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world news Diaranson 21 aPriL 2021

Pakistani Parliament debates whether to expel French envoy

(AP) — A lawmaker that erupted April 12 after the about the wording of the res-
from Pakistan's ruling arrest of Saad Rizvi, the lead- olution.
party Tuesday kicked er of the Tehreek-e-Labaik.
off a debate on whether Rizvi had threatened the gov- The tensions originated last
the French ambassador ernment with mass protests year when France’s presi-
should be expelled over if the French envoy was not dent defended as a freedom
the publication in France expelled. of speech issue the publica-
of controversial cartoons tion of caricatures of Islam’s
depicting Islam’s Prophet Earlier on Tuesday, Interior Prophet Muhammad by a
Muhammad. Minister Sheikh Rashid Ah- satirical newspaper, drawing
mad said that under the par- condemnation from across
The resolution from Amjad liamentary resolution, crimi- the Muslim world.
Ali, a lawmaker from Teh- nal cases against Islamists
reek-e-Insaf, was seen as a test involved in the deadly anti- Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan
of whether the government France protests would be members also are protesting
gives in to threats from radi- withdrawn. However, there the arrest of Rizvi, a cleric
cal Islamists. It came hours was no mention of the release who emerged as the leader of Rizvi’s supporters took to
after the country's interior of Rizvi or his supporters in the group in November after The government has said it streets across the country last
minister announced success the resolution. the sudden death of his fa- only committed to discussing week when police arrested
in his talks with an outlawed ther, Khadim Hussein Rizvi. the matter in Parliament be- him. The reaction from Riz-
hard-line Islamist group Teh- Asad Qaiser, speaker of the fore April 20, when Ahmad vi’s supporters against his ar-
reek-e-Labaik Pakistan. National Assembly, ad- Rizvi and his party want the said a resolution would be rest was so swift that violence
journed the session amid French ambassador expelled moved in the National As- quickly spread across the
It also came after 10 people, heated debate until Friday, under an agreement between sembly, the lower house of country. Four police officers
including four police offi- asking the government to the government and Rizvi’s Parliament. and at least six demonstrators
cers, were killed in protests address opposition concerns party in February. were killed in the violence.

Egypt's premier visits Libya to discuss trade, other ties

Cabinet headed by Dbeibah. Hifter’s 14-month-long
Its appointment in February campaign collapsed after
under a U.N.-led process has Turkey and Qatar stepped up
revived hopes of stability in their military support for the
oil-rich Libya. Tripoli administration with
hundreds of troops and thou-
Egypt President Abdel Fat- sands of Syrian mercenaries.
tah el-Sissi received Dbeibah
in Cairo in February. He Following Hifter’s defeat,
stressed “his eagerness to el-Sissi had threatened to
support the Libyan people” intervene militarily in Lib-
on the road to stability and ya if Turkey-backed forces
offered to share Egypt’s ex- marched on the strategic
pertise on rolling out devel- coastal city of Sirte, held by
opmental projects to rebuild Hifter’s forces. Had this hap-
Libya’s shattered economy. pened, it would have brought
Egypt and Turkey — close
Libya was divided since 2015 U.S. allies that support rival
between two governments, sides in the conflict — into
one in the east and one in the direct confrontation.
west, with each backed by an
array of militias and foreign Months of U.N.-led talks
governments. resulted in a deal in Octo-
Egypt sees the chaos in ber that ended hostilities and
neighboring Libya a threat to called for the withdrawal of
its stability, with militants us- all foreign forces and mer-
ing the Libyan desert as a safe cenaries in three months as
haven and to launch deadly well as adherence to a U.N.
attacks on Egyptian security arms embargo. Those provi-
forces and Christians. sions have not been met.

(AP) — Egypt’s prime reopen its embassy in Tripoli, Also, tens of thousands of U.N. Secretary-General An-
minister visited Libya's Madbouly landed at Tripoli’s which has been closed for the Egyptians have sought work tonio Guterres warned Tues-
capital Tuesday to discuss Mitiga International Airport past five years because of the in neighboring Libya over the day that the presence of for-
trade and other ties with with 11 members of his Cab- chaos there. years, although the number eign fighters and mercenaries
the newly appointed gov- inet and trade and industry has declined since the 2011 in the country threatens “the
ernment, his office said. officials, his office said in a Madbouly's visit comes after uprising. hard-won gains made on the
statement. He then met with an interim government took security and political fronts.”
Prime Minister Mustafa Libya's Prime Minister Abdul power in Libya last month Egypt, along with Russia and He called for their “rapid and
Madbouly is the most senior Hamid Dbeibah. aimed at holding elations in the United Arab Emirates, unconditional” departure
Egyptian official to visit Lib- the North African country in was a key backer of eastern from Libya.
ya since the oil-rich country Dbeibah told a joint news December after a decade of aligned military command-
plunged into chaos in 2011. A conference that they inked fighting and upheaval. er Khalifa Hifter, who had The U.N. estimated in De-
NATO-backed uprising that a dozen deals on electricity, launched an offensive in cember there were at least
year toppled longtime ruler telecommunications, infra- That interim government 2019 to capture Tripoli from 20,000 foreign fighters and
Moammar Gadhafi, who was structure, health and educa- includes a three-member the U.N.-supported govern- mercenaries in Libya.
later killed. tion. He called for Egypt to Presidential Council and a ment in the west. However,