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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 4 July 2022
U.N. condemns protesters' storming of Libya's parliament

By SAMY MAGDY ter in its long-running politi-
Associated Press cal impasse, with two rival
CAIRO (AP) — A senior governments now claiming
U.N. official for Libya on power after tentative steps
Saturday condemned the toward unity in the past
storming of the parliament's year.
headquarters in the east of The protesters, frustrated
the oil-rich country as part from years of chaos and
of protests in several cities division, have called for
the previous day against the removal of the current
the political class and de- political class and elections
teriorating economic con- to be held. They also ral-
ditions. lied against dire economic
Hundreds of protesters conditions in the oil-rich na-
marched in the streets of tion, where prices have ris-
the capital, Tripoli, and oth- en for fuel and bread and
er Libyan cities on Friday, power outages are a regu-
with many attacking and lar occurrence.
setting fire to government Protesters also rallied on
buildings, including the Saturday in Tripoli and sev-
House of Representatives in eral towns in western Libya,
the eastern city of Tobruk. blocking roads and setting
"The people's right to tires ablaze, according to
peacefully protest should livestreaming on social me-
be respected and pro- Libya's charred parliament building is seen in Tobruk, Libya, Saturday, July 2, 2022. dia.
tected but riots and acts Associated Press There were fears that mi-
of vandalism such as the litias across the country
storming of the House of he calls on all protestors to lock, which is deepening United Nations. could quash the protests as
Representatives headquar- avoid acts of violence and divisions and negatively Libya failed to hold elec- they did in 2020 demonstra-
ters late yesterday in Tobruk on the security forces to ex- impacting the country's tions in December, follow- tions when they opened
are totally unacceptable," ercise utmost restraint. economy," Dujarric said. ing challenges such as le- fire on people protesting
said Stephanie Williams, U.N. Secretary-General An- Friday's protests came a gal disputes, controversial dire economic conditions.
the U.N. special adviser on tonio Guterres called on all day after the leaders of the presidential hopefuls and Sabadell Jose, the Eu-
Libya, on Twitter. protesters "to avoid acts of parliament and another the presence of rogue mi- ropean Union envoy in
The Secretary-General is violence and on the securi- legislative chamber based litias and foreign fighters in Libya, called on protest-
following with concern the ty forces to exercise utmost in Tripoli failed to reach an the country. ers to "avoid any type of
demonstrations that were restraint," U.N. spokesman agreement on elections The failure to hold the De- violence." He said Friday's
held in several cities in Lib- Stephane Dujarric said. during U.N.-mediated talks cember vote was a major demonstrations demon-
ya, including Tripoli, Tobruk "The secretary-general urg- in Geneva. The dispute blow to international ef- strated that people want
and Benghazi, on 1 July. es Libyan actors to come now centers on the eligi- forts to bring peace to the "change through elections
Recognizing the right to together to overcome the bility requirements for can- Mediterranean nation. It and their voices should be
demonstrate peacefully, continued political dead- didates, according to the has opened a new chap- heard."q

Russian diplomats depart Bulgaria amid soaring tensions

before the flights left that the interests of Bulgaria will ropean Union and NATO
he was among the 70 Rus- be called to go back to the membership. Bulgaria has
sian diplomatic staff de- country from which they strongly backed the West's
clared "persona non grata" came," he said. sanctions against Moscow
last week and ordered to On Friday, Russian Ambas- since it launched its war
leave the country by the sador Eleonora Mitrofano- on Ukraine more than four
end of Sunday. va issued Bulgaria an ulti- months ago.
Bulgaria's expulsion deci- matum to reverse its deci- The European Union, which
sion was announced by sion and threatened that Bulgaria has been a mem-
acting Prime Minister Kiril Moscow would fully sever ber of since 2007, respond-
Petkov, who took a strong diplomatic ties. ed to Russia's "unjustified
stance against Russia after "I intend to urgently raise threat" and said it "stands
it invaded Ukraine on Feb. before the leadership of in full support and solidarity
24. Petkov, who lost a no- my country the issue of the with Bulgaria."
Russian diplomatic staff wait at a check-in counter at Sofia's Air- confidence vote on June closure of the Embassy of In late April, Russia cut off
port, Bulgaria, Sunday, July 3 2022. 22, has claimed Moscow Russia in Bulgaria, which will gas supplies to Bulgaria
Associated Press used "hybrid war" tactics inevitably lead to the clo- after officials refused a
to bring down his govern- sure of the Bulgarian diplo- Moscow demand to pay
By VALENTINA PETROVA that has sent tensions soar- ment. matic mission in Moscow," gas bills in rubles, Russia's
and STEPHEN McGRATH ing between the historically Petkov has said that Russia she said in a statement. currency. Bulgaria's de-
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Two close nations, a Russian will retain 43 of its employ- The expulsion, which has fense minister was also
Russian airplanes departed diplomat said. ees after the expulsion and severely strained diplo- ousted in early March for
Bulgaria on Sunday with Filip Voskresenski, a high- noted that Bulgaria has just matic ties, is the greatest referring to Russia's war as
scores of Russian diplo- ranking Russian diplomat, 12 diplomatic staff in Mos- ever number of Russian a "special military opera-
matic staff and their fami- told journalists at the airport cow. diplomats expelled by tion," the Kremlin-preferred
lies amid a mass expulsion in Bulgaria's capital Sofia "Anyone who works against Bulgaria, which has Eu- description.q