his thoughts to a group of Italian and Tunisian fishermen who were seized on 1 September by Libyan patrol boats, accused of fishing in territorial waters, and still detained in Benghazi.

Speaking after the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St. Peters Square, the Pope said "I pray for the various talks taking place at the international level, that they may be relevant for the future of Libya.

The time has come to stop all forms of hostility and encourage dialogue that will lead to peace and stability in the country, he said.

Mentioning the plight of the fishermen and his closeness also to their families, he asked those present in the square to pray together for the fishermen and for Libya, in silence.

"I would like to address a word of encouragement and support to the fishermen stopped more than a month ago in Libya and their families, the Pope said and he invoked Our Lady Star of the Sea to keep the hope alive that they will soon be able to embrace their loved ones.

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Pope prays for peace and stability in Libya - Vatican News

(The author Saeed Naqvi is a senior commentator on political and diplomatic issues. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)As I settled down to write on Libya, the news ticker opened up the whole West Asian vista.

IAF pilots flying the first batch of Rafales from the Dassault Aviation Facility in France had barely settled down to relax at the UAE's Al Dhafra air base, where they were breaking journey, when they found themselves exposed to what they feared might be fatal danger. They scrambled for cover because an Iranian missile landed nearby. They must have heaved a sigh of relief when it was established, without the shadow of a doubt, that neither they nor the UAE, were in the Iranian firing line. Iranians, inventive as the achaemenids have always been, were shooting missiles at a prototype of a US aircraft carrier Nimitz they had floated in the Strait of Hormuz.

This exchange is representative of the mood in the entire region. There has not been a day free of tension in the region for decades but for this narrative let us consider July 20 as the cut-off when Israeli aircraft fatally targeted a Hezbullah Commander, Ali Kamel Mohsen. Promptly came the Hezbullah response: Zionists should be ready for a suitable retaliation.

Just as the cauldron was simmering, came the startling disclosure by Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyah. He told, Qatari newspaper Al Lusail that major powers had offered $15 billion in aid for Gaza "provided Hamas gave up armed struggle and laid down arms". The offer was rejected.

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Not only is the Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon road link a menace, the Hezbullah, Hashd al Shaabi in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, the pro Iranian arc, are persistently menacing the Saudis and Israel.

In these choppy waters, Jordanian Prime Minister, Omar Razzaz tosses a boulder: he made the startling suggestion that a single Israeli-Palestinian state would be acceptable to Jordan provided "equal rights were given to both people". This was novel beyond recognition in an area where a two-state solution has been the mantra for three decades. Not only is the thought absurd in itself, it blissfully overlooks the "Jewish nation state law" passed by the Knesset. The law states that all occupied Palestinian territories belong exclusively to the Jewish people. It is politically impolite to say so in Amman, but the only Palestinian state which the Right wing Israelis will ever concede happens to be Jordan. Advertisement

Now to the Turkish-Egyptian confrontation building up in Libya: it will be like the clashing of the Cymbals, the crescendo in a Wagner symphony. When Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, was toppled by US-Israeli machinations in 2013 and the then Saudi Crown Prince turned up in Cairo with an offer of $eight billion to help Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ascend the Egyptian throne, what was the Saudi motivation? Remember Juhayman al Otaybi and his 400-500 supporters had occupied the Mecca mosque in 1979, virtually the same month as when the Ayatullahs ousted the Shah of Iran. This internal rebellion by an extreme variety of the Brothers is what Saudis fear more than Iranian Shiaism. Sisi is Hosni Mubarak II reincarnated to keep the Brothers under his heel. To Israel's chagrin, the Brothers are a powerful influence on Hamas, whose links with Qatar are secure. Qatar, meanwhile, relies on the Turkish army. Notice the linkages?

Tayyip Erdogan who restarted "Namaz" at Hagia Sophia, has come out, all guns blazing as an unabashed Brother. His clash with Sisi, the oppressor or Brothers in Egypt, will cut the ground from under Sisi's feet. That clash has to be avoided by forces which, alas, are these days preoccupied with issues of their own survival.Advertisement

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OPINION: West Asia is building up to a Turkey-Egypt catastrophe in Libya - Business Insider India

Libyans and extremist groups experts have expressed concerns that radical organizations may exploit the unrest in Libya to establish new strongholds for their activities in northern and western Africa and the Sahel region.

Such concerns are justified as Turkey continues to bring in droves of mercenaries and extremists from northern Idlib in Syria to Libya.

Ankara had intervened in the Libyan crisis in favor of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).

Founder of the Silphium center for studies and research Gamal Shallouf said Turkey has transformed Libya into a backyard base for terrorists because it continues to bring in extremists from Idlib and northern Syria to Tripoli.

This may pave the way for Libya to turn into an open ground for such terrorist organizations or for the emergence of new groups that may defect from present ones, he warned to Asharq Al-Awsat. These new groups could be more radical than the original ones.

He explained that after any defeat, terrorist groups often split up into smaller ones. This was demonstrated in Syria, where some terrorists have moved from one old battleground to a new one.

The international community should have rid Syria of these organizations, but Ankara swept in instead and moved them to Libya, he remarked.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had revealed that Turkey has transferred some 10,000 extremists from Syria to Libya. Many of these fighters were members of al-Qaeda and are wanted internationally on terror charges.

Shallouf cited confirmed reports in March that said members of the Hurras al-Din al-Qaeda affiliate had moved to Libyas Misrata. Some have even headed to Mali. Former members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group also headed to Libya in April

As for ISIS, members of the group have joined the affiliate in southern Libya, know as the army of the desert, that operates in southern Algeria, Chad and Niger.

Shallouf warned that the emergence of such fighters and new alliances will pose a danger not only to Libya, but the entire region. Some new groups, including ISIS affiliates, may align themselves with Boko Haram that is active in Nigeria, Chad and Mali. Others may join the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.

Moreover, Shallouf warned that the extremists may take advantage of Libyas strategic location and head to Europe. Unconfirmed reports said that some have even made it to the continent after traveling onboard illegal migrant boats.

Tunisian extremist groups expert Dr. Alaya Allani said Turkey is seeking to reduce the number of ISIS members in camps it oversees in Syria by transferring them to Libya under the pretense of backing the GNA.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said ISIS and al-Qaeda extremists will join present groups that are active in Africa. Even though they follow contradictory ideologies and different leaderships, they have recently divided areas of influence, namely in Mali and Burkina Faso, he added.

Despite the seemingly bleak outlook, he expressed confidence that the radical extremist groups will no longer be able to keep a foothold in Libya once the Berlin conference agreements are implemented.

Contrary to Syria, no one in Libya will accept them, which means they will have to move to the Sahel region that borders Libya and also towards the Sahara Desert, he said. The Sahara could some day become a main stronghold for such groups.

A report by the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies found a sharp rise in terrorist activity in Africa in 2019. It documented 3,471 terror attacks that killed at least 10,000 people.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

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What is The Connection Between Mercenaries in Syria and Libya? - Al-Bawaba

The UNs mission in Libya has voiced dismay at the sentencing of a journalist to 15 years in prison in the countrys east, controlled by strongman Khalifa Haftar. UNSMIL is dismayed by the sentencing of the journalist Ismail Abuzreiba to 15 years imprisonment following a trial by a military tribunal in Benghazi, it said on Twitter on Saturday. The detention and trial appear to violate Libyas laws as well as its international obligations on the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, it added.

The European Unions ambassador to Libya, Alan Bugeja, wrote on Twitter that he was extremely concerned by the sentence, which he said came after the journalist had been held in detention for two years or more. I call on the authorities to immediately release him, ensure the respect of his fundamental rights and of freedom of expression, Bugeja said. Authorities in eastern Libya have not specified the exact nature of the charges faced by Abuzreiba, but, according to local media, he was accused of contact with channels and agencies banned in that part of the country.

Haftar launched an offensive on the capital Tripoli, seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord, in April last year. Troops loyal to the GNA in May pushed Haftars forces back from the southern outskirts of the capital, before repelling them in early June 2020 as far as Sirte, a northern coastal city that is a gateway between Libyas east and west. The fighting over the last year or so has killed hundreds, including many civilians. It has also heightened the dangers faced by journalists, who have increasingly been harassed and threatened, leading most to leave the country. Libya ranks 164 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders (RSF)s World Press Freedom Index for 2020.

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Libyan journalist Ismail Abuzreiba gets 15 years in prison by illegitimate court linked to warlord Haftar - North Africa Journal