Libya rivals, world powers set for high-stakes Berlin summit - Al Jazeera English

Libya's warring sides and representatives of foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for a highly anticipated summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

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Among those also expected in Berlin are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo. Leaders from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League will also attend.

The summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, kicked off meetings with discussions with the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who heads an African Union committee on Libya.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the beginning of the Libya summit in Berlin [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]

Fragile ceasefire

The conference is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - which is recognised by the UN - and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving to attend the talks, Erdogan on Sunday said he hoped for an "important step" to cement the fragile ceasefire "and a political solution".

In a column published on Politico on the eve of the talks, Erdogan had urged Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups such as ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said the international community is committed to ending the conflict over concerns it could intensify, threatening Europe's security.

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month. 

If all goes to plan, the Berlin participants will hold an evening press conference.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

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2020-01-19 09:41:00Z
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Libya rivals, world powers set to meet in Berlin - Al Jazeera English

Libya's warring sides and representatives of foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for a highly anticipated summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

More:

Among those also expected in Berlin are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other countries invited are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, China and the Republic of Congo. Leaders from the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League will also attend.

Fragile ceasefire

The conference is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - which is recognised by the UN - and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving to attend the talks, Erdogan on Sunday said he hoped for an "important step" to cement the fragile ceasefire "and a political solution".

On the eve of the talks, Erdogan had warned Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said the international community is committed to ending the conflict over concerns it could intensify, threatening Europe's security.

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month. 

If all goes to plan, the Berlin participants will hold an evening press conference.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

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2020-01-19 08:33:00Z
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Harry and Meghan: 'Nothing like this has ever happened before' - BBC News

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer receive public funds for royal duties as part of an agreement on their future role.

The couple will also no longer use their HRH titles or represent the Queen formally as they break away from being senior royals.

BBC royal correspondent Daniela Relph explains what happens next for Harry and Meghan.

Read more: Harry and Meghan drop royal duties and HRH titles

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2020-01-19 08:54:15Z
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Libya rivals, world powers set to meet in Berlin - Al Jazeera English

Libya's warring sides and representatives of foreign powers are arriving in Berlin for a highly anticipated summit to discuss ways to end the long-running conflict in the North African country.

The head of Tripoli's internationally-recognised government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and his rival, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, are expected to attend Sunday's UN-backed gathering in the German capital, the first such event since 2018.

More:

The presidents of Russia, Turkey and France are due for talks from around 2pm (13:00 GMT). The one-day summit will also include US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and leaders from European and Middle Eastern countries.

Sunday's Berlin summit is the latest attempt to restore stability and peace to Libya, which has been splintered between competing factions and militias since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during a NATO-supported uprising in 2011. The deeply divided country currently has two rival administrations: The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - which is recognised by the UN - and another allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk.

As with previous failed attempts at securing a lasting ceasefire, Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to take Tripoli, will be centre stage as international powers hope to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that has largely held for one week.

The warring sides earlier this month agreed to the ceasefire, though Haftar dramatically departed talks in Moscow on January 12 before signing the formalised agreement with al-Sarraj.

Eastern-based forces loyal to Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels per day, and crippling Tripoli's main source of income.

The move was a protest against Turkey's decision to send troops to shore up the GNA.

Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters and, most recently, Russian mercenaries. France has also been accused of giving him some support.

Haftar wants the armed factions in western Libya to disband and has called for a maritime and military deal between the GNA and Turkey to be scrapped.

Underlining the stakes involved, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "Europe and those players who are influential" in the region have all been called to Berlin, because "we have to make sure Libya doesn't become a second Syria." 

"The conference can be the first step to peace for Libya," Maas told Bild newspaper. 

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Berlin, said the international community is committed to ending the conflict over concerns it could intensify, threatening Europe's security.

A fighter loyal to the UN-recognised Libyan GNA south of Tripoli on January 12 when a ceasefire was signed [File: Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

The UN hopes all parties will sign on to a plan to refrain from interference and commit to a truce that leads to a lasting end to hostilities, according to a draft of a final communique seen by AFP news agency. 

The document also urges all parties to re-commit to a much-violated UN arms embargo and raises the prospect of political, inter-Libyan talks in Geneva at the end of the month. 

If all goes to plan, the Berlin participants will hold an evening press conference.

"What the Berlin conference is trying to do is get an agreement between the states meddling in Libya to stop their support [of] the warring parties," Wolfram Lacher, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"The problem is Western states are not ready to put pressure on Haftar's foreign supporters, particularly the UAE so the promises that the foreign meddlers will make in Berlin ring hollow," he said. 

On the eve of the talks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Europe to stand united behind al-Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for armed groups ISIL or al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

The International Crisis Group's Libya expert Claudia Gazzini said the Berlin conference "could be a modest step forward" on the path to peace. 

"Yet the risk remains that some participants will merely pay lip service to the diplomatic initiative, even as they continue to fuel a war from which they benefit."

Libya's UN-recognised leader Fayez al-Sarraj, left, and renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, right, will attend the meeting [File: Fethi Belaid and Ho/AFP]

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2020-01-19 06:29:00Z
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Trump Is a Remorseless Advocate of Crimes Against Humanity - Slate

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Thursday.

Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images

It’s hard to keep up with President Donald Trump’s scandals. One day he’s covering up taxpayer-funded travel expenses for his family. The next, he’s stealing money for his border wall. The next, he’s being implicated by an accomplice in the extortion of Ukraine. But one horror is right out in the open: Trump is a remorseless advocate of crimes against humanity. His latest threats against Iran, Iraq, and Syria are a reminder that he’s as ruthless as any foreign dictator. He’s just more constrained.

Trump admires tyrants and defends their atrocities. He has excused North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s mass executions (“Yeah, but so have a lot of other people”) and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s murders of journalists and dissidents (“At least he’s a leader”). As a presidential candidate, Trump shrugged off the gravity of using chemical weapons. “Saddam Hussein throws a little gas, everyone goes crazy,” he joked.

At home, Trump has encouraged religious persecution and political violence. He called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States (he later imposed a modified version of the ban) and for collective punishment of Muslims who live here. As a candidate, Trump urged his supporters to “knock the crap out of” protesters. In 2018, at a political rally, he praised a Republican congressman for criminally assaulting a reporter. “Any guy that can do a body slam,” said Trump, “he’s my guy.”

Trump has long advocated war crimes. He has endorsed torture not just for information, but because our enemies “deserve it.” As a candidate, he proposed that for the sake of “retribution,” the United States should “take out” the families of terrorists. Wives and children were legitimate targets, he argued, because by killing them, we could deter terrorists who “care more about their families than they care about themselves.” Two months ago, he intervened in legal and military proceedings to thwart punishment of three American servicemen who had been indicted for or convicted of atrocities. Then he deployed the men in his reelection campaign.

Trump agrees with past presidents that we and our terrorist adversaries have played by “two [different] sets of rules.” But unlike his predecessors, he takes no pride in America’s higher standards. He sees them as a needless impediment, defended by “weak” and “stupid” people. In 2016, Trump complained that ISIS was “cutting off the heads of Christians and drowning them in cages, and yet we are too politically correct to respond in kind.” Torture laws should be relaxed, he argued, “so that we can better compete with a vicious group of animals.” “You have to play the game the way they’re playing the game,” he explained.

Trump takes no pride in America’s higher standards. He sees them as a needless impediment, defended by “weak” and “stupid” people.

Some presidents have caused pain through recklessness or indifference. Trump inflicts pain on purpose. To deter migration from Latin America, his administration separated migrant parents from their children. Trump argued that the separation was a “disincentive.” Too many people, he explained, were “coming up because they’re not going to be separated from their children.” Later, he used the same sadistic logic to force a migration in Syria. He boasted that by facilitating Turkey’s invasion of that country, he had precipitated the “pain and suffering” necessary to compel Syrian Kurds “to leave.”

In Africa and the Middle East, Trump proudly advocates plunder. In October, he said the United States should have taken Iraq’s oil to make sure we were “paid back” for the costs of our occupation of that country. In Syria, he stationed U.S. forces at oil fields, explaining that he viewed those fields as a revenue stream. (“$45 million a month? Keep the oil.”) He proposed a business arrangement to exploit Syria’s oil: “What I intend to do, perhaps, is make a deal with an ExxonMobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly.” Last Friday, in a Fox News interview, the president repeated that he cared only about the oil. “I left troops to take the oil,” he told Laura Ingraham. “The only troops I have are taking the oil.”

Two weeks ago, the United States killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike.
To deter retaliation, Trump threatened to bomb Iran’s cultural sites—an explicit war crime. “If Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets,” he tweeted, “we have targeted 52 Iranian sites … some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.” In an exchange with reporters, Trump dismissed legal objections to his threat. “They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people,” he fumed. “And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.”

Iraq’s parliament, furious that Trump had killed Soleimani on its soil and without its consent, voted to expel American troops. But Trump refused to comply unless Iraq paid ransom. “We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there,” he told reporters. “We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it.” He threatened to “charge them [the Iraqis] sanctions like they’ve never seen before.” Later, Trump told Ingraham that Iraq would also “have to pay us for embassies.” When she asked him how he planned to extract the payment, Trump replied, “We have $35 billion of their money right now sitting in an account. And I think they’ll agree to pay. … Otherwise, we’ll stay there.”

Trump views the military as a mercenary force he can send around the world for hire. A Very Stable Genius, the new book by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post, describes a White House meeting at which Trump said American troop deployments should yield a profit. Trump told Ingraham he’s doing exactly that: “We’re sending more [troops] to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia’s paying us for it.” He recounted his business pitch to the Saudis: “You want more troops? I’m going to send them to you, but you’ve got to pay us.” And he proudly reported that the Saudis had accepted the deal. “They’re paying us,” he told Ingraham. “They’ve already deposited $1 billion in the bank.”

Trump’s amorality—his complete indifference to rules against theft, abuse, exploitation, and killing—is a public relations problem for his apologists. They struggle to cover it up. First they softened his Muslim ban to a “travel ban” on certain majority-Muslim countries. Then they concocted non-sadistic rationales for his family-separation policy. Last week, after Trump threatened Iran’s cultural sites, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured the public that Trump would obey the law. Pompeo also whitewashed Trump’s threats against Iraq, insisting that American troops were in that country to protect its “sovereignty.” Mark Esper, the secretary of defense, claimed that when Trump spoke of Saudi Arabia paying for U.S. troop deployments, “What the president is referring to is burden sharing.”

But Trump refuses to be silenced. Hours after Pompeo promised that the president wouldn’t target Iran’s cultural sites, Trump repeated that he would. Later, Trump stiff-armed Ingraham’s attempts to clean up his language about stealing Syrian oil. “I left troops to take the oil,” he told her. She tried to correct him: “We’re not taking the oil. They’re protecting the facilities.” Trump shrugged off this reformulation. “Well, maybe we will, maybe we won’t,” he said. “Maybe we should take it. But we have the oil.”

Having an evil president doesn’t make the United States evil. We have a lot to be proud of: a culture of freedom, a strong constitution, vigorous courts, democratic accountability, and laws that protect minorities and human rights. On balance, we’ve been a force for good in the world. But Trump’s election and his persistent approval from more than 40 percent of Americans are a reminder that nothing in our national character protects us from becoming a rapacious, authoritarian country. What protects us are institutions that stop us from doing our worst.

Thanks to Magda Werkmeister and Daijing Xu for research assistance.

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2020-01-18 15:00:00Z
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Libya civil war: UN envoy Salamé says foreign intervention must end - BBC News

The UN's Libya envoy Ghassan Salamé has called on foreign powers to stop interfering in Libya's civil war.

On the eve of peace talks in Berlin, Mr Salamé said foreign support of proxy groups in the conflict had created a "vicious cycle" of violence.

But Mr Salamé told the BBC that he was optimistic about the negotiations.

It comes after nine months of conflict between the powerful General Khalifa Haftar and the UN-backed government in the capital Tripoli.

A truce was announced earlier this month between Gen Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA).

But both sides blame each other for reported breaches of the agreement, and attempts to broker a lasting ceasefire broke down last week at a summit in Moscow.

On Saturday, forces loyal to Gen Haftar blocked oil exports from several major Libyan ports. The move is a damaging blow to the country's main source of income, a day before renewed peace talks begin.

What did Ghassan Salamé say?

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Salamé called on international powers to stop supporting local proxy groups with mercenaries, arms, financing, and direct military support.

He said such actions created "a vicious circle where their proxies call for intervention in their fight, and their own ambitions bring more divisions."

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The role of foreign states in the conflict has come into focus in recent months, with Turkey passing a controversial law to deploy troops to help GNA forces in Tripoli.

Meanwhile, Gen Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) has the backing of Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Jordan.

Sunday's summit aims to extract a pledge from foreign powers to honour a UN arms embargo on Libya, and to halt any further interference in the conflict.

The meeting will bring the two sides together, along with their foreign backers, the UN and other global powers, including Russia's President Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr Salamé told the BBC that a political solution to the conflict was best for all parties involved because Libya - with its vast geography, strong local identities, heavily-armed population and weakened government infrastructure - was a difficult country for one group to control.

• Who is Gen Khalifa Haftar?
• A migrant's tale: Jailed and ransomed in Libya

"Most of the national interests of all these countries, especially big [commercial] contracts and oil contracts, even geopolitical demands, can be accommodated by a peaceful and prosperous Libya, much better than a divided and war-torn country," he added.

What is the current situation in Libya?

Libya has been wracked by conflict since the 2011 uprising which ousted long-time strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Gen Haftar's LNA controls much of eastern Libya, and last April he launched an offensive against the country's rival government in Tripoli.

His forces have so far been unable to take the city, but earlier this month the LNA captured Libya's country's third-biggest city, Sirte.

According to the UN, the fighting has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more from their homes.

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2020-01-18 15:56:15Z
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Iran will send downed plane's black boxes to Ukraine for analysis - CNN

Rezaifar said that Iran was also prepared to ask for expert analysis from France, Canada and the United States in trying to read the flight data recorder, part of the so-called black boxes. If experts in Kiev are unable to extract the data, the box will then be transferred to France, Rezaifar said.

"At the request of the Ukrainian authorities, the black boxes of the Ukrainian downed jet will not be read in Iran, but instead will be transferred to Ukraine for analysis and reading," head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization commission Hassan Rezaifar told the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Iran initially denied shooting down the Ukrainian International Airlines plane, but admitted a week ago that its military had mistakenly downed the aircraft. Tehran was forced to make an admission after foreign intelligence on the crash surfaced. The incident has sparked a wave of anti-government protests in Iran and appeared to expose a rift within the country's leadership.

Iran's decision to send the boxes comes a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on the country to work with France, which has advanced technical capabilities in reading flight and cockpit data recorders. Fifty-seven Canadians were among those who died on the plane, according to Trudeau.

It also follows a phone call between Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif.

"We discussed repatriation of the bodies of the Ukrainian victims and also Ukraine's role in the joint investigation, in particular - access to the 'black boxes.' Our demands remain unchanged," Prystaiko wrote on Twitter.

The plane was shot down just hours after Iran carried out a missile attack on an Iraqi base housing US troops, in retaliation for a US drone strike in Baghdad that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani days earlier.

Iranian officials have not made clear what their military thought it was targeting when it downed the Ukrainian passenger plane.

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2020-01-18 14:51:00Z
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