TRIPOLI: Gunmen stormed the Libyan parliament yesterday forcing lawmakers to postpone a vote for a new prime minister to take on the lawlessness gripping the North African nation. The election was triggered by the resignation of Abdallah Al Thani earlier this month, who quit just five days after his appointment, saying he and his family had come under attack.
Thani, a former defence minister, had only got the job because MPs could agree on a replacement after they ousted Ali Zeidan in March to punish his failure to prevent a rebel oil shipment.
Zeidan, who then fled abroad, had been under mounting fire ever since he was briefly kidnapped last year by one of the myriad of former rebel militia that are a legacy of the 2011 uprising and which his government failed to bring to heel.
There was no immediate word on the identity or motive of the gunmen who carried out the latest assault on parliament, which came as MPs were preparing to hold a second round of voting to replace Thani. The legislature has been attacked repeatedly by various armed groups over the past 18 months. In one assault on March 2, two lawmakers were injured by bullets.
“Armed men have seized the congress, but we do not know the motive of the attack,” member of parliament Tahar Mokni said.
US blacklists groups helping Iran on missiles and oil
WASHINGTON: The US kept up pressure on Iran yesterday with fresh sanctions on two groups accused of illicitly aiding the country even as negotiations continue over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The US Treasury set sanctions on a Chinese group accused of supporting Iran’s ballistic missile programme and a Dubai group which allegedly helps Iran evade restrictions in exporting its oil.
Eight China-based companies linked to already-sanctioned businessman Karl Lee, or Li Fangwei, were blacklisted. The Treasury said Lee had used them as front companies to export materials to Iran for its ballistic missile programme.
The Treasury also named Dubai businessman Saeed al-Aqili, his Al Aqili Group LLC, and a Dubai-based Pakistani “financial facilitator”, Anwar Kamal Nizami, for helping Iran avoid international sanctions on its oil exports.
The Treasury’s move to blacklist both groups forbids US citizens or businesses from transactions with them and freezes any assets they may have in a US jurisdiction.
Agencies
