TRIPOLI, Sept 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States, declared support for the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya’s UN-backed government.
“We fully support Libya’s NOC as the country’s sole independent, legitimate and nonpartisan oil company,” said a joint statement issued by these countries.
“Now is the time to consolidate national economic institutions, rather than break them apart. For the sake of Libya’s political and economic stability, and the well-being of all its citizens, we exclusively support the NOC and its crucial role on behalf of all Libyans,” they said.
A few days ago, NOC condemned attempts to divide its subsidiary company, Brega Petroleum Marketing Company (BPMC), by some of BPMC’s board members and the eastern-based army.
Libya is politically divided in east and west, each of which has its own oil corporation.
However, the international community only recognises the NOC of the UN-backed government, based in Tripoli.
The eastern-based government claimed that the NOC has decreased supplies of aircraft fuel to areas controlled by the eastern-based army, in order to prevent the army from using the supplies in the current fighting against the UN-backed government, in and around the capital.
NOC Chairman denied reducing fuel supplies to the eastern and central regions, claiming that the fuel provided is “more than adequate for civilian purposes.”– NNN-XINHUA