CAIRO (dpa): A decision by tribal leaders in oil-producing eastern Libya to declare the region as semi-autonomous is “final and irreversible”, a leader in the region said on Thursday. “We do not accept any call for dialogue aimed at reversing our declaration of Barqa a federal region,” Ahmed al-Senussi, said, using the Arabic name for the region of Cyrenaica in eastern Libya. Tribal leaders in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday declared Cyrenaica to be semi-autonomous, in a move that has raised fears that the North African country could eventually be divided. “We have chosen a system that ensures that our region will not be marginalized again. This is a final and irreversible decision,” added al-Senussi, who was chosen by pro-federalists to head Cyrenaica's local council. Al-Senussi was a prominent opponent to the rule of Gaddafi and spent almost 31 years in prison. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the ruling interim National Transitional Council (NTC) based in the capital Tripoli, has threatened to use force if necessary to keep Libya united. “If he has force, let him use it,” al-Senussi said. “He has no real force to control what is taking place in Tripoli or in the western areas where tribal clashes occasionally erupt,” added al-Senussi, a former founding member of the NTC. In recent months, Libya has witnessed clashes between former rebel forces who fought together to oust Gaddafi. Efforts to revive the country's federal system put regional leaders at odds with NTC leaders, who back decentralization, but oppose a federalist system. Al-Senussi denied that the call for semi-autonomy in Cyrenaica was motivated by a desire to control the region's oil. “Oil is for all Libyans. We do not want to control it,” he said. He denied that the region would have its own army. “We will be under the country's army, but the administration of the region will be responsible for its police.” The pro-federalists in Cyrenaica say the move for autonomy is meant to end decades of marginalization under Gaddafi. In the early 20th century, Libya was divided into three federations—Tripolitania in the north-west, Fezzan in the south-west, and Cyrenaica in the east. The system was abolished after the 1969 coup led by Gaddafi. Cyrenaica is the first region to choose to revive the federal system. Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, was captured and killed in his hometown Sirte in October. The interim government has been facing demands to speed up implementation of economic, social and security reforms. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/wch5H Tags: Defiant, Leader, Libya Section: International, Latest News, Libya
