Abu Dhabi // The prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed government and the country’s most powerful military commander met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for direct talks on ending Libya’s conflict.
The meeting came after months of international pressure and a failed attempt at negotiations in Cairo in February.
The rival figures met face to face “thanks to international and Arab mediation”, according to Libya’s Lana news agency. It was the first time they had met since early 2016.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi was scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, but it was unclear whether he would attend the talks.
The UAE and Egypt have led the mediation efforts between the two sides, with both men making separate trips to Abu Dhabi over the past six months. In February, they were set to meet in Cairo to discuss compromise amendments to the Libya Political Agreement of 2015. Brokered by the UN, the agreement created a weak unity government. But Field Marshal Haftar refused to meet prime minister Fayez Al Sarraj in the end.
Egypt, the UAE and Russia have diplomatically and militarily supported Field Marshal Haftar who is the key power broker in eastern Libya and its House of Representatives parliament, a rival administration to the UN-backed Government of National Accord led by prime minister Fayez Al Sarraj.
Under the political transition plan of the Libya Political Agreement, the House of Representatives was supposed to merge with the Tripoli-based GNA and become the country’s legislative body.
But until now the Tobruk-based parliament has refused the unity plan because Field Marshal Haftar was not guaranteed a position in the new government or military.
The Abu Dhabi talks “could be the beginning of a new strategy by Haftar based on ‘integration’ in LPA & running in elections”, Mattia Toaldo, a Libya researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said on Twitter.
Field Marshal Haftar commands the most powerful military force in Libya, the Libyan National Army, which he has successfully led against ISIL extremists and other militias in eastern Libya, pushing them mostly out of Benghazi, Derna and other areas.
He has also gained considerable leverage over the negotiations process after seizing Libya’s main oil terminals in September.
Arab and western diplomats consider Field Marshal Haftar key to any political agreement and have urged the GNA to give him a role in a unified national military that can fight ISIL as well as human trafficking.
Cairo in particular has backed him to establish a semblance of order on its border with Libya and create a buffer zone against ISIL and the general chaos of the country. But the political impasse between the rival administrations has allowed conflict between a myriad armed groups to continue, fuelling a war economy thriving on the trade in trafficked refugees to Europe and the weapons that flood the country and now the whole region.
The migrant flow has politically destabilised Europe and become its most pressing foreign policy priority, and the EU countries led by Italy have increased diplomatic pressure on the sides in Libya to reach an agreement.
Italy and the current holder of the EU presidency, Malta, have engaged in talks with Mr Al Sarraj about cooperation in joint efforts to combat migrant smuggling and the Libyan militias that profit from the trade.
But the fighting between the rival political centres and the array of allied militias has left such plans to stem the flow of migrants and refugees unrealised.
tkhan@thenational.ae
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The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company%20Profile
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How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
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SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
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- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
Company%20profile
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Super Saturday race card
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m