A deal to lift an armed blockade of Libyan oil ports and restart
exports could be possible within two weeks, after talks with the
government advanced on key demands, a senior leader of the protest
movement said.
Abb-Rabbo al-Barassi, prime minister of the self-declared eastern
region government, told Reuters that Tripoli and his federalist movement
are closing the gap, and a deal to resolve the standoff at oil ports
could be weeks away.
“I see progress with the state, the government, the General National
Congress assembly,” he said in an interview at the group’s base in
Ajdabiya. “I think it won’t take longer than two weeks to reach a deal,
God willing. Maybe even less than that.”
The group, led by a former rebel who once battled leader Muammar
Gaddafi, seized three major eastern ports in summer to demand a greater
share of oil wealth and more regional autonomy, choking off 600,000
barrels per day of oil exports.
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan’s government in Tripoli has been trying to
reopen the ports as it faces a budget crunch that risks deepening unrest
in the OPEC producer. Oil exports, Libya’s lifeline, have more than
halved since summer.
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