President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali received on Wednesday a message from Libya’s Leader Mouammar Kadhafi. The message was handed to him by the Libyan Leader’s Special Envoy, Mr Ahmed Kadhef Eddam.The Libyan emissary said that on the occasion of Tunisia’s independence Day, he conveyed a message of congratulations from Libya’s Leader to the Head of State, declaring that Tunisia’s independence Day is a common celebration for both countries. He also said that the message evoked the latest developments in the Maghreb in the Arab world and in Africa, as well as bilateral issues and ways of strengthening cooperation in light of the world financial crisis.Mr Eddam stressed the similarity of views between the two countries on the different issues raised.The meeting took place in the presence of the State Minister, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic and official spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic, and the High Representative of Libya’s Jamahiriya in Tunis.{tunisiaonlinenews}
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The new Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations, Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Shalgham was serving a second stint as Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (Foreign Minister), having previously held the position from 2000 to 2003. Between 1998 and 2000, he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Secretariat of the General People’s Congress, prior to which he served as Secretary (Ambassador) of the People’s Bureau (Embassy) in Italy from 1984 to 1995. Prior to joining the diplomatic service, Mr. Shalgham held the posts of Secretary (Minister) of Information from 1981 to 1983; Director General of the Libyan News Agency (Jana) from 1979 to 1981; Editor-in-Chief of the cultural weekly newspaper Al-Usbu-Al-Thaqafi and the political weekly Al-Usbu-Al-Siaysi (1977-79); and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Fajr-Al-Jadid (1975-77), a newspaper he had previously served as Editor (1973-75).Mr. Shalgham holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Cairo. Born in Al-Ghrefa, Libya, on 21 November 1949, he is married and has three children.
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Portugal’s Minister for National Defense leaves Great Jamahiriya.
Posted on 17. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
The Portuguese Minister for National Defense Dr. Nuno Severiano Teixeira and accompanying delegation departed Maitega international airport following a visit to Great Jamahiriya.He was seen off at the airport by Commander of air defense of the armed people, a number of officers of the armed people and Portugal’s ambassador to Great Jamahiriya.{Jananews}
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Maj. Gen. Abu Bakker Younis Jaber hosts dinner banquet in honor of Portugal’s Minister for National Defense
Posted on 17. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
Maj. Gen. Abu Bakker Younis Jaber hosted a dinner banquet Sunday night in honor of Portugal’s Minister for National Defense and accompanying delegation.The banquet was attended by the Commanders of air defense and navy, Director of the Research and Manufacturing Body, intelligence department and a number of officers of the armed people.{JANA}
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AU Peace and Security Council holds meeting on situation in Madagascar.
Posted on 17. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union began an emergency meeting on Monday on Madagascar’s political crisis at the seat of the African Union commission in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The meeting is expected to make a joint declaration on the latest developments in Madagascar, a Peace and Security Council official said.The same source added The position of the African Union has repeatedly rejected any form of unconstitutional change of power .{JANA}
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Tuareg rebels want sincere talks with Niger, they announced Saturday, a day after freeing five Niger soldiers and a gendarme following mediation by Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. A definitive end to the current conflict lies inevitably in real dialogue, sincere negotiations revolving around the political demands put by the MNJ, the Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ) said on its website.It said the release of the six kidnapped officials was proof of its good faith and openness to dialogue. The MNJ is demanding, among other things, the integration of its troops in the country’s military and in the key mining sector. The country is one of the world’s top uranium producers.The MNJ is a splinter faction from Niger’s main Tuareg groups, which signed a 1995 agreement with the government to end a first rebellion.The Tuaregs are nomadic tribes who roamed the Sahara for centuries before nations of the region gained independence from European colonial powers. The MNJ wants a share in Niger’s uranium wealth.{AFP}
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AU Chairman: Crisis in Mauritania is Over, Backs Lifting of AU Sanctions.
Posted on 15. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
Nouakchott-The Chairman of the African Union Muammar Al-Qathafi has declared on Thursday that the political crisis in Mauritania that started in August last year had ended and that sanction imposed by the AU on Mauritanian officials should now be removed. Gaddafi spent more than three days in Mauritania last week during which he mediated between conflicting factions in a bid to solve their dispute peacefully. I have assured myself that the military authorities are determined to organise presidential elections on June 6, so this file is closed from now on, Gaddafi told reporters in a reference to sanctions before leaving Nouakchott. The problem is over, the case is closed, because what is needed is the return to civil life, the Libyan leader said.Meanwhile, Gaddafi told reporters on Thursday that he would be traveling to Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry from Mauritania in order to help bring down the increasing tensions in the country since the assassination of Joao Bernardo Vieira, the president of Guinea-Bissau, just hours after the assassination of his army chief of staff.Gaddafi said he was going on such mission because that was his responsibility as President of the African Union to find peaceful solution to these tensions and to prevent foreign intervention in these African countries.Political dispute in Mauritania was intensified after the military seized power in an August 6 coup that deposed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.The AU has imposed sanctions on members of the junta, including a travel ban and a freeze of bank assets. The military rulers have announced they would hold new presidential elections on June 6, a committed has been reconfirmed by the AU chairman on Thursday.The Leader Al-Qathafi met Monday with junta leader Ould Abdel Aziz and he also held meeting with all former Mauritanian presidents and senior officials of active political organizations in the country.On Wednesday, Gaddafi told the Mauritanian a large gathering of social and political leadership that they should look toward Mauritania that will be born after June 6 when the military junta has announced elections.The AU Chairman said Mauritania’s political, economic and social situation is very fragile and cannot support an overload, Gaddafi told members of parliament and political parties. If one must judge people for coups d’etats, then not just (Mauritania’s current junta leader Mohamed) Ould Abdel Aziz must be judged, but also leaders of all past coups in the country, the AU Chairman stressed.On Monday, the AU Chairman met with Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, head of the ruling military junta and both held a long discussion on ways to solve the crisis. He also held discussions with members of the National Front for the Defence of Democracy, a coalition of groups that support the deposed president, and with Ahmed Ould Daddah, an opponent of the former government.The coalition on Tuesday called for the junta to demonstrate goodwill to make the Libyan mediation efforts a success. We asked during a meeting with a delegation of Libyan mediators that the military rulers give proof of their goodwill… and show they are ready to move towards an agreement, Jemil Ould Mansour, head of one of the coalition’s member parties, told AFP.The Libyan delegation seemed to understand our concerns and we have good hope of a positive solution, Mansour added.Mansour demanded that the junta release jailed political figures including Yahya Ould Ahmed El-Waghef, who was prime minister under the ousted president.{Tripolipost}
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Libya’s UN charge d’affaires Mr. Ibrahim Dabbashi, voiced concern on Tuesday over selective targeting when it comes to nuclear non-proliferation. Stressing the need to find a peaceful solution, he suggested direct negotiations with Iran would be the best way to accomplish this goal. Dabbashi, who was also the UN Security Council President but spoke in his national capacity, stressed the need for intensified international efforts to find a peaceful solution to the question of Iran’s nuclear program through diplomatic efforts and consultations. But he also deplored what he called double standard on the part of some Western powers when it comes to the issue of nuclear proliferation. We regret that the Security Council to this date has not given appropriate attention to the issue of Israel’s nuclear weapons although Israel refuses to accept the non-proliferation treaty or to subject their installations to IAEA safeguards, Mr. Dabbashi told the Security Council.The comments came during a discussion in the council of a report by the so-called Iran Sanctions Committee. Yukio Takasu, Japanese ambassador and chairman of the committee, said that Iran had violated Resolution 1747, which sanctions Iran for failure to relinquish its nuclear enrichment program. The committee monitors implementation of sanctions and measures imposed on Iran by Resolution 1747, as well as resolutions from 2006 and 2008.U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice told a Security Council Session Iran still has not met its international nuclear obligations yesterday.Dabbashi called on all parties to initiate direct negotiations as soon as possible. He also criticized the council for debating Iran’s nuclear program while disregarding the possibility that Israel may have such a weapon. He regretted that the Council had not yet given appropriate attention to the issue of Israel’s nuclear weapons, even though Israel refused to be subjected to IAEA safeguards. Dabbashi added, that was frustrating to the aspiration of the people in the region to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, as expressed in several General Assembly resolutions.Libya currently holds the month-long presidency of the Security Council. This frustrates residents of the region who are trying to disarm the Middle East of nuclear weapons, said Ibrahim Dabbashi. China and Russia’s representatives had no comments.He also said there were ongoing consultations with Council Members on a possible decision under article 16 of the Rome Statute that set up the ICC, which could defer investigations connected with an indictment for 12 months. We hope the situation will not deteriorate in Sudan. We feel it is very important that the Security Council look into this matter in light of the decisions taken by the Regional Organizations, especially the African Union and the League of Arab States, he said.There was as yet no consensus on the matter, he said, and the Council would continue its consultations and closely watch the situation on the ground in the meantime, he added.In regard to peacekeeping policy, Mr. Dabbashi said that on 18 March an open debate is planned on the report of the AU-UN Panel on joint peacekeeping operations, chaired by Libya’s Secretary for African Affairs.{Tripolipost}
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President of Niger Mamadou Tandja visits Leader of the Revolution, AU Chairman, at his residence in capital of Niger.
Posted on 15. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
President of Niger Mamadou Tandja paid a visit to Leader of the Revolution, Chairman of the African Union, at his residence in the Nigerien capital Niamey on Friday morning.President Tandja reiterated pride and that of his government and Nigerien people to the leader’s ongoing efforts to preserve security and stability in Niger and the unity of its people, rising from peace auspices in the CEN-SAD space and beyond.The leader and President Tandja held a consultative meeting on the march of the AU and the CEN-SAD Community, base of the Union’s pyramid.{isria}
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Malta offers AFM participation in Libya-Italy migration patrols.
Posted on 14. Mar, 2009 by Admin.
Malta has offered participation by AFM personnel should joint patrols against illegal immigration be started between Italy and Libya, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said today.Speaking in Rome after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, he said that the patrols are expected to start in May. They would be useful to Malta, he said, because the patrols would be carried out within Libyan territorial waters which was different from rescuing migrants in distress in international waters.Dr Borg said the issue of illegal migration is also expected to be discussed in Tripoli by Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and he too expectedc to have a meeting with the Libyan Foreign Minister.Dr Borg is accompanying President Fenech Adami who today met Italian President Georgio Napolitano.Dr Borg said the focus of talks was bilateral relations, illegal migration and regional cooperation.The Foreign Minister this morning had a meeting with Under-Secretary Vincenzo Scotti during which they signed an updated double taxation avoidance agreement. The first agreement was signed in 1981.Dr Borg said the updated agreement would further encourage and facilitate business relations between the two countries and improve cooperation on taxation issues.Italy is one of Malta’s most important trading partners. Malta imported 802 million in products from Italy last year while exports had a value of 102 million. There are 25 Italian companies in Malta.Sig Scotti said Malta had been invited and would attend a trade promotion meeting with Latin American countries in December. The meeting will be held in Milan.{timesofmalta}
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