Minister of Oil and Gas in the interim Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), Mohamed Aoun rejected local and foreign calls to distribute the country’s oil revenues on a sectorial basis, noting that such a move would spark disputes.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he stressed that the country’s oil revenues were equitably distributed among the cities.
He pointed to the presence of a general budget, in which the amounts earmarked for development projects across the country were equal, whether to build schools, hospitals, roads, water, power stations and other.
The Parliament had decided in its last session to assign a committee of experts to prepare a plan for distributing oil and gas revenues, and to find a fair mechanism that would benefit the entire Libyan population.
“Oil revenues are actually distributed fairly, through 35 ministries in the government. Moreover, development projects are to be planned in various Libyan cities, based on agreements between municipalities and the Ministry of Planning,” the minister told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Asked about the situation in southern Libya, which is witnessing a fuel shortage, Aoun replied that his ministry was sending sufficient quantities throughout the country, through the Oil Corporation and its subsidiary, Brega Company.
He said the crisis was caused by the widespread smuggling of fuel.
On a different note, Aoun said he enjoys excellent relations with the new head of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, Farhat Bengdara.
He stressed that efforts were currently focused on developing work and taking advantage of the exceptional budget granted by the GNU to the corporation, which is estimated at more than 34 billion Libyan dinars, 16 billion dinars of which would be allocated for development and exploration plans and the establishment of capital projects that would increase production.
The minister noted that his country was currently producing 1.2 million oil barrels per day, in addition to exporting nearly 300 million cubic feet of gas per day to Italy.
