| NTC to Start ‘Governing’ by Moving from Benghazi to Tripoli 26/08/2011 10:24:00 | ||
| Ali Tarhouni, finance minister in the rebels’ National Transitional Council, addresses a news conference in TripoliLibyan rebels will be starting their role as a government of Libya soon after announcing, late Thursday they were going to transfer their leadership from Benghazi to the country’s capital, Tripoli. National Transitional Council official Ali Tarhouni said the body had begun its planned move from Benghazi to Tripoli.In a sign Libya’s rebel authority was gradually taking over the levers of power from Al Qathafi, Ali Tarhouni, who is in charge of oil and financial matters for the council told journalists in a press briefing in Tripoli: “I proclaim the beginning of the resumption of the work of the executive office in Tripoli.”Ali Tarhouni said that Al Qathafi is still on the run, but his capture is not a prerequisite for setting up a new administration in the capital.”We can start rebuilding our country,” he told the news conference , adding that Al Qathafi “is the one who is basically in the sewer, moving from one sewer to another.”The shift of the NTC’s executive committee’s work to Tripoli is seen as a crucial step to smoothing over rifts in the country, fragmented by regional and tribal divisions, particularly between east and west.Ali Tarhouni became the first time an official from the rebel National Transitional Council was seen in the capital taking up the reins of government.In what appears to be another sign of optimism, Tarhouni said that Libya hoped to resume exporting crude oil next month and that damage to oil facilities during the fighting had been less than feared.“The NOC initial estimate is that we can have about 500,000 to 600,000 barrels within two to three weeks,” Ali Tarhouni said. “And then we ramp this up to the normal, which is about 1.6 (million). My expectation is that this will be done within a year or so,” he added.The NTC official went on to say that the state of the oil fields in Libya are a lot better than expected … “Most of the fields are more than 90 percent fine,” he said.The official pointed out that Tripoli will remain the capital of Libya, calling on the police to resume work and to restore order in the city.He paid tribute to “the martyrs” in the rebels’ fighting with forces loyal to Muammar Al Qathafi and expressed appreciation for the support offered by countries such as Britain and Qatar.Nonetheless, in order to begin installing an administration in a nation run for 42 years by a dictator, and as it starts offering jobs to young men now bearing arms, and to heal ethnic, tribal and other divisions that have been exacerbated by civil war, Libya’s new leaders are anxious for hard cash quickly.Ali Tarhouni said that the the National Transitionl Council will not take revenge on Al Qathafi loyalists, but on the other hand, must put Al Qathafi to justice. | ||
NTC to Start ‘Governing’ by Moving from Benghazi to Tripoli
**Amin Ahmed** is a Libyan journalist and contributor at TripoliPost, reporting on current affairs, business, and regional developments. With a keen eye for detail and a dedication to fair, balanced journalism, he delivers stories that keep readers informed about Libya and the world beyond its borders. He can be reached at amin.ahmed@tripolipost.com
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