Interim Libyan Prime Minister Pledges New Cabinet Within 10 Days

Mahmud Jibril

The prime minister in Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) says he now hopes a new Libyan government will be formed within 10 days.

Interim Prime Minister Mahmud Jibril, speaking in New York at a Group of Eight conference on the "Arab Spring" protests, said it was not yet decided whether ministries of the new government would be based in the capital, Tripoli, or divided between the west and east of Libya.

The NTC has been based in the eastern city of Benghazi, while Tripoli, the former base of ousted ruler Muammar Qaddafi, is in the west.

"I am not bothered by the time we are consuming to bring about some sort of national consensus behind this government," Jibril said. "I expect the government to be announced within a week to 10 days maximum. Most of the work has been done. It is a question of the number of ministries included, the location of those ministries, and are they all going to all be in Tripoli or are they going to be divided between east and west. That is a possibility."

The unveiling of a post-Qaddafi government had originally been planned for last weeky, but the NTC said no new cabinet lineup had yet been agreed.

After the appointment of a new cabinet, the internationally recognized interim regime has pledged to work toward elections and to draft a new constitution.

Though Qaddafi has been driven from power in Tripoli, forces backed by the interim government are continuing to battle armed Qaddafi loyalists in several towns.

compiled from agency reports