Benghazi protests spur NTC promise

2011-12-13

Hundreds of Libyans demonstrated Monday (December 12th) in Benghazi to express dissatisfaction with the National Transitional Council (NTC), AFP reported. NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil was singled out by the protesters for his willingness to forgive fighters of the slain dictator. At the Libya reconciliation conference in Tripoli on Saturday, Abdel Jalil voiced his willingness to "absorb" Kadhafi loyalists.

Faced with angry calls by protestors, the NTC late Monday announced that Benghazi would be the future "economic capital" of the North African country. NTC member Abdelrazzak al-Aradi said that ministries related to the economy would also be located in the eastern city.

Libya will set up a working army and police force within the next 100 days, AP quoted Abdel Jalil as saying on Monday. Major General Khalifa Belgasim Haftar, commander-in-chief of the army, said, however, that it would take at least three years for Libya to rebuild an army capable of protecting the country's vast desert borders.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/12/13/newsbrief-02.