Tripoli, March 11: NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil announced on Friday that the NTC will approve a general budget as well . . .[restrict]as an emergency budget in the next two days.
On February 29, it was announced by the prime minister’s office that the government had drawn up a LD 68.5 billion budget and sent it to the NTC for approval. It is the biggest budget in Libyan history but so far no details have emerged.
Speaking on Friday in an interview with Libya Alhura TV, Jalil said the government had a great deal to do at this point in time but called on it to move quicker and implement promised policy programs. In particular, he called on it to provide support for local councils and appoint government representatives in various cities, as well as adopt international standards and follow up agreements made with other countries.
Jalil pointed out that in the time since the NTC and the interim government had been appointed, they had to work in the face of strikes and protests, especially in the west of the country, which made government difficult.
In regards to the proposed federal state which, which he said was totally rejected by Libyans, Jalil said that the establishment of more than 50 local councils each with their own budgets would abolish centralization and ensure localization of services.
He said that the program prepared by the Ministry of Local Government is to establish provinces, municipalities, municipal branches and districts and that this seemed a very realistic proposal but that it would be up to the Libyans themselves to decide what constitutional system of government they want.
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