Abd Raba Abdul Majid Albarrasi, head of the Barqa Executive Office, told Correspondents in an exclusive interview that Barqa will start selling oil from all ports within two weeks and will do so in accordance with the Libyan Constitution of 1951 and in accordance of Law No. 58, which specifies the mechanisms of distribution of oil revenues among the three regions of Libya.

Abd Raba Abdul Majid Albarrasi, head of the Barqa Executive Office, told Correspondents in an exclusive interview that Barqa will start selling oil from all ports within two weeks and will do so in accordance with the Libyan Constitution of 1951 and in accordance of Law No. 58, which specifies the mechanisms of distribution of oil revenues among the three regions of Libya.

Albarrasi said his office obtained an initial approval from the United Nations to begin selling oil, despite a deadline set by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan to open the oil ports. Barqa proclaimed itself an autonomous region in Libya last month, although this was rejected by the government of Libya.

Part 1:

Abd Raba Abdul Majid Albarrasi, you formed an executive office to manage the affairs of the region. Is this a legitimate step to take?

You know very well that the revolution of February 17 was a legitimate response to injustice and undemocratic governance. At that time, people and the youth were pushed into starting a revolution.

Now our legitimacy emanates from several factors, the top of which is a statement issued by the Barqa Youth Movement in Ras Lanuf and the poor performance of the government and the General National Congress (GNC). Basically, we have not seen any change compared to the past, rather we have seen a squandering of public funds, theft and bribery.

Our protest movement was initially peaceful, as we had demands and made statements and announcements, but neither the government nor the GNC paid any attention to us. Now our legitimacy emanates from our objective to end the injustice that befell us.

Yes, but taking this step (declaring the independence of Barqa) without holding a referendum caused a split within the community of Barqa.

Holding a referendum under the incumbent state is the duty of the GNC and the government. We had submitted a memorandum at the beginning of the protest movement to hold a referendum by the people of Barqa about federalism, and the residents of Barqa said they would say yes in the referendum. Although the government has not yet responded, we are still ready to hold a referendum.

What criteria and constraints have you observed in selecting officials in charge of the executive office files?

The main criteria will be experience and qualifications. Second, the person in charge should have a clean record. Also we took social components into consideration and tried to reconcile several key criteria.

How much support do you have from the tribes of Barqa?

I assure you that 80 percent of Barqa’s tribes support us.

How do you plan to deal with the ten-day deadline Prime Minister Ali Zeidan gave to you to open the oil ports?

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has often used the language of threats, but our response was practical by establishing an oil installation. Second, we know that Prime Minister Zeidan does not have the legitimate power to respond to anything. What he is saying now will drag the region into a civil war, which we hope will not take place, because the weapons are in the hands of battalions affiliated with several parties and blocs.

But he threatened to bomb any oil shipment coming to seaports without the approval of the National Oil Corporation?

Any bombing will be illegal, according to international conventions and laws. He can make any statement or issue orders to prevent any shipment from entering territorial waters, but we have made arrangements with the parties in charge because we cannot put any tanker at risk.

What are these arrangements?

We have made arrangements with the United Nations, relevant oil companies, and countries formerly contracting with the Libyan state. We are also holding talks with the United Nations and OPEC as the previous government and Ali Zeidan’s government are now under suspicion, yet no investigation has been opened to reveal facts.

What are the preliminary results of these talks?

We have obtained initial approval from the United Nations.

When do you expect the selling of oil will start?

Within two weeks, God willing.

And from which oil ports you will sell the oil?

We will start in all ports.

What about the oil flow meters, the malfunction of which has led to the closure of the ports?

We have installed new meters of the highest quality and specifications and they run under international supervision.

News websites reported on a meeting you and the head of the Barqa Political Bureau held with a European Union delegation. How true is this?

We have not held official meetings yet, but we made contacts.

What is the mechanism through which funds coming from oil sales will be used in the region? What guarantees do you have to ensure that the funds will be used according to a sound administrative financial system, and that these funds will not be squandered as citizens complained under the rule of the GNC and the incumbent government?

We can guarantee this by referring to the Constitution of 1951 and by reviewing Law No. 58 on the distribution of oil revenues among the three regions. Also, we have established the Federal National Bank, and we will receive and dispose of funds through official channels and under the supervision of officials in charge of finance, economy, trade and oil.

There are concerns, especially in western and southern Libya, that the Barqa Political Bureau will oil monopolize oil revenues. What are your guarantees that this will not happen?

We have asked for UN supervision, and when we receive the share of the Barqa region, the shares of the two other regions will either be at the disposal of the United Nations or a certain party to be to run the affairs of these regions. We want to have the share of Barqa only. Even if we sell all the oil of Libya, we will only take the share of the Barqa region.

There are tribal balances within Barqa, and sometimes conflicts among some tribes, particularly the tribes of Al-Maghariba and Al-Zawiya, as well as conflicts between Al-Zawiya and Al-Tabu. This is in addition to the combination of Bedouins and urban people in Murabitin and Sa’adi. How do you deal with this mosaic in the region?

We deal with it through fair distribution of the portfolios of the executive office, as testified by all parties. We have tried to represent all tribes and components. I reassure the residents of Barqa that we announced repeatedly that the people of Barqa from various tribes and brothers coming from the west will have equal rights and duties. We have also presented a code of honor to this respect. We reassured the people of Barqa that nobody will suffer injustice or be deprived of rights for tribal or ethnic reasons. This will be out of the question.

Will there be a specific term for the executive office?

We consider all of what is going on as a transitional phase, and the term will be determined by the progress and fulfillment of objectives.  Once the Constitution of 1951 is approved and Libya becomes a federal state, we will readily announce elections and leave matters to the people of Barqa.