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WORLD NEWS Thursday 9 January 2020

Leaders of Turkey, Russia urge Jan. 12 cease-fire in Libya

Associated Press and stability of Libya's wider
BRUSSELS (AP) — Turkey neighborhood, the entire
and Russia called for a Jan. Mediterranean region, as
12 cease-fire in war-torn well as the African conti-
Libya on Wednesday while nent, triggering irregular mi-
European Union officials in- gration, the further spread
tensified diplomatic efforts of weapons, terrorism and
to cool tensions in the North other criminal activities in-
African nation by holding cluding illicit trafficking."
talks with its prime minister. Meanwhile in Brussels, Lib-
In a related diplomatic push yan Prime Minister Fayez
in Rome, Italian Premier Gi- Sarraj met with European
useppe Conte met with Council President Charles
Libya's Gen. Khalifa Hifter, Michel and EU foreign af-
whose eastern-based forc- fairs chief Josep Borrell. Ear-
es have launched a fresh lier this week, the EU's top
offensive against Libya's diplomat and the foreign
U.N.-backed government, ministers of Britain, France,
sparking the latest crisis. Germany and Italy con-
Following a meeting in Is- demned Turkey's plans to
tanbul, the leaders of Tur- deploy troops to Libya.
key and Russia called for a "Michel expressed con-
cease-fire in Libya to start Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, attend cerns about the worrying
at midnight on Jan. 12. a ceremony in Istanbul for the inauguration of the TurkStream pipeline, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. military escalations in Libya.
"Seeking a military solution Associated Press He underlined that there is
to the ongoing conflict in no military solution to the
Libya only causes further Putin said in a joint state- Tripoli-based government and killed longtime dictator Libyan crisis, only a political
suffering and deepens the ment. receives aid from Turkey, Moammar Gadhafi. process can bring peace
divisions among Libyans. Libya is currently governed Qatar and Italy. Turkey has "We have been follow- and stability closer," the
Securing an immediate by dueling authorities in also recently begun send- ing with great concern European Council said in a
cease-fire is the foremost the east and the west. ing Turkish soldiers to Libya the recent developments, statement. "Libyans should
priority to start an inclusive The east-based govern- for training and coordina- particularly the intensified be at the heart of defining
intra-Libyan political pro- ment, backed by Hifter's tion. fighting around Tripoli, in their own future."
cess under U.N. auspices," forces, is supported by the The fighting has threat- long-suffering Libya," Pu- Borrell called the situation
Turkish President Recep United Arab Emirates and ened to plunge Libya into tin and Erdogan said. "The in Libya "very dangerous,"
Tayyip Erdogan and Rus- Egypt, as well as France violent chaos rivaling the worsening situation in Libya adding "we are maybe fac-
sian counterpart Vladimir and Russia. The western, 2011 conflict that ousted is undermining the security ing a watershed point."q

Greece retains negative yield in first debt auction of year

By DEREK GATOPOULOS is hoping to steadily rebuild balance before debt ser-
Associated Press market access after the vicing costs — of 3.5% of
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — country ended its third suc- gross domestic product
Greece has raised 487.5 cessive bailout a program through 2022. But it wants
million euros ($544.4 million) in August 2018, emerging to introduce more lenient
in a treasury bill sale that from severe financial crisis targets a year earlier. Ath-
saw the country maintain during which its member- ens is also planning to pay
its negative interest rate in ship in the euro currency back additional higher-
the first debt auction of the area came under repeat- interest loans to the Inter-
year as the debt-strapped ed threat. national Monetary Fund
country attempts to regain The government is betting ahead of schedule in 2020
full market access. on favorable market con- to take advantage of the
The Public Debt Manage- ditions to try and convince record low-interest rates in
ment Agency said the 13- European bailout creditors bond markets.
week T-bills were auctioned to ease draconian fiscal In Washington on Tuesday,
Wednesday at a yield of targets. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mit- Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, delivers a speech
-0.08%. Greece is committed to sotakis met with the new during a parliament session in Athens, on Wednesday, Dec. 18,
Greece's six-month-old achieving a primary bud- head of the IMF, Kristalina 2019.
conservative government get surplus — the annual Georgieva. q Associated Press