LIBYA: Provisional government chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil arrives in Tripoli for first time since his allies chased Muammar Gaddafi out of the city

Record ID: 809229

  • Title: LIBYA: Provisional government chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil arrives in Tripoli for first time since his allies chased Muammar Gaddafi out of the city
  • Date: 11th September 2011
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2011) (REUTERS) NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL SUPPORTERS GATHERED AROUND PLANE LIBYA'S PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT CHIEF MUSTAFA ABDEL JALIL SURROUNDED BY SUPPORTERS JALIL MAKING HIS WAY FROM PLANE SECURITY GUARDS CLEARING PATH FOR JALIL SECURITY GUARDS FOR JALIL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECURITY GUARD FOR JALIL, HANIF, SAYING: "We are proud to see him in our country. He's one of the good people, he's an excellent man."
  • Embargoed: 26th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD8I9IC58AR4V8S4ZUOJ4OHV53
  • Story Text: Libya's provisional government chief, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, arrived in the capital Tripoli on Saturday (September 10) for the first time since his allies chased Muammar Gaddafi out of the city.
    Abdel Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC), has been running the provisional administration from the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolt that overthrew Gaddafi in late August.
    As Jalil made his way to the car across the airport tarmac through thongs of supporters, one of his security guards, Hanif, said he was proud to see Jalil lead the country.
    "He's one of the good people, he's an excellent man," he said.
    NTC spokesman Jalal al-Gallal told Reuters said Jalil would meet his leadership team and the full NTC to start the next stage of building a new Libya.
    Jalil -- Gaddafi's former justice minister who defected at the start of the six-month civil war -- arrived in the city to the cheers of scores of his supporters waving NTC flags.
    One NTV supporter wearing an NTV headscarf said she hoped Jalil would do good things.
    "The Libyan nation is proud of Mustafa Jalil. The rebels like Mustafa Jalil and he's one of them. We hope he does good things for our country. Everybody knows Mustafa Jalil," she said.
    The arrival is a significant boost to the credibility of both Abdel Jalil and his new government.
    Libya's new leadership said last month it would set up a provisional government in Tripoli as part of its plans to build up democratic institutions in the country after the revolt.
    The NTC has said it will complete its move to Tripoli from Benghazi by the end of next week -- though previous forecasts have been followed by delays.
    Some of that hesitation seems to stem from long-standing regional rivalries and from a sense that Tripoli -- run by rebel brigades that swept in from towns and provinces eager for a share of power -- may not be a safe place for every official.
    The NTC's "timetable", which sets out plans for a new constitution and elections over a 20-month period, should start once the NTC declares Libya's "liberation".
    It has yet to do so and it is unclear exactly how the disparate groups which have taken over the country will define what constitutes "liberation".
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