Libya and Nigeria may attend a joint meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC this month, Russia&#8217;s energy minister said on Monday, as oil producers look for ways to cap rising production to help support oil prices.
Both nations have boosted production since they were exempted from an OPEC-led deal to cut output, weighing on global prices LCOc1. This has prompted more talk among producers about including them in the pact.
&#8220;We have spoken to (OPEC Secretary General Mohammad) Barkindo and in the next two weeks there will be conversations with them (Libya and Nigeria) and possibly we will invite them to the technical summit,&#8221; Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Istanbul.
Six ministers from OPEC and non-OPEC nations including Kuwait, Venezuela, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Oman will meet on July 24 in St Petersburg, Russia, to discuss the current situation in the oil market.
This group, called the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, could recommend expanding the pact to the wider group, which holds its next meeting in November.
The ministerial talks will be preceded by a meeting of a technical committee involving all OPEC and non-OPEC members currently participating in the oil output-cutting deal.
Both Nigeria and Libya were given exemptions to the supply cut, under which OPEC, Russia and other non-OPEC producers are reducing their output by about 1.8 million barrels per day because their output has been curbed by conflict.
OPEC delegates have said bringing Nigeria or Libya into the production pact would likely focus on capping their output, rather than asking them to cut their supply so soon after it had recovered from involuntary curbs.
Nigeria&#8217;s oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu has said that Nigeria was not opposed in principle to joining OPEC&#8217;s production cap, but would have to wait and see if production returned to acceptable levels.
The minister is not planning to attend the Russian talks because he already has another ministerial-level meeting scheduled at home in Abuja, a source familiar with his schedule said.
OPEC has not been in touch with Libya on the issue of capping the country&#8217;s output, an OPEC delegate said. The Libyan government has not received an invitation to attend the ministerial meeting in Russia, he added.
In comments to Reuters on Monday, the head of Libya&#8217;s National Oil Corporation did not indicate any willingness to cap output yet, saying Libya&#8217;s humanitarian problems must be considered in any talks on the subject.
NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla added Libya could assist with efforts to stabilize the market by informing OPEC about its plans to restore production.
(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova, Alex Lawler and Ahmad Ghaddar; editing by Jason Neely and Louise Heavens)

Libya, Nigeria may attend OPEC, non-OPEC July meeting: Russia

Ayman Al Warfalli | BENGHAZI, Libya
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he was being held following the 2011 revolt against his late father, former leader Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said.
He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another city which could not be named for security reasons.
Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader&#8217;s children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed.
It is unclear what role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control.
<div class="teads-inread">But some in eastern Libya, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif&#8217;s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence.</div>
Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status.
Zintan&#8217;s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya.
&#8220;We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday),&#8221; the brigade said.
A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution.
Libya slid into turmoil after his father&#8217;s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by powerful factions in the east.
Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards.
It was unknown what terms Saif&#8217;s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip.
Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but it has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya.
A statement from Zintan&#8217;s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the decision to release Saif.
It said the move had &#8220;nothing to do with the legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to&#8221;.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by Patrick Markey and Jason Neely)

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Ahmed Elumami | TRIPOLI
Libya&#8217;s oil production has risen above 760,000 barrels per day (bpd), its highest level since December 2014, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Monday.
Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said in a statement that the NOC was working on plans to increase production further. He has previously set a goal of boosting output to 1.1 million bpd by August.
(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by Susan Thomas)
&nbsp;

Libya’s oil production hits highest output since 2014 – NOC

By Aidan Lewis
Libya&#8217;s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Sunday that it had identified &#8220;illegal&#8221; efforts to sell crude oil without its approval and warned potential buyers not to enter into such contracts.
Factions based in eastern Libya have previously tried to sell oil independently of NOC in Tripoli, but their moves have been frustrated by U.N. resolutions that remain in place.
&#8220;NOC identified a group of individuals abusing the current status of political division in Libya by entering into illegal contracts with unknown or unqualified companies,&#8221; NOC said in a statement without providing detail on who was involved.
&#8220;These individuals, and others associated with them, have offered Libyan crude oil for sale at huge discounts below the official selling price (OSP).&#8221;
The statement added that this could cost the state of Libya hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The NOC reasserted in the statement that it was the only body authorised by U.N. resolutions to export crude oil and oil products from Libya, and that only the 16 international oil companies that already hold contracts with NOC could buy oil or charter tankers from Libyan ports.
It warned that entering into contracts with other buyers could lead to &#8220;serious legal consequences and financial losses&#8221; for those concerned.
The statement comes after eastern forces lost and regained control of the key oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf this month, angering eastern factions that accused their western rivals of backing the temporary seizure of the ports.
Some eastern officials cast doubt on arrangements under which oil produced in the east is sold by the Tripoli NOC with revenues processed by the central bank in the capital.
However, NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said he was confident of regaining control over oil operations following the port fighting and that operations at the terminals have already restarted.
Since 2014 Libya has been divided between factions based in Tripoli and the east of the country, with rival governments, financial institutions and armed forces competing for power. The eastern government set up its own branch of the NOC in Benghazi but has never gained control over oil operations.
Libya&#8217;s oil production has more than doubled since last year to about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) but remains well below the 1.6 million bpd the OPEC member was exporting before a 2011 uprising.
On Friday ambassadors for the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council reaffirmed their support for the Tripoli NOC, saying it should retain &#8220;exclusive stewardship&#8221; of Libya&#8217;s oil resources.
&#8220;We call for all parties to exercise restraint, avoid military solutions and resolve differences through political processes,&#8221; the statement said.
(Editing by David Goodman)

Libya’s National Oil Corp warns of new attempt at independent oil sales

It had the potential to be an historic day, but in the end Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar failed to show up for a meeting with the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Fayez Seraj on Tuesday, February 14.
The talks in Cairo were organised by the Egyptian government and were originally meant to take place on Monday, February 13, but were postponed after neither party would agree to the conditions set by the other, according to the Libya Herald.
Tuesday’s talks were set to be chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and it was thought that his direct involvement would be enough to get the men to the negotiating table.
Reports state that Mr Haftar’s allies in Moscow and Cairo have been pressing him to meet with the GNA’s leader, but it appears that the Libyan National Army (LNA) strongman feels he can still improve his bargaining position before starting negotiations on his possible role within the revised unity government.
It is believed that he has been offered a role in the military, but that the position of commander-in-chief of the armed forces would be shared between the head of the Presidency Council (PC – the executive of the GNA), the head of the House of Representatives (HoR – the legislature currently based in Tobruk and against the current GNA) and the head of the State Council (a quasi-Senate that would share legislative functions with the HoR and be comprised of former members of the General National Congress – GNC).
Although the two men failed to meet, Egyptian army spokesman Mohamed Samir stated that they had agreed via indirect negotiations for the country to hold fresh parliamentary and presidential elections in February 2018.
A different spokesman, Tamer El-Rifai, said that they had agreed on the need for a joint committee to make “key changes” to the deal that set up the GNA.
However, sources within the Haftar camp told the Libya Herald that Mr Haftar had not agreed to the changes.
For his part, HoR President Ageela Saleh, who was also in Cairo, said that he would study the proposal before commenting.
Another proposal dismissed by Mr Haftar was the plan for a three-man presidency/executive for the unity government – Mr Haftar appears to be allergic to the very idea of power sharing.
While the talks were not quite a success, it is perhaps a positive signal that they came close to happening.
Mr Haftar, clearly has the upper hand and he will no doubt attempt to press his advantage so that he receives real power in the new political agreement.
For the other parties involved, there really is no change in the equation they are presented with. They cannot reject Mr Haftar completely while the LNA has control over the oil terminals and fields and is making progress towards securing control over areas in the south.
The only major negotiating strength they have, now that the US’s military support may be in doubt with the voting in of President Donald Trump, is the United Nations’ resolution stating that oil can only be exported legally from the country with the consent of the GNA. However, blocking oil exports in order to stamp their authority would be shooting themselves in the foot – the GNA’s legitimacy is already pitifully low.
Mr Haftar already has real power (the ability to get other actors to do things they would not freely choose to do), but he will keep pushing for it to be made official.﻿

Libya – Haftar gives Seraj the cold shoulder

<div id="article-byline">LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; The humanitarian catastrophe in Lake Chad basin, where conflict has left over 8 million people destitute with many &#8220;teetering on the brink of famine&#8221;, was the most neglected crisis in 2016, according to a survey of aid agencies.</div>
Following Lake Chad in a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of 19 leading aid groups were Yemen, where children are starving, and South Sudan where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fears genocide is about to start.
Overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq and the global refugee and migrant crisis, Lake Chad barely made the headlines this year, but aid organizations said the crisis was &#8220;on an epic scale&#8221; with &#8220;terrifying rates of child malnutrition&#8221;.
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&#8220;Syria broke my heart, but for out and out human suffering and almost zero media coverage, the food crisis sparked by Boko Haram in Nigeria and Niger was the pits,&#8221; said Suzanna Tkalec, humanitarian director at Caritas.
Boko Haram militants have displaced 2.4 million people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger during a seven-year campaign to create an Islamist caliphate.    
Oxfam said parts of northern Nigeria were already experiencing famine and Action Against Hunger warned many children were at risk of dying.
Almost 7 million people lack food but insecurity makes it hard for aid agencies to reach the most vulnerable.
International Medical Corps&#8217; programs director, Ognjen Radosavljevic, said border closures had disrupted markets, agriculture was collapsing and food was unaffordable.
&#8220;It is essential that the global community wakes up to the horrors &#8230; in this region,&#8221; he added.
 YEMEN &#8220;SHAMES US ALL&#8221;
Aid workers also warned of famine in Yemen where nearly two years of war between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iran-allied Houthi movement has pushed the Middle East&#8217;s poorest country to breaking point.
The crisis, exacerbated by restrictions on imports, has left over four fifths of the population struggling to find enough food and water to survive.
&#8220;That&#8217;s the highest level of humanitarian needs in the world and yet Yemen has received negligible media attention,&#8221; said Laurie Lee, head of CARE.
Eight in 10 children are stunted and every 10 minutes a child dies from preventable diseases, agencies say.
Some have warned that Yemen could run out of food within months.
&#8220;It is heart-breaking to already witness starving children,&#8221; said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, adding that all sides in the conflict were hampering aid deliveries.
&#8220;We must put an end to this man-made disaster that shames us all. If the situation is allowed to continue to deteriorate, it will result in famine across Yemen in 2017.&#8221;
 &#8220;OMINOUS SIGNS&#8221;
Several agencies sounded the alarm over South Sudan where there have been calls by the head of a U.N. human rights commission to deploy a 4,000-strong protection force to stop a &#8220;Rwanda-like&#8221; genocide.
&#8220;South Sudan passed the one million refugee mark this year, yet it is a crisis that has barely made the front pages,&#8221; said Mercy Corps&#8217; director Craig Redmond, adding that the world&#8217;s youngest country had overtaken Afghanistan as the most dangerous place to be an aid worker.
More than 3 million people have been uprooted by fighting, with 1.2 million seeking shelter in nearby countries.
Agencies said the response was chronically underfunded with the regional refugee plan getting only a third of the support it needed. 
<div class="related-content group-one">&#8220;In sheer scale it has become Africa&#8217;s biggest displacement crisis. And as 2017 approaches the signs are ominous that more suffering is to come,&#8221; U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi said.</div>
The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and World Vision named the fallout from the powerful 2015-2016 El Nino weather phenomenon as the most neglected crisis, saying over 60 million people remained affected worldwide.
In southern Africa, El Nino-induced drought has devastated farms, killed off livestock and crippled food production, with &#8220;alarming consequences&#8221;, said Garry Conille, IFRC&#8217;s head of operations.
&#8220;It is the poor and vulnerable once again who are suffering disproportionately and far too quietly,&#8221; added Conille, a former Haitian prime minister.
Libya and Myanmar, where renewed violence has uprooted many Rohingya Muslims, were also flagged up in the poll.
International Rescue Committee&#8217;s policy director Sanjayan Srikanthan said Libya, which has made headlines for the refugees and migrants leaving its shores for Europe, was in crisis.
Instability and fighting has left more than one in five Libyans needing humanitarian assistance and displaced 240,000 people, he said, adding that the healthcare system was on the brink of collapse.
Several agencies expressed alarm at the sheer number of neglected crises.
Christian Aid said 2016 was notable for &#8220;an emerging chasm between need and response&#8221; which threatened to undermine the foundations of humanitarian aid.
(Additional reporting Umberto Bacchi. Editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, women&#8217;s rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)﻿

Libya

Libya, Nigeria may attend OPEC, non-OPEC July meeting: Russia

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Libya’s oil production hits highest output since 2014 – NOC

Libya’s National Oil Corp warns of new attempt at independent oil sales

Libya – Haftar gives Seraj the cold shoulder

Lake Chad most neglected humanitarian crisis in 2016 – Report

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Libya

Libya, Nigeria may attend OPEC, non-OPEC July meeting: Russia

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Libya’s oil production hits highest output since 2014 – NOC

Libya’s National Oil Corp warns of new attempt at independent oil sales

Libya – Haftar gives Seraj the cold shoulder

Lake Chad most neglected humanitarian crisis in 2016 – Report

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