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The conference declared that the eastern state, known as Barqa, would have its own parliament, police force, courts and capital Benghazi, the country's second largest city to run its own affairs. Foreign policy, the national army and oil resources would be left to the central government in the capital Tripoli in western Libya. Barqa would cover nearly half the country, from the center to the Egyptian border in the east and down to the borders with Chad and Sudan in the south.
"Some Arab nations, unfortunately, have supported and encouraged this to happen," he said, without naming any countries. "These nations are funding this kind of unacceptable strife," he added at a news conference in Tripoli. "What happened today is the beginning of a conspiracy against Libya and Libyans. "
The goal for the east now is to revive the system in place from 1951 until 1963, when Libya, ruled by a monarchy, was divided into three states: Tripolitania in the west, Fezzan in the southwest and Cyrenaica in the east or Barqa, as it was called in Arabic.
It rejected a draft law by the NTC on the planned June election that would give the east 60 seats in the assembly, compared to around 102 for the west. Drafters say that reflects the west's larger population, but easterners see it as a continuation of discrimination.
Among those who attended the Benghazi conference were top leaders of heavyweight eastern tribes, including the Ubaidat, Mughariba and Awajeer, which hold a powerful sway over large sectors of the population in the east. Also attending were commanders from the Barqa Army, a grouping of 61 eastern "revolutionary militias." Several senior Defense Ministry officials also attended and supported the declaration.
Speaking to the AP after the conference, al-Zubair rejected Tripoli's accusations that the east had received encouragement from abroad, saying the decision to declare a semiautonomous state was voted on by local tribal leaders and officials
Full Details here.
"Some Arab nations, unfortunately, have supported and encouraged this to happen," he said, without naming any countries. "These nations are funding this kind of unacceptable strife," he added at a news conference in Tripoli. "What happened today is the beginning of a conspiracy against Libya and Libyans. "
The goal for the east now is to revive the system in place from 1951 until 1963, when Libya, ruled by a monarchy, was divided into three states: Tripolitania in the west, Fezzan in the southwest and Cyrenaica in the east or Barqa, as it was called in Arabic.
It rejected a draft law by the NTC on the planned June election that would give the east 60 seats in the assembly, compared to around 102 for the west. Drafters say that reflects the west's larger population, but easterners see it as a continuation of discrimination.
Among those who attended the Benghazi conference were top leaders of heavyweight eastern tribes, including the Ubaidat, Mughariba and Awajeer, which hold a powerful sway over large sectors of the population in the east. Also attending were commanders from the Barqa Army, a grouping of 61 eastern "revolutionary militias." Several senior Defense Ministry officials also attended and supported the declaration.
Speaking to the AP after the conference, al-Zubair rejected Tripoli's accusations that the east had received encouragement from abroad, saying the decision to declare a semiautonomous state was voted on by local tribal leaders and officials
Full Details here.
