Salam Fayyad was chosen by UN secretary general Antoni Guterres as his next envoy to Libya. Issei Kato / Reuters / February 13, 2013
Salam Fayyad was chosen by UN secretary general Antoni Guterres as his next envoy to Libya. Issei Kato / Reuters / February 13, 2013

Palestinians condemn US veto of former PM as UN Libya envoy



Ramallah // The Palestinians condemned as “blatant discrimination” Saturday Washington’s decision to block the appointment of their former prime minister Salam Fayyad as UN peace envoy to Libya.

UN chief Antonio Guterres nominated Fayyad to the post on Thursday and the Security Council had been expected to approve his appointment without objections.

But late on Friday, US ambassador Nikki Haley announced she was blocking the appointment because “for too long, the UN has been unfairly biased in favour of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel.”

Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi dismissed the “flimsy excuse” for a move she described as “unconscionable.”

“Blocking the appointment of Dr Salam Fayyad is a case of blatant discrimination on the basis of national identity,” she said.

Mr Fayyad, 64, was prime minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2013, and also served as finance minister twice.

He had been tapped to replace Martin Kobler of Germany, who has been the Libya envoy since November 2015.

US President Donald Trump and Ms Haley have criticised the United Nations for adopting a resolution in December that demanded an end to Israeli settlement building.

“Going forward, the United States will act, not just talk, in support of our allies,” Ms Haley said on Friday.

But on Saturday, Mr Guterres defended his choice. The decision to put forward his candidacy “was solely based on Mr Fayyad’s recognised personal qualities and his competence for that position,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

“United Nations staff serve strictly in their personal capacity. They do not represent any government or country,” he said.

Mr Dujarric said no Israeli and no Palestinian had served in a high-level post at the United Nations and that “this is a situation that the secretary-general feels should be corrected,” based on personal merit and competencies of the candidates.

Appointments of the UN special representatives of the secretary-general require the unanimous backing of the 15-member council.

The blocking of Mr Fayyad comes as the situation in Libya continues to deteriorate.

A group of Libyan militias entered the capital Tripoli on Thursday and said they were creating a “Libyan National Guard”, to the alarm of the country’s unity government.

The Libyan capital has been controlled by dozens of militias with shifting loyalties and territories since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

On Thursday, Mahmud Zagal, a militia commander from Misurata, said the guard would stay out of “political, party and tribal disputes”.

It aims to continue the fight against ISIL, secure state institutions and diplomatic missions, he said in a statement.

It did not say whether or not it would support Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord, which has struggled to assert its authority across Libya or even control the capital.

A GNA source said on Saturday that most of the groups involved had taken part in a seven-month battle to oust ISIL from its stronghold of Sirte, which fell in December.

Misurata’s well-armed militias, which control much of western Libya, led the fight but say the GNA stopped supporting them after Sirte fell.

“They now feel marginalised and are looking for support,” the source said, asking to remain anonymous.

GNA officials met on Saturday with the group’s leaders “to attempt to find a solution”, the source said.

Several locals said the militias included backers of Khalifa Ghweil, the leader of a self-proclaimed “Government of National Salvation” which in January tried and failed to seize three government ministries in the Libyan capital.

The development adds to the chaos that has rocked Libya since Kadhafi’s fall.

It also weakens the GNA, which has been unable to establish its authority despite its efforts to create a “Presidential Guard” to secure state institutions and diplomatic missions.

Formed in March last year, the unity government faces hostility from a rival authority based in the east of the country, which refuses to recognise its authority.

* Agence France-Presse and Reuters

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

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Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

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Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India
Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Sweet%20Tooth
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THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.