The Acting Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Masoud Suleiman, held a meeting in Tripoli today with the Head of the Petroleum Facilities Guard, Brigadier General Abdul Razzaq Al-Khurmani.
The meeting notably comes after the Petroleum Facilities Guard, affiliated with the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, announced shut down of all oil facilities today including the Greenstream pipeline which links gas supply between Libya and Italy. The Guard claimed they’re protesting Dbeibeh’s disregard for their demand to officially recognize the group as security force under the authority of NOC among other demands.
Al-Khurmani discussed the Guard’s demands with Suleiman while the latter urged protection of staff and property at oil sites, according to a statement by the NOC.
Suleiman insisted that oil sites “must be kept away from any tensions”, urging the Guard to “follow official and legal channels to implement their demand”.
Libyan oilfields have been the target of numerous shutdowns by both protesters and armed groups in recent years. The closure is spurring fears domestically and abroad at a time of global market turbulence.