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Cairo - Egypt's army on Tuesday announced the release of 13 Egyptians kidnapped in eastern Libya, which has been plagued by chaos and security problems since 2011.

Army spokesperson Colonel Tamer al-Rifai said in a statement the 13 "were abducted by an armed criminal group in the Ajdabiya region".

The statement said their liberation had been made possible by "coordination with the general command of the Libyan army", without elaborating.

The Libyan National Army is loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman in eastern Libya and a rival of Fayez al-Sarraj, leader of the Tripoli-based and internationally recognised national unity government.

Libya has been mired in political and security problems since the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi, with rival militias jockeying for power.

In February 2015, the Islamic State group released video footage it said showed the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians, most of them Egyptian, who had been abducted in Libya.

In the wake of the atrocity, Egypt staged air raids against ISIS positions in retaliation and thousands of poor migrant Egyptian workers in Libya returned home.

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13 Egyptians kidnapped in Libya freed: army - News24

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Nikki Haley, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the U.N., expressed disapproval about U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterress choice for envoy to Libya, reports Reuters.Haley indicated the U.N. has for too long been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel.

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Meanwhile, the U.N. secretary-general argued that that former Palestinian PMs diplomacy skills would prove helpful to bring much-needed peace to Libya. It is a loss for the Libyan peace process and for the Libyan people that I am not able to appoint him, declared U.N. Secretary-General Guterres in Dubai.

I do not think there is any valid reason to avoid someone who is very competent to do a job that is extremely important, he added. Not long ago, ISIS maintained a heavy presence in its stronghold of Sirte, which sits along the coast in Libya. However, some the jihadists have been forced to spread out of Sirte to other places across the country.

The Nation reports:

The extremist group lost its Libya headquarters in the central coastal city of Sirte in December after a six-month offensive by militias backed by US air power, but Libyan officials and foreign diplomats say its fighters have now fanned out across the southern desert into desert valleys and inland hills, as they seek to exploit Libyas political divisions Three separate ISIL groups have been identified based in different parts of the Sahara, and, say officials, they are striking at the countrys vulnerable oil and water infrastructure.

Reuters reported earlier this month:

The jihadist group lost many of its fighters in the battle and now has no territory in Libya, but fugitive militants and sleeper cells are seen to pose a threat in a country that has been deeply fractured and largely lawless since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

The threat is focused south of the coastal strip between Misrata and Tripoli, arcing to the southeast around the town of Bani Walid and into the desert south of Sirte, said Ismail Shukri, head of military intelligence in Misrata.

Although ISIS in Libya is weaker now than it was about year ago, the jihadist group still poses a threat, noted Martin Kobler, the top official from the U.N. Support Mission in Libya, adding that the fight against terrorism is far from over.

The countrys borders remain porous. Terrorists, human and weapons traffickers and criminal gangs continue to exploit the security vacuum, he warned.

UN chief Guterres suggests that the international community would have to engage with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to deal with the remnants for ISIS in Libya and prevent the country from becoming a place where the terrorists can easily launch attacks against Western targets.

U.N. Secretary-General Guterres said, We need to respect our values and we need to make sure a multilateral approach to global problems is implemented.

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Nikki Haley Objects to UN Naming Former Palestinian PM to Libya Envoy Post - Breitbart News

Quick Facts:

Grantee: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Program Duration: October 2016September 2017

Total Donor Funding Pledged: $31 million

USAID Contribution: $2 million

Description:

Stabilization Facility for Libya (SFL) supports the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) by providing tangible quick-wins at the local level in the East, South and West of Libya. SFL implements improvements, such as rehabilitating critical infrastructure and restoring basic public services, in close collaboration with local governing institutions.

SFL is funded by 12 international donors with decisions made by a Governing Board jointly chaired by the Libyan Prime Ministers representative and the United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General. The US Government is represented on the Board by the US Ambassador to Libya as well as the USAID/Libya Senior Development Advisor.

Program Activities and Objectives:

Rehabilitate light infrastructure and support recovery of critical businesses in communities damaged by conflict;

Immediately boost municipal capacity to take leadership in local stabilization efforts;

Strengthen local capacity in conflict analysis, facilitation, and mediation.

Program Status/Achievements:

SFL supports return to normal conditions and peace-building programming in several Libyan communities affected by conflict.

SFL has completed assessments in three communities -- Benghazi, Kikla, and Obari with Sirte and Sebha assessments underway in early 2017. After field-based assessments are completed, community consultations are organized with municipal authorities, local leaders and civil society representatives to prioritize social infrastructure rehabilitation (e.g., health, water, sanitation, education). The priorities are presented to the SFL Governing Board for approval, after which SFL mobilizes expert teams in each location to deliver equipment and infrastructure improvements.

By early 2017, SFL has begun refurbishment of public buildings and procurement of equipment to restore essential public services for the first three communities, including: medical equipment and ambulances for hospitals, garbage trucks, generators, solar panels, water and sewage pumps, and prefabricated classrooms for schools.

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Stabilization facility for Libya (SFL) - ReliefWeb

Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 06:09 by

The directors of Equitrade Ltd, which distributes animal health, veterinary pharmaceuticals and horse requirement products, categorically deny the allegations made in the report Libya bans Maltese firms for smuggling (January 24).

Since then, we have, through our intermediary, asked the Libya Audit Bureau to provide us with any documents they have to substantiate the allegation published in the said article and Libyan Herald sources quoted.

When dealing with clients and the authorities, Equitrade Ltd has always been fully committed to the observance of best practices in the countries they dealt with.

The Times of Malta should have made an accurate investigation before making the allegations.

Editorial note: Equitrade Ltds name was included in a list issued by the Libyan Audit Bureau and reported by many mainstream news organisations in Libya, including the Libyan Herald. Before publishing the article, Times of Malta also sought the comments of a representative of Equitrade, which were included in the write-up.

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Libya ban - Times of Malta

World Former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad is no longer under consideration after the US objected to his appointment, showingthat divisions over Palestine still run deep at the world body.

The flags of UN observer states the Vatican and Palestine. Credit: UN Photo/Cia Pak.

United Nations: The failed appointment of former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad as the UNs peace envoy to Libya has shown that divisions over Palestine still run deep at the world body.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres pick as his special representative in Libya, was quickly vetoed by US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Friday February 10.

Haley said on Friday that the US was disappointed to see a letter indicating Fayyad would be appointed for the role.

By Monday, Fayyad was no longer under consideration.

In Dubai on Monday, Guterres described the turn of events as a loss for the Libyan peace process, describing Fayyad as the right person for the right job at the right moment.

Guterres also noted the importance of appointment given the ongoing instability in Libya.

Lets not forget that Libya is not only relevant in itself, Libya has been a factor of contamination to the peace and stability in a wide area, namely in Africa, in the Sahel and to bring an end to the conflict in Libya is in everybodys interest.

However few if any conflicts have remained on the UNs agenda as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Indications that the Palestinian question as it is referred to in UN Security Council meetings may become a source of tensionbetween the United Nationsand the Trump Republican administration began before Trump had taken office.

On December 22, the US under then President Barack Obama allowedSecurity Council Resolution 2334condemning Israeli settlementsto pass by abstaining the resolution was supported by the14 other Security Council members, including US allies such as New Zealand, the UK and France.

The resolution stated that Israels establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity.

In an apparent break from protocol for a President-elect, Donald Trump appeared to respond to the vote on December 23 with a Tweet stating: As to theUN,things will be differentafter January 20.

Haley later described the resolution as a terrible mistake, in her confirmation hearing for the role of US ambassador to the UN.

Following the vote Israel passed a law on February 6 retrospectively recognising Jewish settlements built on confiscated Palestinian land in the occupied territories.

Kofi Annan, chair of The Elders and former UN secretary-general, described the law as highly damaging to prospects for peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu should show leadership to overturn this law, paying heed to the objections ofIsraels attorney general, broad segments ofIsraelisociety and members of his own Likud Party, said Annan.

The US has remained Israels closest ally both for strategic reasons as a partner in the Middle East and due to domestic support for Israel. This support comes in part from the USs Jewish population. While the current administration supports Israel, theirsupport for Judaism is less clear, after the White House failed to refer to Jews or Judaism in its statement issued on Holocaust RemembranceDay.

Meanwhile support for Israel also comes from groups such as Christians United for Israel who say on their website that they have over 3 million members. The groups website homepage also includes a pop-up campaign calling to defund the UN.

The US provides 22% of the UN budget, making it the largest single member state contributor.

There is yet to be any concrete indication from either Trump or Haley that the US intends to reduceUS funding to the UN other than through a leaked draft executive order published by some media outlets.

However some Republican lawmakers have been more open in their opposition to the UNs seeming sympathy towards Palestine, presenting a Bill, which has not yet passed, to withhold US funding to the UN until Resolution 2334 has been repealed.

Palestine has been a non-member observer state at the UN since 2012. In a symbolic gesture, the UN began flying the Palestinian flag in September 2015, alongside the Holy See Vatican which is also an observer state.

(IPS)

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US Vetoes UN Choice For Peace Envoy to Libya - The Wire