Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council
TRIPOLI, Libya ─ Libya’s interim government chief, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, arrived in Tripoli on Saturday for the first time since his allies chased Muammar Gaddafi out of the city, a move that political analysts saw as key to his credibility.He made his first speech to a crowd of about 10,000 in the capital Tripoli yesterday, a sign of growing confidence from the former rebels.
The chairman of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) called on the movement’s fighters not to engage in reprisal attacks against remnants of the Gaddafi government.- Repeating a call made before, he also said that Islamic sharia law should be the new Libya’s main source for legislation.
- Abdel Jalil had been running the provisional administration from the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolt that overthrew Gaddafi in late August.
- NTC officials told Reuters they did not advertise the public appearance for fear pro-Gaddafi elements may attempt to disrupt it.
- Some of the hesitation in Abdel Jalil’s arrival in Tripoli after the all of Gaddafi seemed to stem from long-standing regional rivalries and from a sense that Tripoli run by rebel brigades that swept in from towns and provinces eager for a share of power ─ may not be a safe place for every official.
The NTC’s timetable which sets out plans for a new constitution and elections over a 20-month period should start once the NTC declares Libya’s “liberation”.It has yet to do so and it is unclear exactly how the disparate groups which have taken over the country will define what constitutes “liberation”.
Several parts of the country’s south and three major towns ─ Bani Walid, Sirte and Sabha ─ are still controlled by forces loyal to Gaddafi.
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