The newly appointed Chairman of the National Oil Corporation, Farhat Bengdara, arrived at the NOC's HQ on Thursday morning, promising oil workers a salary increase and ensuring foreign partners that all agreements would be preserved.

In a press statement at the NOC's HQ in Tripoli, Bengdara revealed that he had contacts with the US diplomatic mission in Libya, which expressed concerns that oil revenues could be tampered with or used against specific parties.

"These concerns have been answered, and the matter has been clarified to foreign partners... (including France and other states)." 

He said his assignment enjoyed consensus between international and local parties, noting that all agreed on the importance of protecting the sector from the political struggle.

"The oil sector has become part of the political strife, but we will work to prevent political interference in the sector."

The former Central Bank governor reiterated the importance under the current conditions to regain Libya's oil and gas export capacity as quickly as possible.

On Wednesday, PM Dbeibah issued a decree appointing Farhat Bengdara and four others to make up the board of directors of the National Oil Corporation, ending Sanalla's eight-year stewardship.

Bengdara chaired Libya's Central Bank during the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi between 2006 and 2011 before he joined the uprising that overthrew Gaddafi and killed him.

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