By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 9 March 2014:
Members of the General National Congress (GNC) have asked for General Chief of Staff Jadallah Al-Obaidi to . . .[restrict]be recalled to Tripoli over his failure to take action against the North Korean-flagged tanker Morning Glory which illegally loaded oil from Es-Sider yesterday.
A number of members at this morning’s GNC sitting called for Obaidi’s dismissal saying he had not taken sufficient steps to protect national sovereignty.
GNC spokesman Omar Hemidan told the Libyan news agency LANA that there would be resolute action from authorities to restore control of the ports. “Congress will not stand idle,” he was quoted as saying. “There will be serious action taken to ensure no further aggression against Libyan sovereignty.”
He added that the head of Congress, Nuri Abu Shamain, had opened the morning sitting stating that all possible efforts were being made to ensure the tanker did not leave Libyan waters and was not able to sell the smuggled oil. Abu Sahmain said what had happened was an affront to the dignity of all Libyans.
At the same time, the Attorney General has prepared an arrest warrant for the crew aboard the North Korean-flagged vessel and anyone involved in the incident. The warrant also stipulated the seizure of the tanker, in accordance with the law.
Independent Congressman for Zawia Ahmed Yaqoub told the Libya Herald that Obaidi had not appeared in front of Congress today because he was out of Tripoli.
He said that Obaidi would be quizzed at the next GNC sitting over his delay at taking action against the tanker. Yaqoub added that Congress had tried repeatedly to contact the heads of the Air Force and the Navy but with no response.
Benghazi Congressman and member of the Oil and Energy Committee Ali Refae Zubi said action was being planned over the blockade at the eastern ports but measures could not be divulged for security reasons.
A Ministry of Defence official said yesterday that the Air Force did not want to attack the terminal because it was felt this would mean intervening in a political issue and could lead to the deaths of civilians. The source also said there were concerns about the potential environmental impact of an oil spill in the Mediterranean if the tanker was hit.
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