Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/620988
10 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2015 News 10 Italian PM Matteo Renzi meets new Libyan 'unity' leader PRIME Minister designate Faiez Serraj of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) met Ital- ian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Rome on Monday. This was Serraj's first visit to Rome and to Europe as Prime Minister designate since the Lib- yan Political Agreement (LPA) was agreed at the Moroccan city of Skhirat on 17 December, lead- ing to the formation of the GNA. The LPA and its GNA were further given full international backing through United Nations Security Council resolution 2259 on 23 December. The 15-nation UN body gave its support to the deal signed last week in the Moroccan town of Skhirat between individual rep- resentatives of strife-torn Libya's two competing regimes. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with armed factions battling for terri- tory and control of its oil wealth. The internationally recognised government was expelled from Tripoli in August 2014 and is based in the east of the country, while another Islamist-backed body holds the capital, Tripoli. On 17 December, under UN guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government. It calls for a 17-member govern- ment, headed by businessman Faiez Serraj as premier, based in the Libyan capital. A presidential council would also serve for a transitional period of two years until legislative elections. However, the deal does not en- joy the support of the majority of Libyan lawmakers. Only 80 of 188 MPs from Libya's internationally recognised parliament, and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli- based General National Congress signed the deal. 48 hours before the deal was signed, the presidents of both parliaments met in Malta to de- clare that they would forge ahead with their own unity government after refusing the UN deal. The UN Security Council's rec- ognition is expected to pave the way for NATO- backed military intervention once the GNA in- vites international forces to help in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Libya. In recent months, IS fighters have taken control of the coastal town of Derna and seized a pock- et of territory around Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. Moreover, if the UN fails to provide the new Serraj govern- ment safe passage to Tripoli, renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army could attempt to force its way into the capital. So far, the lack of authorisation by Libyan authorities has delayed plans for a military intervention in Libya targeting both IS and human smugglers but the possi- bility of foreign military action in Libya is now imminent. The Libya Herald reported that Serraj's meeting in Rome comes on the heels of his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Sisi in Cairo on Christmas Day, during which he received the support of the Egyptian Presi- dent. Renzi gave an assurance of the readiness of his country in providing strong support to the forthcoming Libyan authorities in areas of development, security, fighting terrorism and in fighting illegal migration. The Italian Prime Minister fur- ther expressed his full confidence in the new Libyan authorities' ability in facing the forthcom- ing challenges, starting from the formation of the government, to putting in place an institutional framework under the banner of comprehensiveness and national reconciliation. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (left) with his Libyan counterpart, Faiez Serraj (right) at Palazzo Chigi Former Israeli premier to serve jail term for bribery FORMER Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been ordered to serve 18 months in jail for bribery. Olmert had been sentenced to six years by a lower court in 2014, but this was reduced by the Supreme Court. The 70-year-old was convicted over a real estate deal that took place while he served as mayor of Jerusa- lem, prior to becoming prime min- ister in 2006. Olmert, who stepped down in 2009, will become the first former Israeli head of government to go to prison. He is due to begin his sentence on 15 February. The Supreme Court acquitted Ol- mert of receiving a 500,000-shekel (€117,500) bribe from the developers of Holyland, a controversial block of flats in Jerusalem, after he appealed against the March 2014 conviction. A separate conviction of illicitly tak- ing a 60,000-shekel payment for an- other project was upheld. "A heavy weight was lifted from my chest today, when the Supreme Court exonerated me of the main charge, of Holyland," Olmert said following the ruling. "No bribe was ever offered to me and I never accepted one." Several other government officials and businesspeople were convicted alongside Olmert in 2014. The judge at the time said Olmert was guilty of "moral turpitude". In a separate case, Olmert was sentenced earlier this year to eight months in prison for fraud and breach of trust for accepting illegal payments from an American busi- nessman. The Supreme Court is yet to rule on Olmert's appeal in that case. Report shows that 110 journalists were killed in 2015 Data published by 'Reporters without Borders' indicates that 110 journalists were killed in 2015, with 67 of them targeted because of their work or while reporting A total of 110 journalists were killed in connection with their work or for unclear reasons in 2015, according to data pub- lished yesterday by 'Reporters Without Borders' (RSF). The report went on to confirm that 67 of these individuals had been targeted because of their work or were killed while re- porting, while it has not been possible to clearly establish the circumstances or motives of the 43 other deaths. It further added that 27 citizen-journalists and seven media workers were also killed in 2015. Italian newspaper La Repub- blica points out that 11 of the deaths occurred in Iraq, 10 oc- curred in Syria, and eight were killed in France, during the Jan- uary 7 attacks on the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine. It add- ed that 10 were killed in Yemen in the midst of a civil war, seven were killed in South Sudan, nine lost their lives in India, eight in Mexico, and seven each in the Philippines and Honduras. The paper pointed out that two out of three of these deaths did not take place in war-torn coun- tries, with France being one of the deadliest countries of the year for journalists as it ranked third, after Syria and Iraq. The last year, according to the paper, was the other way round, with two thirds of the deaths oc- curring against the backdrop of wars. La Repubblica also adds that the number of journalists in prison has risen to 153, while those being held hostage stands at 54. "There are 26 journalists being held hostage in Syria, 13 in Yem- en, 10 in Iraq and five in Libya," the newspaper points out, quot- ing the report. It further adds that those ar- rested included 23 being held in China, 22 in Egypt, 18 in Iraq, 15 in Eritrea and nine in Turkey. "This disturbing situation is largely attributable to deliber- ate violence against journalists and is indicative of the failure of the initiatives so far taken to protect media personnel," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. "The creation of a specific mechanism for enforcing inter- national law on the protection of journalists is absolutely es- sential," he added. "Non-state groups perpetrate targeted atrocities while too many governments do not com- ply with their obligations under international law. The 110 jour- nalists killed this year need a response that matches the emer- gency. A special representative of the United Nations secretary- general for the safety of journal- ists must be appointed without delay." The RSF, which has been pro- ducing an annual round-up of violations against journalists for the past 20 years, also partnered up with UNESCO to publish an updated version of its Safety Guide for journalists in Decem- ber. The attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris last January, has placed France among the most dangerous countries for journalists in 2015