Dubai: The Libyan Consulate in Dubai hosted an event to welcome the Libyan community in the UAE and to mark the re-opening of basic consular services under the authority of the National Transitional Council.
The new Libyan Ambassador to the UAE, Dr Aref Ali Nayed, on Friday evening, welcomed the Libyan community to their newly reopened consular facilities, and invited Shaikh Dukali Mohammad Alalem, Libya's foremost Quranic reciter, to lead the attendees in prayer.
Dr Nayed, made a speech to the Libyan community in Dubai who were invited to their new consular facilities, saying: ‘This consulate is open today and will never close.' The
Embassy reopens for basic consular services from Sunday.
The programme began with the Taraweeh prayer at the Libyan Consulate in Bur Dubai.
Sole representative
The UAE, on June 12, announced that it recognises the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legal and sole representative of the Libyan people.
The announcement was made by the Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan UAE Foreign Minister.
"This recognition comes out of the UAE's keenness to its good relations with the Libyan people and its Arab commitment to Libya's territorial unity and the future of its people," Shaikh Abdullah had said.
Shaikh Abdullah said the UAE will open a representative office in Benghazi soon. The UAE held the third meeting of the Libya Contact Group in Abu Dhabi in June.
Over 20 foreign ministers and representatives of regional and international organisations had attended the meeting.
The Contact Group called at its first meeting in April in Qatar on Gaddafi to step down. At the second meeting in Rome in May, the group stressed the need for tangible support for the Libyan Transitional National Council.
