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WORLD NEWS Friday 27 december 2019

Erdogan: Turkey lawmakers to vote on sending troops to Libya

By SUZAN FRASER province for volunteer fight-
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Tur- ers for Libya. The Britain-
key's president said Thurs- based Syrian Observatory
day that the U.N.-support- for Human Rights said the
ed government in Libya volunteers would be dis-
has asked Ankara to send patched to Libya through
troops to help authorities in Turkey and earn a lucrative
Tripoli defend the city from monthly salary of about
an offensive by rival forces. $1,800 to $2,000. There was
Turkish lawmakers could no independent confirma-
vote as early as next week tion of the report.
on the move, President Re- Libya is divided between
cep Tayyip Erdogan said, the two administrations,
adding that his govern- Sarraj's in Tripoli and the
ment will submit a bill to al- east-based government,
low for the deployment of each supported by an ar-
Turkish forces to Libya. ray of militias and foreign
Speaking to his ruling par- governments.
ty's officials, Erdogan said The fighting around Tripoli
the Tripoli government of escalated in recent weeks
Libyan Prime Minister Fayez after Hifter declared a "fi-
Sarraj "invited" Turkey to nal" and decisive battle for
send troops under a mili- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Kuala Lumpur Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the capital. Hifter is backed
tary cooperation agree- Malaysia, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. by the United Arab Emir-
ment signed recently be- Associated Press ates and Egypt, as well as
tween the two. Ankara and France and Russia, while
Tripoli have also signed a who is trying to take Tripoli. plotting general who is ruling party holds a majority the Tripoli-based govern-
maritime deal; both agree- "We will go to places where supported by various Euro- in parliament, which signals ment receives aid from Tur-
ments have met with criti- we are invited to, and not pean and Arab countries," the bill will easily pass in the key, Qatar and Italy.
cism across the region and go to places we are not in- Erdogan added, referring house. Also Thursday, Hifter's forces
beyond. vited to," Erdogans aid. "At to Hifter. "We are siding with In related developments, resumed their shelling of
Sarraj's administration has the moment, since there is Libya's legal government." a monitoring group that the town of Misrata, to the
faced an offensive since such an invitation, we will Erdogan said the bill could tracks Syria's civil war said west of Tripoli and a strong-
April by the rival govern- accept this invitation,." be taken up by lawmakers Thursday that Turkey- hold of a powerful militia
ment based in eastern Lib- "We will give the administra- on Jan. 8 or Jan. 9, as soon backed Syrian rebels have that has been defending
ya and forces loyal to com- tion in Tripoli every kind of as parliament reconvenes opened four recruitment the capital on behalf of
mander Gen. Khalifa Hifter, support against the coup- from a recess. Erdogan's centers in northern Aleppo Sarraj's government.q

Reports: UK family drowned in Spain didn't know how to swim

MADRID (AP) — Spanish González said autopsy re- brother and father then
news reports said Thursday sults show the three mem- jumped into the pool and
that a member of the Brit- bers died by drowning. tried to save her but all
ish family whose father and Investigators were now try- three drowned.
two children died in a swim- ing to determine why they González said the pool was
ming pool on Christmas Eve drowned, he said. around 2 meters (6.5 feet)
has told police that none Leading Spanish newspa- deep in some parts.
of the three knew how to per El País said the autopsy Europa Press said the British
swim. results also showed none of family, including the chil-
Spanish private news agen- the three had bruises or suf- dren's mother and another
cy Europa Press and other fered intoxication. child, were on vacation
media outlets said the fam- The deaths of the 53-year- when the deaths occurred.
ily member testified before old father, his 9-year-old González said police in-
Civil Guard police. daughter and 16-year-old spected the pool and
No one was immediately son occurred Tuesday in found no irregularities.
available at the Civil Guard the Club La Costa World "(Police officers) did not In this photo taken on Tuesday Dec. 24, 2019, a civil guard van
to comment on the report. pool in the town of Mijas. find any anomaly that is parked at the entrance of the Club La Costa World holiday
Earlier, Civil Guard union Europa Press said the girl could indicate a swirl or a resort near Malaga, Spain.
spokesman officer Paco got into difficulty first. Her suctioning current," he said. Associated Press