By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 30 July 2013:
The Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), the Libyan Army unit tasked with the protection of Libya’s oil facilities, has had a new head appointed.
Its new head is Staff Brigadier Rasheed Mohammed Saleh Alsabri.
The decision was signed by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who is acting as Defence Minister until the position vacated by former Defence Minister Baraghthi is filled.
At yesterday’s press conference, Zeidan revealed that he had on the same day finally presented his nomination for Defence Minister to the GNC.
He admitted that he had interviewed “more than 35 people” for the post of Defence Minister. He was equally frank in revealing that “most interviewees did not want the job in present circumstances”.
Appointing a strong head of the PFG that is accepted by all regional, tribal and political affiliation is very important as the Zeidan government tries to keep a lid on internal clashes between the army and the militias, and on the sudden spike in insecurity and disorder that Libya has been facing over the last two weeks.
Late yesterday, Zeidan’s new nomination for the post of Chief of Staff, Colonel Abdulsalam Jad Allah Al-Salheen Al-Obaidi, was approved by the GNC. [/restrict]
