The Defense Minister of the Presidential Council, Mehdi Barghathi, has held bilateral meetings in his residence in Tunis with the ambassadors of Russia and China to discuss the Libyan political crisis and war on terrorism in the country. Sources from the Libyan Defense Ministry said the meetings discussed the possibility of joint defense agreements between Libya and both countries in the field of military support and the fight against ISIS.
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Afriqiyah Airways announced on Wednesday that its ticket reservation system has been disrupted at all their offices, inside and outside of the country. A company official stated that the company was working hard to bring the system back to work as soon as possible after a breakdown since Tuesday. The official confirmed that the airline company has apologized to all their customers for the disruption, and that the problem is outside of the company's control.
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Libya's volleyball team has qualified for the quarterfinals of the African Championship held in Egypt, despite losing 3-2 to Kenya in the last round of Group B matches. Libya qualified for the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group B on goal difference with the Ghanaian team. Libya will now play in the quarterfinals with the top team in Group C. The top three will qualify directly for the 2018 World Championship in Italy and Bulgaria.
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The Tunisian-Libyan consular committee agreed after Wednesday's meeting at the Tunisian Foreign Ministry to work on improving traffic conditions at the border crossing points. The committee agreed to develop a common vision for the development of border areas adjacent to the Ras Ajdir and Dehiba crossings. The two sides also agreed to facilitate and secure mobility and resume the regular operation of land, air and sea lines between the two countries.
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The Libyan Humanitarian and Relief Aid Agency has launched a distress call to both general and private sectors to help provide health and food needs to illegal immigrants in Tripoli's detention centers. The agency said it had provided aid, including cleaning materials, floor mats, blankets, sportswear and shoes, to 1200 illegal immigrants from several African nationalities at the Illegal Immigration Center in Yarmouk in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The agency added that the assistance was provided with the participation of the High Commissioner for Refugees.
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The Libyan Interior Ministry has announced the dispatch of 22 Coast Guard officers to Italy, in accordance with the agreement reached between the two countries in 2008 and the memorandum of understanding signed in 2017 to aid Libya in combating immigration. The head of the Libya-Italy Chamber of Immigration and Smuggling Operations, Tariq Shanbour, said that the delegates would travel to Tunisia to undergo practical exercises on a number of boats in the port of Bizerte in Tunisia after the completion of theoretical training in Italy.
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A primary court in Zawiya city has released a Panamanian-flagged vessel, which was seized by Libyan Coast Guard off the port of Zuwara last September, loaded with a shipment of gravel. The head of Zuwara Port stated that the ship had left the port with the permission of the Libyan authorities and consent of the Customs Department, adding that the gravel is not a prohibited substance, as well as the fact that all paperwork and procedure is in compliance with the law.
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The Surman Municipal Council has called on the Presidential Council to intervene in the release of seven of the town's young men who were kidnapped by armed groups in the region of Wirshiffana. In a statement on Wednesday, the council stressed the need for the Presidential Council to shoulder its responsibility in providing security and to take all measures to release the abductees, calling for a rational and resolute intervention to solve this tragedy. The seven young men were abducted several days ago as they journeyed along the coastal road between Tripoli and Wirshiffana.
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Libya’s Mufti, Al-Sadiq Al-Gharyani, said Wednesday in his weekly program on Tnanasuh TV Channel that if the Libyan political stakeholders and official politicians had adopted the five points proposed by the Libyan Fatwa House regarding the controversial Article 08 of the Skhirat-signed agreement, they wouldn’t have needed to go to Tunisia talks. The mufti explained that Tunis-held dialogue has turned out to be a failure as it did not touch upon the country, the people’s needs and the Libyan crisis. “It was a proxy dialogue in Tunisia for other countries’ sake,” the mufti said, adding that Skhirat agreement is contradictory in itself and not well-crafted as promoted by its advocates.
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