Tripoli, March 18: The Libyan authorities now control the port and airport at Misurata, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman.
Ziad Abdelali . . .[restrict]said that “all ports have been handed over,” including the airport as well as city checkpoints. However, he said that negotiations were ongoing with the Zintan brigade which still continued to control Tripoli International Airport. He believed that resolving the issue was merely “a matter of time”.
On February 21, the government ordered militias to hand over all ports and airports to the national authorities giving them a deadline of Monday, March 5. Brigades in the east of the country complied with the order but those in the west did not.
This then led to a national conference in Misrata which on March 8 ordered all remaining revolutionary brigades to return to their home towns and hand over all ports, airports, border crossings, checkpoints, camps and other properties and assets held by them to state control.
The Zintan brigade controlling the airport agreed to do so. However, it was reported at the time that it had done reluctantly but had been forced to agree following threats from Zintan council. [/restrict]
