Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Council, Abdul-Salam Kajman, held discussions on Wednesday with the Chairman of the General Electricity Company in Libya (GECOL), Abdul-Majeed Hamza, regarding the repercussions of the abduction of the four foreign workers at the new Ubari gas-powered power plant. Those present at the discussions also took into consideration the many obstacles facing GECOL in terms of financial procedures as well as estimating the difficulties in completing future projects contracted with foreign companies. During the meeting, which was held at the Prime Minister's Office, Kajman expressed his concerns at the kidnapping of the four workers from Turkey and South Africa, which caused the delay in the completion of the power plant and exacerbated the deficit in the electricity grid, especially in the southern region. Kajman stressed the importance of communication with the local people of the area where the incident occurred and future cooperation with them to help return the abductees.

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An Algerian official stated that his country plans to supply Libya with a power line through Tunisia, as well as launching investments in Libya, which he said is suffering from an acute lack of energy. On Tuesday, state-run Algeria Press Service quoted the General Manager of the Algerian Electricity and Gas Company, Mohammed Arqab, as saying that his country has a surplus in the production of electricity and will examine the possibilities of high-voltage electric connection between Algeria and Libya through Tunisia to export electricity, in addition to a range of other services.

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The Chairman of the Presidential Council, Fayez Sarraj, called on the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) in Tripoli and the parallel one in the east to convene an urgent meeting of the board of directors next week to take measures and decisions to unify the CBL. In his statement, Sarraj called on Sadiq Al-Kabeer and Ali Al-Habri to set a monetary policy to deal with the exchange rate of the Libyan dinar as well as solving the current economic crisis, calling on them to raise the level of national responsibility and distance themselves from political crisis and end their personal differences. Sarraj attributed the crisis and current economic inflation to the divide in sovereign institutions, including the Central Bank of Libya. The parallel Central Bank of Libya in the east has accepted to take part in the meeting while there has been no confirmation from the Tripoli one.

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The Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Council, Ahmed Maitiq, stated on Wednesday that the sufficient funds needed to complete the stalled projects at Tripoli University have reached more than 95%, and these funds are now available to the government. In a meeting with the dean of Tripoli University and other officials, Maitiq clarified the point that the government has the ability to complete these projects as soon as companies return to resume work, adding that there is a need for a decision by the Presidential Council in this regard. Maitiq added that a large part of the budget for the year 2018 will be dedicated to these projects.

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The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said on Wednesday that his country had called on the Security Council to meet and discuss the treatment of migrants in Libya. At a meeting of the French National Assembly, Le Drian threatened to impose sanctions on Libya if its system of justice was impotent. Le Drian called on the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to publish details of the smuggling of migrants in Libya.

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The head of the board of directors at the Waha Oil Company, Ahmed Ammar, has declared that the company is currently producing 260,000 barrels per day (bpd), an increase of more than 100,000 bpd compared to last year's production levels. Ammar stated to Reuters that the company aims to increase the production to 375,000 bpd by the end of next year, adding that the lack of funding and infrastructure was preventing these further gains. He said that plans to increase production of the company to 600 thousand bpd over the next five years was postponed due to a lack of funding.

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Residents of Tobruk and the city’s dignitaries and officials held a formal reception for the Mayor of Tobruk, Naji Mazik, in the city`s airport, upon his arrival from Tripoli. The warm reception is seen as a clear rejection of the decision of his arrest by accusing him of treason for meeting with the Presidential Council in Tripoli. The residents stressed that Mazik will exercise his functions as normal from Thursday. The Interior Ministry of eastern government issued on November 15 an arrest warrant for Naji Mazik, while he was in Tripoli.

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The Mayor of Tarhuna, Ayad Salem, held a meeting on Wednesday with the head of the Implementation and Management of the Railway Project, Adel Jemayel, in Tripoli. At the meeting, those present discussed the establishment of a mechanism to include the city of Tarhuna within the general plan of the railway project, and the establishment of a station in the city and link it to the main line of the network that is to be established.

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