Interim Libyan leader pleads for unity as tensions rise between factions

Mustafa Abdul Jalil battles to quell row between Islamists and secularists amid fears internal split could derail rebuilding effort Libya’s interim leader is facing a battle between conservative Islamic groups and secular figures as he struggles to unite multiple competing factions. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC), sought to quell anxiety over festering internal divisions in his first speech in Tripoli on Monday night. He told a crowd of about 10,000 people that sharia law should be the main source of legislation in Libya, but added: “We will not accept any extremist ideology We are a Muslim people, for a moderate Islam, and will stay on this road.” Splits have emerged in the country’s new leadership between Islamist conservatives and more secular figures, some of whom have long lived in exile or once had ties with Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. There are concerns that rising tensions could derail rebuilding efforts after six months of civil war. “Abdul Jalil is trying to keep the peace, and it’s a struggle between both sides, between the two powerful camps,” an official close to the NTC told the Associated Press. “He’s trying to maintain a balance between the two camps, and keep the international community happy. It’s very difficult.” Prominent Islamist figures include Abdul Hakim Belhaj, a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militant organisation that long opposed Gaddafi. He is now the commander of the Tripoli military council, which has called for the resignation of Mahmoud Jibril, the US-educated acting prime minister. Regional differences have also come to the fore, with rivalry between Tripoli and Benghazi and complaints from cities such as Misrata that their sacrifice is not being fully acknowledged. In his speech, Jalil also emphasised that women had played an important part in the revolution and would continue to do so. “Women will be ambassadors,” he said to cheers from women and girls in the crowd waving flags. “Women will be ministers.” Many of the women were dressed in the red, black and green of the revolution. Senior European officials negotiating with the leadership in Tripoli say it is drawing up ambitious plans to turn the country into the “beacon” of the Arab and Islamic worlds, but faces a lengthy and dangerous bout of infighting between rival factions. Agostino Miozzo, an Italian doctor and veteran of humanitarian emergencies who is the EU’s international crisis manager, emphasised that the leaders of the NTC were determined to resist international pressure and to decide the fate of their country themselves. “Tripoli seems to be moving fast towards normality, but they [the NTC] need time to fight the internal political struggle,” Agostino said, after spending more than a week in Tripoli establishing contact with the new rulers. “We have no idea of the southern part of the country. That will be most problematic in the coming months. This part is totally out of control.” European officials working on Libya and in regular touch with the new regime say they have been surprised by the resolve of the NTC to reject international pressure and to take its own decisions. The revolutionary leaders have compiled a “black book” of Gaddafi cronies, relatives and loyalists who can expect retribution for their roles under the dictatorship, but they are anxious to avoid the Iraq “de-Ba’athification” disaster. The vast majority of the Libyan army officer class, including those still fighting the NTC in places such as Sirte, should be incorporated into a post-Gaddafi military. Jalil has told Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, that “very few” army officers have been blacklisted. The NTC is using mobile phone messaging to urge bureaucrats in Tripoli to return to their desks. “They are requesting all staff professionals and all officials to the level of under-secretary of state to go back to work,” said Miozzo. As well as ongoing challenges from Gaddafi loyalist forces in parts of the country, the new leadership is riven by friction between Islamists and secularists, and tribal and regional tensions. Libya Middle East Africa Muammar Gaddafi David Smith Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 13, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.