France put its new-found reputation for “nimble diplomacy” to the test on Tuesday by sealing backing for a plan to bring Libyan factions and institutions together as the country hopes to hold nationwide elections on December 10.
The summit at the Elysee Palace hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron was attended by the UN Secretary General’s representative Ghassan Salame, heads of four separate – and rival – Libyan institutions as well as representatives of 20 countries.
"Libyan leaders commit to accept the results of elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place. Those who violate or obstruct the electoral process will be held accountable," said the declaration. It was read out as Fayez Al Sarraj, the prime minister of the UN-recognised government, Khalifa Haftar, the head of the army, Aguila Saleh Issa, speaker of the House of Representatives and Khaled Al Mishri, president of the high council of state, stood in assent.
“It wasn’t signed because you have people in front of you who don’t formally recognise each other,” said Mr Macron. “That is the whole complication. This is the formula we chose, to get them together, to get them to work together, to get them to commit to each other.”
Yet French officials said there was a marked change of mood from the atmosphere last July, when Mr Macron hosted Mr Al Sarraj and Field Marshal Haftar in a bid to come together behind an elections plan. With greater outreach and more flesh on the bones of plans to merge rival institutions, the Paris declaration is already more credible than its forerunner.
__________
Read more:
Scepticism as France convenes Libya peace conference
Migrants shot after fleeing Libya's secret smuggler jails
Overview: the ousting of Muammar Qaddafi and the chaos that ensued
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The outline terms are that the constitutional framework for the elections must be struck by September 16. In parallel several initiatives to unify state bodies will move forward, including the so-called “Cairo” process of merging rival military forces. It also calls for the immediate unification of the central bank.
Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, attended the conference as the UAE representative and later tweeted that the spirit of the conference could propel more progress.
“At the international conference on Libya in Paris, we are working with the international community to bring about a unified vision of stability in this precious part of the Arab world. The Paris conference is a positive step in the right direction,” he wrote.
Pointing to the presence of Field Marshal Haftar, Dr Gargash praised the effort to resist the spread of extremists in eastern Libya, a big factor in the failure of past efforts to forge reconciliation and hold new elections.
Mr Macron said Libya's precarious security situation was the greatest threat to elections. "The collective engagement we saw today allows us to reduce the capacity of certain terrorists or militias to stand in the way," he said.
The Libya initiative is an important pillar of Mr Macron’s efforts to regain international clout for his country after a long period on the sidelines.
"The French foreign policy's new trademark is agility, combining swift decision-making, resolve and timeliness. [For example] France tackled the thorny problem of Libya through an exclusive meditation effort," wrote Boris Toucas and Celia Belin, fellows at Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the Brookings Institute, in The National Interest last month. "Flexibility complements agility. A staunch advocate of multilateralism, France is also pragmatic, for it knows that the United Nations is facing an assault of unilateralism and the increasing influence of states with different agendas, such as China. Confronted with this reality, Macron promotes the idea that France should be "mobile and autonomous" by "building ad hoc alliances" and "putting in place new multilateral frameworks".
For European states rocked by the waves of migrants setting off across the Mediterranean since the fall of the regime of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, the quest to secure stability in Libya has been a divisive issue.
Italy is the former colonial power and Mr Macron yesterday paid fulsome praise for its efforts to cope with migration. Commentators in Rome said the French summit had a misplaced priority of elections over efforts to achieve unity between the factions.
Italy and other states had wanted much greater involvement by representatives from Misrata and other western regions, where it has done deals for the mass return of migrants to shore.
In the lead-up to the meeting, activists including Human Rights Watch warned that the agenda neglected critical issues around the migrant crisis.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
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LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Results
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Racecard
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20The%20Madjani%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh97%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C900m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Graduate%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20Dh100%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Longines%20Dolcevita%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Longines%20Legend%20Driver%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Longines%20Master%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Longines%20Record%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%202%2C200m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Longines%20Spirit%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')