(Mideast Mirror-7Mar12) The declaration of the eastern Libyan province of Barqa (Cyrenaica) as a semi-autonomous federal province confirms the worst concerns expressed by the late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, claims an editorial in the pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi. The fear is that this may lead to bloody clashes between supporters and opponents. Barqa Province - which may later develop into an independent state, similar to what is happening in the Kurdistan province in Iraq - is the richest province in the country. Most of the country's oil reserves are located there. And this means that the other two provinces - Tripoli in the west and Fazzan in the east - may be denied access to this fortune which yields over $60 billion for the country every year.
2012-03-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive