Husni Bey: Handover of Libya’s oil terminals is “tactical mistake that could divide the country”

Libyan businessman Husni Bey told Libyan News on Saturday that “The LNA’s decision to transfer authority of the Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports to the eastern parallel National Oil Corporation (NOC) is a serious tactical mistake which should be reconsidered.

“This decision undermines the future prospects of a united Libya.” Mr. Bey added, speaking to the Libyan News.

He also said unifying and democratising Libya is key to finding solutions to common problems and should not include the transfer of key oil assets to a parallel government.

Husni Bey is chairman of the HB Group, one of the biggest importers of food, consumer goods and commodities in Libya.

Meanwhile, the Libyan economist Sulaiman Al-Shohoumi also called exporting Libya’s oil in compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions which all prevent oil exportation via any other bodies than the GNA’s National Oil Corporation based in Tripoli.

He added that suspension of oil exports will affect Libya’s Central Bank of Libya and the performance of the GNA regarding expenditure and thus cause the economy to get closer to collapse.

Khalifa Haftar announced Monday the handover of oil installations under the control of his self-styled army to the Benghazi-based NOC that rivals Libya’s UN-backed government.

The warlord’s announcement came just hours after his “Libyan National Army ” said it had driven a the forces led by Ibrahim Jodran out of the country’s oil crescent and regained “full control” of the area.