The Minister of Foreign Affairs for Libya’s Interim Government, Abdulhadi Al-Hwaij, inspected the oil ports in Brega and Sidra. This was to follow up on the work of the Petroleum Facilities Guard in securing the oil fields.
Al-Hwaij was accompanied by the Petroleum Facilities Guard’s (PFG) Head Naji Al-Maghrabi. He inspected the preparations undertaken by the PFG to secure the fields, and companies operating in Brega. Al-Hwaij stated that the Sirte Oil Company’s Chairman Masoud Suleiman provided an explanation of the mechanisms for pumping gas to power stations.
The FM also visited the port of Sidra, and was accompanied by Major General Musa Al-Madani, commander of the Sidra operations room, and the head of the Sidra company.
Al-Hwaij claimed that the aim of this visit is to clarify that those guarding the oil installations were in fact Libyans. He stressed that there is no foreign presence, except for technicians working in the oil companies. He added that oil is the property of all Libyans, and that the ports and fields enjoy a high degree of security. He called on the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to work to lift the force majeure on all oil ports, and to stay away from political conflicts.
Al-Hwaij emphasized the importance of reopening airports and organising the return of foreign workers into the fields. He also called on international oil companies to reinvest in the Libyan oil sector.
Last Friday, the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, announced the resumption of oil production. During a televised statement, Haftar explained that production will resume, according to procedures that would ensure a fair distribution of the oil revenues. The procedures will prevent using funds to be disbursed in support of militias, extremists, and foreign mercenaries.