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Russia derailed the appointment of a dual American-German national as the U.N.s top official in Libya, flexing its diplomatic muscle in a region where Moscow has been steadily seeking to expand its influence, according to several diplomatic sources.

U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres had decided in recent weeks to tap Richard Wilcox, a senior official at the World Food Programme who served as director of U.N. affairs in the Clinton White House, as his special representative in Libya. But before an official offer was made, Russian diplomats in New York registered concerns about Wilcoxs fitness for the job.

It remains unclear precisely why Russia objected to the candidacy of Wilcox, and the Russian mission to the U.N. did not respond to a request for comment. But two sources familiar with the matter said that Moscow said he didnt have the right profile, or have sufficient stature, for a job that was previously held by senior foreign diplomats, including Martin Kobler, a former German ambassador to Egypt and Iraq, and Bernardino Len, a former Spanish diplomat who left the job in disgrace. While in the midst of negotiations on a power-sharing arrangement in Libya, Len was in talks with the UAE on a lucrative arrangement to lead the Gulf countrys diplomatic academy.

In New York and Washington, diplomats were left mostly left to speculate, with one senior U.N. based official suggesting Russia likely objected to the U.N. hiring another top envoy that they perceive as too close to the United States and its Western partners.

Quite honestly, what the Russians are probably doing is sending a reminder that they can interfere with things in an unhelpful way if they are not brought along with the Wests policies in Libya, said one former U.S. official who has tracked Wilcoxs work. And a good candidate was the collateral damage.

Importantly, the move comes a time when Russia is seeking to expand its own role in Libyas future. In January, Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar, who heads the Libyan National Army, which represents the countrys key eastern militias, was given a tour of Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as it transited the Mediterranean, a signal meant to underscore Moscows support for his anti-Islamist forces. Sergei Shoigu, Russias defense minister, spoke to Haftar by video conference during the visit. Together with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Russia has backed Haftar, who opposed the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which is led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

The Obama administration and its European allies largely backed the GNA, reasoning that Haftar lacked the military power and political reach to rule the country on his own. But with the arrival of the Trump administration, observers speculated that the White House might gravitate toward Haftar, which would provide an opportunity to work with Russia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates in the fight against the Islamic State. The terror group established a beachhead in Libya after the United States and its Western allies stepped up military pressure on the extremist movement in Syria and Iraq.

But those expectations may be colliding with the reality of Haftars limited power.

The assumption has been that the Trump administration would be interested in leaning more towards Haftar, but I suspect briefings from any of the agencies with a relevant stake in Libya will suggest Haftar cant do it all by himself, said Eric Pelofsky, a former Obama administration official handling the Middle East and North Africa. They need to consider alternatives.

I would assume the administration does realize Haftar cant do it alone and that that strategy is not one that would lead to a favorable outcome, he added.

Despite President Donald Trumps initial calls for improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his top national security team has repeatedly butted heads with Moscow.

On Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who had developed friendly ties with Putin when he lead ExxonMobil, said economic sanctions against Russia should remain in place until it returns Crimea to Ukraine. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has emerged as a particularly harsh critic, telling U.S. senators in late January that Russia will never be a credible partner as long as Putin is in charge.

The prospects of improved relations appear increasingly dim amid FBI and congressional investigations to determine the extent of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.

But Russias action in New York underscored Moscows desire and ability to make Washington pay a price for maintaining sanctions on Russia.

The informal veto of Wilcox came after the Trump administration in early February blocked the selection of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad for the top U.N. Libya job. In opposing Fayyad, Haley said the United States does not currently recognize a Palestinian state or support the signal this appointment would send within the United Nations.

One U.N. diplomat said the United States had opened this can of worms by opposing Fayyad, setting the stage for tit-for-tat provocations by both sides.

But diplomats said that while the Trump administration approved of Wilcoxs nomination, they had not put his name forward for the job. And they didnt put up a fight with the Russians on behalf of Wilcox, who began his U.N. career as a political officer in Bosnia in the 1990s, before going on to a career at the World Food Programme.

It was there that Wilcox established an insurance plan for covering the humanitarian fallout from droughts, the first of its kind. He later set up an office for the African Union to provide insurance for natural disasters and epidemics, including Ebola.

In part because the United States under Trump has so far been missing in action in Libya, Europe has taken the lead in trying to shape the future of the North African country, which has become a major transit hub for refugees and migrants headed across the Mediterranean.

Italy, a former colonial power in Libya with energy and security interests in the region, has stepped up its role trying to shore up Sarrajs U.N.-backed government. In January it reopened its embassy in Tripoli, the first and only Western country to do so since instability in 2015 forced evacuations.

On Sunday, Rome announced a new deal aimed at curbing migration, bringing together representatives from 60 Libyan tribes to patrol the southern border, through which pour sub-Saharan refugees. But the initiative is also intended to thwart Haftars expansion, said Karim Mezran, a North Africa expert at the Atlantic Council.

The measure may be an attempt to corral competing tribes, long a source of instability, into a peace agreement loyal to the government in Tripoli, Mezran said, and de facto constitutes some sort of a barrier for the penetration of Haftars forces seeking to spread through the interior.

I think the real purpose [of the deal] is to put them together and show them there is some advantage to supporting the government in Tripoli rather than fighting each other.

Photo credit:ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP/Getty Images

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Russia Nixes Former White House Aide for Top U.N. Job in Libya ... - Foreign Policy (blog)

Tripoli - AFP's photographer in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, Abdullah Doma, was released Monday after two days of detention, but his identity papers were confiscated and his situation remains highly uncertain.

Benghazi is controlled by the military authorities of Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya who contests the legitimacy of the Government of National Accord which is based in the capital Tripoli and is backed by the international community.

AFP management welcomed Doma's release but called on the authorities concerned to bring an end to the harassment of the photographer.

Detained by Benghazi's counterterrorism unit on Saturday evening while heading home, Doma was questioned about his photo coverage for AFP at a public event where young men and women had gathered at a university in the city on March 25.

The concert had been highly criticised by the Awqaf religious authorities of eastern Libya, which blasted the event as "offensive" to Islam, notably by encouraging mixing between men and women.

'Out of control'

The photographer was released "provisionally" without charge on the night of Sunday to Monday under pressure from other security services in Benghazi.

Doma presented himself at anti-terror headquarters on Monday, where he was forced to sign documents he had not been able to read beforehand.

He was able to leave the building thanks to an intervention by Benghazi special forces.

But the photographer has not been given back his identity documents, and a security source said he remained under threat of re-arrest.

A senior official from the eastern authorities told AFP on Monday that orders had been given at the highest level for all proceedings against Doma to be dropped.

But some members of the security services with Salafist leanings appear to be "out of control", the official said.

Doma had already been arrested last Tuesday evening before being freed some 24 hours later.

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AFP photographer freed in Libya, still under detention threat - News24

Gharyan city hosted Monday a meeting for military councils of Nafousa Mountain districts. The attendees issued a statement titled "Yes to the state of institutions and law." They stressed that all parties should be united and to prioritize the service of the citizens before other issues. They also said they won't allow any attack to take place in any Nafousa Mountain area as it would be an attack on all the districts.

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Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has formed two commissions to check the validity of Tobruk, Benghazi, Sirte and Al-Bayda stadiums as well as Tripoli, Misrata, and Al-Zawiya ones before the kickoff of the new Libyan Soccer League season (2016/2017), which is yet to be given a specific date as the LFF meets with football clubs on April 13 in Al-Marij.

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Libyan National Center for Disease Control finished the third phase of the national project that aimed at assessing how valid schools' water supplies are across Libya. the third phase included 45 schools across eastern Libya under the supervision of UNICEF and in line with the General Directorate of Water Resources, Man-Made River System, and Schools Health Department.

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Libyana telecoms station in eastern Mazda (Above Batma Mountain) was damaged and looted as unknown individuals stole the solar power panels and electronic devices in the station, then they broke the doors and windows leading to loss of Libyana coverage in the area and the nearby ones, locals said. They added that most telecoms stations that connect north and south from Mizda to Sahtea have been damaged or stolen.

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Zuwara mayor, Hafith Ben Sasi, met with the UN-proposed government's Minister of Transportation Milad Matoug, to discuss improving the commercial port of the city. They discussed the contract that is signed with an Italian company, whose representatives were present at the meeting to discuss reactivating the contract and resumption of work.

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Central Bank of Libya (CBL) started easing up measures to grant imports consent for bringing in the needed basic goods and foods as well as the needed materials for the factories. CBL assured on Facebook the Libyan nationals that it is working in coordination with the Presidential Council and relevant authorities to make sure the goods and foods are sold in affordable prices in the local markets.

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NOC has lifted the force majeure state at Sharara oilfield after reopening it on Sunday and resuming oil production prior one week of closure.

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Italian Embassy in Libya said the visa to be issued for Libyan nationals in Tripoli will cost 590 dinars including the visa cost, which is 93 dinars. It added on Twitter, that this cost might be increased upon demanding other services. This announcement comes after the embassy decided to resume granting visas for Libyans starting from April 02.

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Salvation Government in Tripoli warned of whom it described as "Sellers of oil outside the law", who are stealing Libyans' oil fortunes and income. In a statement, it said it is using all means possible including military force to thwart any illegal transactions outside the NOC, which is the only legitimate body that can sell Libyans' oil, as per UN resolutions.

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News Roundup - Tue, Apr 4, 2017 - The Libya Observer

Oil prices have fallen as a rebound in Libyan oil output weighs against upbeat economic data from Asia that point to strong energy demand from the region.

Benchmark Brent futures for June delivery lost US82 cents, or 0.44 per cent, to settle at $US53.09 a barrel. That, however, was up from Friday's close when May was still the front-month, making it the highest close for the contract in nearly four weeks.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, meanwhile, declined US37 cents, or 0.73 per cent to settle at $US50.23 per barrel.

Traders noted both US and Brent futures retreated in intraday trade after failing to rise much above their 100-day moving averages, a technical resistance level.

Libya's Sharara oil field, the country's largest, resumed production on Sunday after a week-long disruption. State-owned NOC lifted force majeure on loadings of Sharara crude on Monday, sources told Reuters.

The field was producing around 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) on Monday and about 220,000 bpd prior to the March 27 shutdown.

"The main development over the weekend is the restart of Sharara," managing director of PetroMatrix Olivier Jakob said.

Uncertainty about Libyan output added volatility to oil prices, he said, calling it "a swing factor that can make it move both ways if one looks at the balances for the second half of the year."

Also pressuring oil prices, energy services firm Baker Hughes said the US rig count rose last week, making the first quarter the strongest for rig additions since mid-2011.

Still, data from Asia suggested solid energy demand going forward.

Manufacturing data showed factories across much of Asia posted another month of solid growth in March. Purchasing managers' index (PMI) data from China showed its factories expanded for a ninth straight month.

"The global economy remains on track for continuing growth in 2017, a support for the demand side of the petroleum market," Tim Evans, Citi Futures' energy futures specialist, said in a note.

Last week, oil prices rallied for three days on reduced Libyan output and expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC producers would extend production cuts beyond June.

But in a sign of investor caution, hedge funds and money managers have been cutting net long positions, data released by the Intercontinental Exchange and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed.

"Excess speculative froth has been taken off the market in allowing fresh buying interest to be more impactful," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Chicago-based energy advisory firm Ritterbusch & Associates.

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Oil falls as Libya output recovery weighs - NEWS.com.au

Abdu Raheem with his mother Patricia Fitzpatrick: Raheem was shot in both legs in Libya

Abduraheem Duibi, an English teacher in Libya, was in a car with work colleagues when it was fired upon by local militia on Saturday, March 4th.

Mr Duibi is an Irish citizen who grew up in Dublin but moved with his family to Tripoli five years ago.

After the driver was shot, Mr Duibi ran away but was shot in both legs. Mr Duibi bled profusely on the ground for about 30 minutes before being brought to a local hospital for treatment.

Libyan hospitals are bereft of drugs and treatment options due to the instability in the country so Mr Duibis family transported him the next day across the border to Tunisia.

Surgeons in the hospital in Tunis operated to remove the bullets but his condition grew septic. His family was forced to buy his antibiotics due to the shortage of supplies in the hospital.

As his condition deteriorated, family and friends contacted the Departments consular services in Tunis and Dublin to seek help in having him medically evacuated. Officials told them it did not have a fund to pay for an air ambulance.

I talked to the consul in Tunisia, but she told me she could do nothing, said his father, Libyan businessman Khairi Duibi. I was shocked. If he were a German citizen, Im sure their government would have acted.

His mother, Patricia Fitzpatrick, said she was gobsmacked when the Department said it did not have a budget to help him get back to Ireland for treatment. You dont expect a thing like that to happen to your son. He was raised in Ireland, he worked in Dunnes Stores and paid taxes. We didnt have the money. Is a childs life not more important?

As he was medically unfit to travel by normal flight, friends began a crowdfunding campaign online to raise the 22,000 cost of an air ambulance transport.

With the air ambulance service insisting on payment in advance, 18 days were to pass before Mr Duibi was successfully brought to Ireland. He landed in Shannon, where an ambulance brought him to University Hospital Galway.

He was highly septic and about to die, and he had suffered an incredible amount of pain, said renowned vascular surgeon, Prof Sherif Sultan. You dont see the terror of war very often in Galway but the amount of psychological trauma suffered by this man was unbelievable.

The multidisciplinary medical team in Galway were forced to amputate Mr Duibis right foot to control the infection. Eventually, they succeeded in stabilising his condition and he is now recovering well.

Prof Sultan said the medical outcome would have been completely different if Mr Duibi had been medically evacuated from Tunis immediately. He would still have both legs today if that had happened.

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Family of Irish citizen criticise Government after he was shot in Libya - Irish Times