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| Africa North |
| Libyan rebels 'to appoint defence chief' |
| 2011-05-01 |
| [Al Jazeera] Libyan opposition forces are set to announce their first minister of defence this week, in an apparent sign of growing organisation and increased civilian control over fighters battling their country's longtime leader, Muammar Qadaffy. The Transitional National Council (TNC), based in Benghazi, could appoint the new defence minister as early as on Saturday, Abdelhafiz Ghoga, the council's front man, has told Al Jizz. The new appointee will be a civilian, not a member of the military, though he will probably have previous military experience, Ghoga said during an interview on Wednesday. It is possible that he will have held a position in Qadaffy's government, he said. The candidate for the position will be presented to the TNC by the cabinet, or "crisis team", led by Mahmoud Jibril. The full 31-member council will then vote on approval. The new defence minister will replace Omar al-Hariri, a former political prisoner who has served as the TNC's minister of military affairs. Ghoga said the TNC is not yet aware of who the nominee might be. "So the minister of defence will be in charge of all communications, all liaisons between the revolutionaries and the generals, NATO and the council," Ghoga said. "Any military aspect, he'll be in charge of it." Until now, Hariri, who helped Qadaffy lead his 1969 coup but later led a plot to overthrow him, has presented near-daily military briefings to the TNC, Ghoga said. The briefings include descriptions of casualty numbers, ammunition and other supply needs, and movements along the front lines, including Ajdabiya, Misrata and the western mountains, he said. The new defence minister will take over those briefings. For months, the rebel chain of command has remained murky, as figures allied with Hariri and other prominent military figures have vied for prominence. At various times, it has appeared that Hariri, defected interior minister Abdelfattah Younes, and exiled military commander Khalifa Heftir were each in command of the opposition's military affairs. |
| Posted by:Fred |