Libyan Rebel Leader Won't Let Oil Ports Reopen

A Libyan rebel leader said Sunday his group won't let oil ports reopen because his demands for greater regional autonomy hadn't been met.

The news came despite an announcement last week that leaders of tribes--including one to which the militiaman belongs--had agreed to end the terminals' blockade.

"We have failed to reach an agreement on the conditions...therefore, the ports will not be reopened," Ibrahim al-Jathran, the leader of the main militia blocking the ports, was quoted as saying on a Facebook page representing him.

An assistant to Mr. al-Jathran confirmed his announcement but said Mr. al-Jathran wasn't available for comment.

Mr. al-Jathran, who maintains he is seeking oil-revenue control for the eastern province of Cyrenaica , has kept several oil terminals closed for more than four months, reducing the country's exports to a trickle. He set three conditions for the ports to be reopened: an investigation by an independent judicial committee of the management of oil revenue, formation of a commission by Libya 's three main provinces to supervise oil exports, and adherence to a 1951 constitution that enshrined a federal system.

The Cyrenaica Transitional Council, a movement to which Mr. al-Jathran belongs, supports the 1951 constitution, which was abolished when Col. Moammar Gadhafi engineered his coup in 1969. The federalist group advocate for a federal system of government, notably the sharing of oil revenue between the country's three main regions.

Government officials and lawmakers last week said an agreement had been reached between tribal leaders to reopen the port in exchange for greater regional oversight of oil exports.

But earlier Sunday, Mr. al-Jathran distanced himself from the deal, which he hadn't explicitly rejected. "The decision is not in the hands of one tribe or one side but is a matter for all the components of the Barka [Cyrenaica] province," he was quoted as saying on his Facebook page

On another federalist website, he also reiterated his group would start to market oil from the terminals he controls. Oil experts, however, say no international buyer would risk purchasing from him.

On another Libyan Facebook page, Mr. al-Jathran Sunday warned he had the military power to respond to the government "should it consider ending the siege by using military force."

Libya 's embattled central government has previously warned it would send forces--effectively other militia loyal to Tripoli --to restore control of the ports.

As of Sunday morning, however, none of the blocked oil ports--located in the center and east of the country--had restarted operations, oil officials said.

"I am not very optimistic," one top official at the country's National Oil Co. said.