US Dept. of State approves a possible sale of 10 Ch-47F helicopters to the United Arab Emirates

(Nov. 10, 2019) The US Dept. of State has approved a possible sale of 10 Chinook heavy lift helicopters to the United Arab Emirates for more than $830 million, according to a release from the Defense Security Cooperation (DSCA).

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The sale

The UAE had requested to buy 10 CH-47F Chinook helicopters plus a wide range of related equipment. The equipment includes navigation system, weapons, an extended range fuel system, communications equipment, sensors, and protections systems. It also include support and training. Altogether the cost will be $ 830.3 million.

The DSCA says of the sale: "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important partner in the region. This sale is consistent with U.S. initiatives to provide key partners in the region with modem systems that will enhance interoperability with U.S. forces and increase security. The proposed sale will expand the UAE's helicopter fleet. Further, it will enhance the UAE's operational and defensive capabilities to better defend U.S. and UAE national security interests in the region, and increase the UAE's contributions to any future joint or coalition efforts requiring helicopter support. The UAE will have no difficulty absorbing these defense articles and services into its armed forces. The proposed sale of these helicopters will not alter the basic military balance in the region."

The CH-47F Chinook

The principal contractors in the sale are Boeing Helicopters Aircraft Company, the Honeywell Engine Company and Science and Engineering Services.

The CH-47F Chinook is Boeing's main heavy lift helicopter and among the heaviest in the world. It is a workhorse for US and other military forces being used to transport troops and supplies.

There are several types of the twin-rotor Chinook helicopters. The CH-47F has a cruising speed of 290 km/hr or 180 mph a

+ Add Imagend can carry a payload of more than 10,800 kg or 24,000 lbs. The Chinook has a standard crew of three and an internal space that can hold up to 50 passengers. Variants of the Chinook are used by the US in Afghanistan, the UK Royal Air Force in Mali and by special operations forces throughout the globe.

Other countries are buying the CH-47s

In May 2018 under a contract modification Saudi Arabia arrange to buy 8 of the helicopters from Boeing for $26 million. In April of the same year the US State Dept. approved a possible $1.3 billion sale of 17 of the helicopters to Spain that had unique modifications. In October a sale of 36 of the H-47 Extended Range Chinooks costing $3.5 billion to the United Kingdom was approved.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Salim Alaradi of dual Canadian Libyan citizenship cleared of all charges by UAE court

Salim Alaradi, a Canadian-Libyan citizen, has been held in jail in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 642 days. Alaradi was arrested with a number of other business people connected to Libya.

He has finally been acquitted on charges of providing financial support for and cooperating with Libya-based groups Libya Dawn and the February 17 Brigade. Canadian officials welcomed his acquittal and his family celebrated the news. However, he was taken back to jail and still is not free. He needs medical attention as well.

He was cleared along with three other co-accused. His lawyer, Paul Champ, said the four cheered and hugged each other after the verdict. All four were detained again by UAE officials. It is not clear why, but it may be for administrative reasons. Canadian officials were present to bring Alaradi, the father of five children, back to Canada and were confused by the arrests.

Global Affairs Canada claimed: "The Government of Canada raised Mr. Alaradi's case at the highest levels and called for his release and return to Canada." Alaradi and the three other accused had presented evidence of torture at other hearings. Whereas, Global Affairs previously claimed to have taken the allegations of torture "extremely seriously" they are remaining relatively quite of the issue but said: "We are moved by the resiliency shown by Mr. Alaradi's family, in particular, their courage and conviction." The family has been very active in lobbying the Canadian government to get Albaradi released. There are several You Tube videos made by the family. One is appended.

Marwa, the teenage daughter, said over the phone to Vice News:'It's has been the toughest two years, almost two years, of our life. It's the best news ever, it was amazing. But unfortunately my father was returned back to prison We expected my father to leave the courtroom with Canadian officials as a free man.I don't think he should be in prison because he is innocent. It's has been the toughest two years, almost two years, of our life."Originally Albaradi was faced with terrorism charges but those were dropped without any explanation in March to be replaced by the present charges.

Champ said he expected Alaradi's mental health would improve more slowly than his physical health:"It will take time for him to be the Salim he used to be, but we'll make sure he returns to the old Salim by taking care of his health." Immediately on release, Alaradi is to fly to Istanbul for "urgent" medical treatment. He will be reunited with his family there.

An American-Libyan and his son were also acquitted, Kamal Eldarat 59 and his Mohammed 34. They were both longtime residents of the UAE, moving there in 1997. The family was overjoyed at the verdict but said the trail should never have taken place. She said it could still take days or even weeks before they were released because of procedural issues.

Rival eastern oil company in Libya tries to ship oil illegally

The Al-Thinni government of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) is planning to export 650,000 barrels of crude that were pumped from the Messia and Sarir oil fields at Hariga port in Tobruk.

According to Omran al-Zwai of the Arabian Gulf Oil Co. tanker Distya Ameya is due to sail on April 25 to Malta. The cargo was sold to DSA Consultancy FZC, a company that is based in the United Arab Emirtates (UAE) according Nagi Elmagrabi, who heads the breakaway National Oil Company in the east. The internationally recognized National Oil Company is based in Tripoli and is cooperating with the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). International traders such as Glencore deal with it.

Three of the main oil ports in the east are guarded by the Petroleum Forces Guard led by Ibrahim Jodhran. He supports the GNA and would export through the Tripoli-based NOC. He does not control the Hariga port however. General Haftar the commander in chief of the Libyan National Army of the Al-Thinni government, no doubt wants the HoR to export oil so as to provide funds for the Al-Thinni government. Funds can be deposited in a separate branch of the Central Bank of Libya under control of the HoR. Ironically, Jodhran himself has tried to illegally ship oil by a tanker called the Morning Glory and also supported the eastern oil company before deciding to support the GNA and Tripoli NOC. He is a bitter foe of General Haftar.

A few days ago, the Tripoli NOC issued a statement on the situation saying that they had notified the Presidency Council of the GNA of the attempt by the Al-Thinni administration to illegally ship oil: Musfafa Sanalia NOC chairman said:“Agoco, our subsidiary in the east, was instructed yesterday by a Beyda official to load a ship at Marsa el-Hariga, I notified Prime Minister Serraj and the Presidency Council, who understood immediately the seriousness of the issue and took the necessary steps to stop the vessel from loading. Agoco employees and port officials understood this was a political attempt to divide the country, and I am very proud that they resisted the pressure to load this vessel. This had the potential to be a very ugly incident and I am pleased that it has been resolved peacefully without injury to anybody or loss of revenue or damage to the integrity of NOC or the country.”

Sanalia pointed out that the attempted export breached United Nations Security Council resolution 2278.

Sanalia said the NOC had been in contact with the captain of the ship and informed him that he is breaching the UN resolution. The NOC asked him to leave Libyan waters immediately. In response the captain turned off the ship's tracking system. It seems that the ship may be loaded and ready to set sail. A recent tweet says: "Chairman of NOC East confirms 1st crude oil shipment from #Tobruk's Hraiga port. distant pic of the tanker". It is quite possible that the tanker may be intercepted by the US or Italian navy.

Before the 2011 overthrow of Gadaffi, Libya pumped about 1.6 million barrels of oil a day. It now produces only 361,000 barrels a day.

The illegal export of the oil is a serious challenge to the UN and the GNA. The eastern branch of the Libyan National Bank is also planning to print its own banknotes. A recent article by Richard Galustian in the Times of Malta, suggests that Libya could be headed for a breakup between the west and the east. Significantly, Russia has refused to recognize the GNA until a vote of confidence from the HoR. There could be a conflict developing between western supporters of the GNA and supporters of Haftar and the HoR including Egypt, the UAE, the Arab League and now it seems Russia.

Canadian-Libyan on trial in UAE has terror charges dropped against him

At a court hearing on Monday March 21 in Abu Dhabi UAE, Salim Alaradi, a Canadian-Libyan businessman, unexpectedly had terrorism charges against him replaced with lesser charges.

Alaradi was arrested in 2014. He claims he was tortured during interrogation. The original charges had to do with alleged links he had to the February 17th Brigade and the Libya Dawn. The latter is now the main militia group supporting the General National Council (GNC) in Tripoli the rival government to the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk. The UAE is a strong supporter of the HoR and Khalifa Haftar commander in chief of the Libyan National Army of the HoR. Alaradi was one of 10 men of Libyan ancestry who were arrested August and September of 2014. The arrests were probably related to the conflict between the HoR and GNC. Alaradi did business with groups associated with the GNC. However the events took place between 2011 and 2013. This was before the anti-terrorism laws under which Alaradi was charged had even been passed. They were passed only in 2014. He is now charged with one count of collecting donations without proper permission, and another account of taking actions hostile to a foreign government by sending supplies to the two militias.

At the time, that Alaradi sent the supplies there was just the one transitional government. Alaradi had notified the UAE authorities that he was sending supplies to help the government after the fall of the Gadaffi regime. He denies supporting the militias. Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ who was hired by Alaradi's family was pleased that the terrorist charges had been replaced by lesser charges. The change was made without any notice and Champ was trying to find out the penalties associated with the new charges.

The court received a medical forensic report from a court-appointed doctor who claimed that there was no sign that Alaradi was tortured. However, it has been some time since Alaradi claimed he was tortured. Camp was not surprised at the report in that the the doctor asked Alaradi few questions and took less than 10 minutes to examine him. Champ said: "Given that cursory examination we didn't place a lot of confidence in the independence of this doctor."

A report by Canadian consular officers who had visited Alaradi said he was very distraught and had visible bruises when they met him. The report was obtained through a Freedom of Information request. When the officers visited Alaradi on December 31, 2014 in prison in Abu Dhabi.there were two-inch wide bruises on his left arm and leg.The report said: "As soon as consular officials asked the subject how he was, he became visibly upset. Twice during the interview, it was necessary for the subject to stop speaking in order to hold back tears," Albaradi claimed he had been hung upside-down and beaten and punched. His head and the soles of his feet were struck with batons. He said he had lost feeling in the toes of his left foot and in his right leg. Another Canadian with dual Libyan citizenship had also been arrested but was released without any explanation. He claimed he was arbitrarily detained and also tortured.

Three others had their charges changed as well at the same time as Alaradi. They all have been held now for a total of 550 days in custody. The four will be back in court on April 11. Two are Americans. The daughter of one of the Americans Amal Eldarat said:“Today’s change of course is deeply concerning. For more than a year and a half, the UAE government has had time to investigate the alleged charges against my brother and father and proceed with presenting their case. Now, after more than 550 days, they have been forced to recognize what my family and I have said along – Kamal and Mohamed are innocent of all terrorism charges.”Amal called on US officials to pressure the UAE to release both her father and her brother. If found guilty of the new charges the four could face up to 15 years in prison. The family of Albaradi who live in Windsor have constantly been urging the Canadian government to press for the release of Albaradi as show on the appended video.

Trump has prominent Muslim business friends in Dubai

Republican presidential candidate and frontrunner Donald Trump is known for his diatribes against Muslims. In a recent statement, the Trump campaign recommended a ban on Muslim immigration into the United States.

Trump said there should be a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" until the country's representatives could "figure out what is going on." His campaign office claimed the discrimination was justified because large segments of the Muslim population bear "great hatred toward Americans." Trump has also called for the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants in the US. He also wants to erect a substantial wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

As well as being a GOP presidential candidate, Trump is a prominent real estate mogul and also featured in a popular TV series, The Apprentice, until recently. Trump is both the chair and president of The Trump Organization and founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. According to the Wikipedia entry on Trump: In 2015, Forbes estimated his net worth at $4 billion.[49] In June 2015, Business Insider published a June 30, 2014, financial statement supplied by Trump. The statement reflects his net worth as $8.7 billion. Of that amount, $3.3 billion is represented by "Real Estate Licensing Deals, Brand and Branded Developments", described by Business Insider as "basically [implying] that Trump values his character at $3.3 billion."[50]In spite of — or perhaps because of — his controversial views Trump has the support of many celebrities including Dennis Rodman, Jesse Ventura, and Ted Nugent among 14 listed here.

Trump certainly has Muslim friends in the Gulf area. One is Hussain Sajwani, head of Damac Properties a Dubai-based luxury real estate company. Trump calls Muslim Sajwani not only a good friend but a great man. Trump even flew off to Dubai to spend time with Sajwani when they announced their joint huge real estate project in the UAE.

The project will include 104 villas and mansions with a price tag beginning at more than $1 million U.S. and at the higher end will be over $10 million each. The development will also have the "Trump World Golf Club." The video appended shows the opening of the resort. The Trump Private Mansions are touted as "the most distinguished address in Dubai", including a view of the Trump International Championship golf course. The development includes a luxury spa, restaurants, and stores.

Sajwani has a clouded history, being convicted in 2011 for a land deal with an Egyptian government minister. He was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. However, a settlement was reached in 2013 with the new more friendly government and Damac properties is free to operate again in Egypt. The Dubai project also faces issues concerning conditions for migrant workers on these construction projects. Workers have been required to work 14 plus hours in temperatures of up to 100 degrees F and have poor living quarters as well. At a press conference in Dubai in 2014 a reporter from Vice news asked: “Mr. Trump, the workers who build your villas make less than $200 a month. Are you satisfied?” People in the room reportedly gasped at the question. Trump refused to answer, instead remaining stone-faced. The project’s publicist then told the reporter, “That’s not an appropriate question.”

Trump is not content with his Dubai Muslim friends. His company is also exploring opportunities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. If he wins the presidency of the US, perhaps Trump will issue special presidential passes for his wealthy Muslim business friends so they can enter the United States. The passes will trump the Trump ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

Peter William Bodde confirmed by US Senate as US ambassador to Libya

The United States Senate has confirmed Obama's choice as US Ambassador to Libya, Peter William Bodde. He will work out of Tunis, the capital of neighboring Tunisia.

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The U.S. embassy in Tripoli has been closed for security reasons for some time. In September 2012, an attack in Benghazi, where the U.S. had a consular office, killed then-Ambassador Chris Stevens along with four other Americans. The attack was believed to be by the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia. For security reasons, U.S. diplomatic work is done from Tunis. There was no U.S. ambassador to Libya after the killing of Stevens until Deborah Jones was appointed in May of 2013.

Bodde had been serving as ambassador to Nepal since 2012, but before that he had been assistant chief of mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad. The vote in the Senate approved Bodde by a vote of 95 for to 0 against. Bodde was nominated by Obama back in July.

In other Libya news, a Libyan-American group has filed a complaint against the UN demanding it investigate circumstances surrounding the hiring of Bernardino Leon, the former UN Special Envoy to Libya. The Tripoli-based General National Congress has already demanded an explanation of the UN's actions given Leon had an obvious conflict of interest. A Washington Post article reports:Emadeddin Muntasser, co-founder of the Libyan American Public Affairs Council, told The Associated Press that Leon’s actions, including negotiating the high-paying job with the UAE while serving as mediator between Libya’s rival governments, “threaten the future of Libya.”Leon has insisted there was no conflict of interest and the UN knew of his negotiations for the UAE job paying over $1,500 a day. He accepted the job back in June and was negotiating an increase in housing allowances over the summer. The GNC has pointed out that Leon had refused to make amendments it suggested to his final draft. While he claimed amendments were not possible, he amended the document himself.

Recently, Leon has said he is reconsidering acceptance of the position until he has clarification of charges that the UAE shipped arms to the House of Representatives(HoR) government to aid their commander Khalifa Haftar — who has been carrying of a military operation against Islamists, including the GNC forces, since May of 2014. There is a UN ban on sending arms to Libya. Abdulgader al-Huwali, head of the political affairs committee of the GNC claims his organization will issue a statement to the UN that they will refuse to recognize Martin Kobler, Leon's replacement as UN Special Envoy to Libya unless the UN opens a "transparent investigation" into the hiring of Leon. Kobler says that he wants to restart the dialogue based upon work that he already been done.

New UN Special Envoy to Libya plans to restart dialogue talks

This is the first day--November 18-- on the job for veteran German diplomat Martin Kobler as Special Envoy from the UN to Libya. Kobler takes over from Bernardino Leon, who leaves under a cloud.

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Leon accepted a high-paying job in the UAE back in June while he was acting as a mediator in charge of dialogue talks between the two rival LIbyan governments. One government is the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) located in Tobruk, and the other is the General National Congress(GNC) located in the west of Libya in the capital Tripoli. The UAE strongly favours the HoR government and the commander of its armed forces, Khalifa Haftar. Emails leaked to the Guardian show Leon took directions from and communicated with officials from the UAE. Leon said he intended to weaken and discredit the GNC and increase the power of the HoR. Neither Leon nor the UN have admitted there was any conflict of interest.

Leon was able to end up with a Libya Political Agreement(LPA) that includes a Government of National Accord(GNA) but neither parliament voted on the LPA in spite of pressure from Leon, the UN security council, and the international community. The GNC wants amendments to the LPA. Leon said that was impossible and then amended it himself. The HoR issued a statement rejecting the LPA although a number of members disassociated themselves from that statement. The HoR keeps postponing votes on the LPA. This week the HoR will not meet to vote on the LPA since the president, Ageela Salah, is off to a UNESCO meeting.

Kobler worked in the past, in UN missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Iraq as well. Kobler said he will restart talks with the rival Libyan factions in order to deal with outstanding issues related to the GNA or unity government. Kobler stressed that there should be continuity of the dialogue process and he would build on what Leon had achieved.

The announcement of Kobler's appointment appeared recently on the UNSMIL website and was discussed in a recent DJ article. Today Kobler has his own release on his immediate plans.

As part of continuing the dialogue process, Kobler indicated, within the next few days:I will listen to the members of the political dialogue and the proposed Presidency Council as well as various other Libyan partners to address and finalise the remaining small number of outstanding issues.Why would he talk to the "proposed Presidency Council"? These people have no status at all except as proposed by the UN. Both sides in the conflict have rejected many of the names. This process gets off on the wrong foot. Many will feel the UN and the international community are trying to ram an LPA down their throat to please the UN bosses in the international community who want a unity government so they can intervene in Libya with the blessing of a unity government.

Kobler then says he wants to build on the momentum to bring about an endorsement of the Libyan Political Agreement in the immediate future. What momentum? The process was stalled with the UN security council, among others, fruitlessly pressing the parties to sign on to the LPA. Perhaps Kobler should read the article by Abubakr Buera who claims Leon was wrong to press for a vote and agreement before conditions made it possible to pass the LPA. He considers voting on an LPA in the HoR at present will likely divide Libya into two if passed. Kobler needs realize that in the HoR, Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the armed forces, rejects the present draft and no doubt any draft that does not leave him as commander in chief. If the HoR were to pass an LPA that took away his job, there could very well be a military coup. How would Kobler propose to prevent that?

Perhaps, as some of the parties suggest, there should be meetings of various Libyan parties independently of the UN. In a number of areas, militia groups in the west of Libya have managed to forge agreements that involved ceasefires, providing at least a degree of security in areas formerly subject to constant clashes. Jason Pack recently wrote an article claiming Libya needs to be liberated from the UN.

Kobler says he has as another priority — the discussion of security-related issues with the various Libyan actors. This is very vague. Continuing what I call the UN non-speak protocol, Kobler gives as little information as possible. Of course there is no mention of the Leon scandal or the obvious lack of impartiality evident in the process while Leon was in charge. Kobler's conclusion follows a typical UN diplomatic template:The work of the United Nations will always be guided by the relevant Security Council resolutions and by the long-standing principles of impartiality, and upholding Libya’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

Bernardino Leon former UN envoy to Libya reconsidering acceptance of job in UAE

There are signs that UN Special Envoy for Libya, Bernardino Leon may be reconsidering his acceptance of a high-paying job as head of a diplomatic college in the UAE.

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In a surprising release from the UN Leon says:I am aware of the report today in the New York Times about Libya and alleged activities in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions. In light of this report, I have decided to request a full clarification of the issue, including from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities, as I take time to reflect on the next steps in my professional career.I discuss the New York Times report in a recent article. Leon was revealed by leaked emails released and discussed in the Guardian to have been in a blatant conflict of interest. Leon has been serving for over a year as mediator and head of UN-sponsored dialogue talks designed to reach an agreement between two rival governments. One government is the House of Representatives(HoR) based in eastern Libya in the city of Tobruk, and the other is the General National Congress(GNC) based in the western city of Tripoli. The material released by the Guardian shows that Leon had accepted a position at a diplomatic college in Abu Dhabi, UAE at a pay rate of over $1,500 a day. The material also shows that he informed the UAE that his aim while mediating was to weaken the GNC and their armed forces the Libya Dawn militia while strengthening the HoR. They also show that he took direction from at least one UAE official.The UAE is a strong supporter of the HoR and of General Khalifa Haftar commander of the HoR armed forces. Leon denies he was in a conflict of interest. The UN has supported him and still does. The facts clearly show that the UN did not follow their own guidelines.

In a truly bizarre release, Leon goes on:Given the inaccurate or false information we have seen in previous months regarding the process in Libya and the UN and my role, I believe it is imperative to be extremely cautious about the most recent reports.Of course, Leon fails to say what inaccurate or false information he is talking about or what evidence he has that the information is false or inaccurate. Why on earth would the UN give space for Leon to ramble on with such remarks? As revealed later in this article, the remarks have nothing to do with his role as job as UN Special Envoy to Libya, according to a UN spokesperson. Due to the supposedly false or inaccurate information found in earlier reporting Leon goes on: For this reason I consider nothing is more important than full compliance with United Nations resolutions. The reports in the media are allegations that have not been verified. The authorities and government of the UAE have the right and deserve the opportunity to clarify them, as I am confident they will do.

Given that this is a release from a UN site and Leon is the UN Special Envoy for Libya, one would think the UN is asking for an explanation from the UAE. Reuters headlines its report on the issue: U.N. wants clarification of report UAE broke Libya arms embargo.Other sources such as Salon and ABC take Leon's statements as indicating that he is simply going to ask the UAE to explain the situation because obviously he is not going to accept a job with a country that violates UN resolutions! UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the UN will await the outcome "of Leon's efforts to seek clarifications, including from the UAE, and his decision on his next steps."

The issue is covered very well and thoroughly at innercitypress.com that covers the UN extensively and asks very probing questions at UNTV sessions. A key video on Leon's statements about the UAE is appended. Note that the statement on a UN website is said to be all about Leon's own personal business in deciding his future actions, according to UN spokesperson Haq, and has nothing to do with his role as UN Special Envoy to Libya. So why on earth did the UN think it so important that there should be a press release that is all about Leon's concerns about a story that the UAE shipped arms to Libya counter to UN resolutions?Should not the UN be the party making a statement that it wants a clarification and explanation as Reuters thought?

The questioner on the video asks whether Leon went through the same process as his predecessor: Leon's predecessor as UN envoy to Libya Tarek Mitri, however, got a formal "Note" from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, signed by Ban's chief of staff Susana Malcorra and cc-ed to Under Secretaries General Jeffrey Feltman (Political Affairs), Yukio Takasu (Management) and Joan Dubinksy (Ethics Office) approving outside activity for Mitri..Haq does not really answer the question. He surely knows or should whether the process was followed or not. He surely knows if such a formal note existed for Leon as with Mitri. Note that the UN says that employees should show caution in accepting employment with a member state immediately after leaving the UN's employ. Perhaps pressure is being brought on Leon to decide against taking up the job since this might be a further violation of UN guidelines. Given that the UN has already allowed Leon to break a number of their own guidelines and approved his actions it seems a bit odd that they are now worried about his breaking just one more. The questioner in the video does a fantastic job in my opinion and the exchange is quite revealing. The video has had nine views.

UAE ships arms to Libya violating UN embargo and aiding Khalifa Haftar

The UN Special Envoy to Libya became involved in conflict of interest after he was offered a high-paying job by the UAE while still a supposedly impartial head of dialogue talks to forge a peace agreement between the two rival Libyan governments.

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The UAE has been a strong supporter of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) government and the commander of its armed forces, Khalifa Haftar. The UAE was also involved in shipping weapons to the HoR government to help the forces of CIA-linkedGeneral Haftar, as he is commander of the HoR armed forces. He has been carrying out a military plan called Operation DIgnity, which seeks not only to attack groups such as the terrorist Islamic State but also the forces of the rival General National Congress(GNC) government based in Tripoli. Leon put himself in an obvious conflict of interest situation. Leaked emails show Leon was receiving instructions from and revealing his plans to the UAE while he was negotiating. The UN has used the tactic of simply denying there is a conflict of interest in the face of the facts.

The UN and Leon himself point to his final draft as evidence of his impartiality. While it is true that groups on both sides support the draft, the draft itself was rejected by both parliaments as well, but without a formal vote. In any event, even if the final LPA were impartial, there is ample evidence that in the dialogue process Leon tried to isolate the GNC. Indeed, at one time he actually had a draft that was initialled only by the HoR and Leon continued talks with the GNC absent. He also met with militia commanders in GNC-controlled areas without the consent of the central GNC command in an attempt to weaken the GNC forces and gain support for his plans. However, the extensive emails showing Leon's communications with UAE authorities make it crystal clear he was biased in favour of the HoR. As Leon says he was just a part of a much larger team. No doubt his plans were ruined by the influence of other members of his team, who represented the aims of other external powers who wanted the GNC to be a partner in any agreement. This might not have been due to any love of the GNC but a recognition that without the GNC agreement, civil war was bound to continue and would give even more power to Haftar ensuring a long term brutal conflict.

UN Security Council Resolutions on Libya include a ban on weapons shipments. In an email on August 4, Ahmed al-Qasimi, a senior Emirati diplomat, wrote to the the UAE ambassador to the UN saying: “The fact of the matter is that the U.A.E. violated the U.N. Security Council Resolution on Libya and continues to do so.” The UAE was also a strong backer of now Egyptian president el-Sisi and his military campaign that ousted elected Islamist president Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE emails discuss how to hide the shipments from a UN monitoring panel and how they could provide a cover to lessen any damage were they discovered. Qatar which supports some Islamist groups on the GNC side is also thought to be covertly shipping arms to Libya.

UN officials were well aware of the potential conflict when UAE offered their special envoy Leon a 50,000 a month job as head of a diplomatic college back in June. They were no doubt also aware that he was negotiating an increase in his $96,000 a year housing allowance over the summer. In clear violation of its own regulations, it claims there was no conflict of interest or reason to believe that Leon might be impartial as a result. The UN even asked permission to have Leon stay on longer in an email dated August 27:In another email, dated Aug. 27, and not previously disclosed, Jeffrey Feltman, under secretary general for political affairs and a former American diplomat, wrote to senior Emirati leaders asking them to allow Mr. Léon to stay on as mediator for a few more weeks in the hope of signing an agreement. “(If needed) I could ask the secretary general to call you to make the request,” Mr. Feltman suggested.

Wolfram Lacher of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, who researches events in Libya, said of Leon:“It is a real scandal. He had to know that taking up this position would cause damage to the negotiations or, even if an agreement had been signed, this would have caused retrospective damage to the agreement. He obviously didn’t care about that.”

The New York Times is often an outlet for material that reflects the views of the Obama administration. The article that reveals the UAE illegal shipments to Libya also notes the UAE has been importing arms from North Korea, something that angers the U.S. The entire article may simply be a message that the U.S. is increasingly upset with UAE actions. Strangely enough the article does not mention UAE participation in bombing of Tripoli in cooperation with Egypt that had been intended to help defeat Libya Dawn at present the main military forces supporting the GNC. Libya Dawn still took control of Tripoli.

Libyan diplomat's defence of UN envoy Leon actually shows Leon's bias

Ibrahim Dabbashi, the Libyan envoy to the UN, from the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) government, came to the defense of Bernardino Leon the outgoing UN special envoy to Libya.

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His defense actually reveals that Leon was biased against the Tripoli-based General National Congress government(GNC). The Guardian article showed that Leon was offered a high-paying job in the UAE in June while he was in charge of UN attempts to reach a political agreement between the two rival Libyan governments. Dabbashi claims the Guardian leaks show that Leon was well versed in complications of the Libyan situation and resistant to the pressure put on him by powerful countries. As well, he was committed to UN rules. Leon may have been well versed in the complications of the Libyan situation but it is not clear that he resisted the pressure put on him by the UAE to try to discredit the General National Congress government in Tripoli. While Leon did consult with the UN with respect to his negotiations for a job paying more than $1,500 a day as the head of a diplomatic college in Abu Dhabi, the UN clearly did not apply its own rules governing conflicts of interest.

Dabbashi, in an article he published on his official Facebook page, accuses the M16 — the UK Intelligence Agency — of leaking the emails the Guardian published showing among other things that Leon intended to delegitimize the General National Congress and increase the power of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) government. Dabbashi thinks that the purpose of the revelations were not to defame Leon but to send a message to his successor Martin Kobler to begin the dialogue process anew and carry out M15 plans. For the difference between M15 and M16 see this site..

Dabbashi believes the U.S., UK, and EU have a view of strategy in Libya that differs from that of the UN and the UN Security Council. The UN and UN Security Council regard the HoR as the only legitimate authority in Libya. However, the U.S., UK, and EU want to ensure the GNC had some power and representation in any unity government and the GNC armed forces are part of the process. Leon was trying to "disintegrate Libya Dawn and shatter the alliance between the Islamists in the GNC and Misrata...in addition to pushing the armed groups out of the cities and creating a national unity government of moderate figures from both parties."

Rather than defending Leon, Dabbashi's assertions, if true, confirm that not only was Leon partial to the HoR but he was actively attempting to foster division within the GNC government. He also was trying to "disintegrate" the Libya Dawn the main armed forces of the GNC. This would weaken the GNC and its bargaining power. There is ample evidence that Leon did pursue this policy.

As early as July, Leon had met with a number of commanders of militia in Misrata that he thought might support an agreement that the GNC and its main forces could reject. The speaker of the GNC parliament, Abu Sahmain, " found it strange that Leon had repeatedly met with revolutionaries of the General Staff without permission from the Commander-in-Chief or the GNC's dialogue team." This was part of Leon's plan to as Dabbashi put it to "disintegrate Libya Dawn." Some of the militia associated with Misrata and elsewhere had rocky relations with Tripoli and Leon could have enticed them to support him even when the GNC would not go along. Leon was eventually able to get numerous militia groups to sign a letter supporting a unity government. Leon held these meetings more than once. By early September as new meetings took place Sahmain not only complained to the UN but threatened legal action:GNC President Nuri Abu Sahmain has now threatened to take legal action against it because it had been in contact with military officers from the west of Libya without the permission of the GNC or the army. In a strongly-worded letter to UNSMIL chief Bernardino Leon made public yesterday, Abu Sahmain complained .. he had since heard that UNSMIL was making arrangements for a meeting with a number of “Revolutionaries’ Army leaders” from Tripoli, Misrata, Zintan, Gharyan and Zawya without giving notice to the supreme commander of the Libyan army – himself.These are clear moves meant to undercut the authority of the GNC and work with militia leaders independently of any chain of authority reaching back into the GNC government. These actions are clearly not neutral or impartial and involve advancing some of the actions that would be approved by the UAE.

The Middle East Eye has a long article detailing how Leon's strategies were being worked out in conjunction with authorities in the UAE. The article shows Leon was covertly working with the UAE to support the HoR side in the process while he was supposed to be an impartial mediator. One clear example of this is a letter sent to UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Nahyan on December 31st last year: “All my movements and proposals have been consulted with (and in many cases designed by) the HOR and Aref Nayed and Mahmud Jibril (with whom I speak on a daily basis) following Your request,” Leon wrote, capitalising “your” to reflect Abdullah’s royal status in Abu Dhabi. Mahmud Jibril is a prominent Libyan politician who lives in the UAE and who previously served as Libya’s interim prime minister during the 2011 NATO-backed revolution that overthrew the late Muammar Gaddafi. Aref Nayed is the House of Representatives (HoR) ambassador to the UAE.The full text of the letter can be found here. The article claims Leon's plan as set out in the emails was to reconcile the head of the HoR armed forces with the Misrata militias and have the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated GNC "disappear." This hardly worked out. No doubt working with a large team Leon was unable in many instances to do what he hoped to do. As far as his final draft Libya Political Agreement(LPA) is concerned some of the Misrata militia that he managed to divide from the GNC support it while Haftar rejects it. Ironically as well, the Muslim Brotherhood as a party supports the draft although there are deep divisions within the party. Leon often points to the LPA itself as evidence of his lack of bias. It is more likely it shows his inability to push his own agenda to the degree he would have liked. He was not working alone but with dozens of others to create the draft agreement.

Tripoli government wants explanation of UN hiring of special envoy who had conflict of interest

The General National Congress(GNC) Libyan government based in Tripoli has demanded an explanation from UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon for hiring Bernardino Leon, claiming he was biased against the GNC government.

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The UAE announced last Wednesday that Leon had been hired as the head of a diplomatic college that would train UAE diplomats and help advance UAE policies. The UAE is a strong backer of the of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) government. The UAE, with the help of Egypt,is even thought to have bombed Tripoli in support of the HoR government and as part of the Operation Dignity, meant to defeat the Libya Dawn militia that supports the GNC government. The GNC said the revelations "threaten to destroy the political track during this sensitive time." Given that the parliaments of the two rival governments have not voted on the Leon's last draft of the Libya Political Dialogue, and both sides have issued statements rejecting the draft, the political track has been stalled for some time in any event.

A recent Guardian article cited many emails from Leon to the UAE indicating he was clearly trying to de-legitimize the GNC and promote the HoR government. As long ago as June, Leon had been offered the post at the UAE academy with a salary of over $1,500 U.S. a day, plus a huge living allowance. He was busy over the summer trying to obtain a larger housing alliance. When the Guardian contacted Leon last Monday Leon denied he had taken the job. He asked the paper to hold off publishing the story and offered an interview to explain the situation. On Wednesday, the UAE announced Leon had been appointed to the position. This is interesting timing.

The UAE must have known that this would force the UN to remove Leon from his position earlier than was planned. His term had just been extended and the UN had just expressed its full confidence in his work. I can only conclude the UAE wanted to throw a wrench into the dialogue. The agreement was a threat to Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the HoR armed forces. It would likely remove him from his position. With the dialogue process failed, the UAE, Egypt, and the Arab league can get on with their support for Haftar and the campaign against Islamists and the Tripoli government. In his recent meeting with UK prime minister David Cameron, Egyptian President el-SIsi appears not to have even mentioned the dialogue or the Government of National Accord that is supposed to be created.

Leon claims he was not in any conflict of interest and pointed out that many on both sides support his draft. This neglects that he has never been successful in his parallel military dialogue that was supposed to forge an agreement between the rival military forces of the GNC and the HoR. Haftar calls the forces of the GNC terrorists, and refuses to negotiate or agree to a ceasefire with them. He has contempt for the dialogue and even bombed the one functioning airport in Tripoli prior to peace talks. On one occasion this caused the GNC delegates to be a day late for talks. So blatant were Haftar's snubs against the UN and the peace process that the EU named Haftar and his air force chief as subject to sanctions. He dismissed the threat as ridiculous. He then went to Jordan and signed a military agreement with that country. Egypt, the UAE, and the Arab League all supported Haftar and the HoR government, whose Operation Dignity fights against "terrorism," which means any Islamists opposed to them. The sanctions appear never to have come into effect but the press seem not to have noticed. I have seen no account of what happened.

There are guidelines for UN mediators:The UN guidance on effective mediation says mediators should “not accept conditions for support from external actors that would affect the impartiality of the process” and that they should “hand over to another mediator, or mediating entity, if they feel unable to maintain a balanced and impartial approach”.

How can Leon deny a conflict of interest when he accepted a well-paying job from the UAE, a country that clearly supports one side in the dialogue Leon was heading? Surely this is accepting conditions for support from external actors that would affect the impartiality of the process. However, Leon claims it didn't damage his impartiality and obviously he did not feel he was "unable to maintain a balanced and impartial approach." Yet in his emails Leon makes remarks such as that he was attempting to de-legitimize the GNC government and promote the HoR. Leon admits "the optics are bad". The optics are not bad. The problem is that Leon was in a conflict of interest and the facts make this perfectly clear for everyone to see. The optics are fine.

Ali Tekbali, a member of the HoR, said that UN talks with the GNC would resume under the leadership of the new UN Special Envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, before the end of this month. Saad Abusharrada a member of the GNC who supports talks said that the Leon situation is not likely to affect negotiations. The GNC might not be in favor of using the latest Leon draft as the basis for new negotiations given it had been developed by Leon. Any negotiation will be more or less fruitless unless Haftar is sidelined and removed from his post.

The UN should realize that the HoR government probably can survive only as long as it has the support of Haftar. The prime minister Abdullah al Thinni has twice been prevented from leaving the country by Haftar, and has been forced to allow Haftar to approve his cabinet appointments..The rival parties and many others will not accept any agreement which does not sideline Haftar. The UN has continued negotiations for over a year while studiously ignoring the actual military situation and the influence of that on the two parliaments. Haftar has been untouchable.

UN Special Envoy to Libya Bernadino Leon had blatant conflict of interest

In a bizarre, almost incredible development, the UN Special Envoy to Libya who has spent a year arranging dialogue talks between the two rival Libya governments is suddenly quitting to take a well-paying job with the UAE.

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The UAE is a strong supporter of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives( HoR) government and its military chief Khalifa Haftar. The UAE is even suspected with the support of Egypt of bombing Tripoli targeting Libya Dawn forces, the militia which is one of the main military groups supporting the rival General National Congress(GNC) government. The conflict of interest involved is obvious.

Leon has accepted a job with the UAE training diplomats and promoting UAE foreign policy. He will be paid 1,000 pounds( $1,540 US) a day. While still the UN Special Envoy working on the dialogue talks, Leon was busy in the summer negotiating a position as director general of a UAE "diplomatic academy." The UAE announced just today, November 4, that Leon had taken the job. Leon will leave his UN job this Friday.

Leon denies any conflict of interest and indicated that he made it clear he wanted to leave his UN role by September. Ban ki-Moon just recently extended his contract so that he could complete negotiations and hopefully have the rival governments accept the final draft of the Libya Political Agreement which would result in a unity Government of National Accord. However, neither parliament has approved the draft, indeed they have both made statements that in effect reject it. Neither parliament voted on the draft.

Leon said: “The only defence I have against these attacks is my work. As I said before, read my proposals, the agreement and the government proposal. It has been considered by the Libyans from both camps as a fair proposal.”There are some on both sides who accept the agreement but neither parliament has approved it and unless that happens, the fact that some on each side approve the agreement is hardly relevant. It is not clear what methods Leon may have used to get support. He and external parties threatened GNC members with sanctions if they did not sign on to an early draft that gave the GNC virtually no power or input into the unity government at all. I wrote at the time that the agreement appeared formulated in such a way that the GNC could not accept the agreement. They did not. They did not participate in the initialing of that draft as the HoR representatives did. Leon continued with the farce of promoting a non-agreement approved by just one side. Some in the international community must have urged him to make some motions toward meeting demands of the GNC. Leon did, making amendments to a draft he insisted could not be amended. This outraged the HoR, which rejected the document. Leon must have pleaded with the HoR. Who knows what threats or promises he made. The HoR representatives then rejoined the talks and finally the LPA was supposed to be agreed to at the level of the representatives at least. However, after refusing to entertain any further amendment as demanded by the GNC, Leon went on to add amendments himself. He has also added further amendments he claims after talking to the parties. The two rival governments are agreed on one thing. They do not trust Leon. Leon praises his work but here is what a group from the GNC had to say:

The Political Committee of GNC held on Monday the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon responsible for the failure of Libyan political dialogue.The Committee said in statement that Bernardino Leon’s persistence to sign the flawed draft would lead to a total collapse of the dialogue."We are surprised at UNSG's support to Bernardino Leon to continue with his post despite his failure to reach a compromise between Libyan parties."

As recently as October 31 a UN Support MIssion in Libya(UNSMIL) issued this press release: In response to questions concerning the leadership of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the Secretary-General reaffirms that his Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino Leon, remains fully engaged on his behalf in facilitating the Libyan Political Dialogue. The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to reiterate his full confidence in Mr. Leon's efforts, aimed at supporting the Libyans to conclude the political dialogue process and form a Government of National Accord as soon as possible.

The Guardian saw emails showing Leon was offered the role of director general of the UAE academy back in June. The offer was followed by negotiations regarding increasing his housing allowance. In August he said he would be travelling with his family to settle down in Abu Dhabi. For months Leon knew he would be working for the UAE. On December 31 last year, Leon sent an email to the UAE foreign minister in which he said that because of the slow pace of peace talks that the EU and the US wanted a plan B that would include a classical peace conference.Leon said:.. This is, in my opinion, a worse option than a political dialogue … because it will treat both sides as equal actors”. In other words, Leon does not want to give the GNC government the same status as the internationally-recognized HoR. Sounds very much as if he clearly favors the HoR as does the UAE.

He went on to describe what he consequently did "break a very dangerous alliance" between wealthy merchants of Misrata and Islamists that he claims keep the GNC afloat. He said specifically that he wanted to reinforce the HoR the party backed by the UAE and Egypt. He even speaks of having a plan to completely delegitimise the GNC. He goes on to say that he is not working on a political plan that included everybody. Leon says: “all my movements and proposals have been consulted with [and in many cases designed by] the HOR and [Libya’s ambassador to the UAE] Aref Nayed and [the UAE-based former Libyan prime minister] Mahmud Jibril”.

The UN has now appointed the German diplomat Martin Kobler to take over Leon's job. No doubt he will be taking over as early as Friday when Leon leaves. Kobler will no doubt attempt to restart the dialogue process as soon as he can.