France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States state that Libyan vital oil resources should remain under exclusive control of National Oil Corporation

Libya Observer: France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States have issued a joint statement demanding keeping the Libyan vital oil resources, facilities and terminals under the exclusive control of the legitimate National Oil Corporation and the sole oversight of the “Government of National Accord (GNA.)”

“We are deeply concerned about the announcement that the Ras Lanuf and Sidra oil fields and facilities will be transferred to the control of an entity other than the legitimate National Oil Corporation. Libya’s oil facilities, production, and revenues belong to the Libyan people.” The statement remarked on Wednesday.

“UN Security Council Resolution 2362 (2017) condemns attempts to illicitly export petroleum, including crude oil and refined petroleum products, from Libya by parallel institutions which are not acting under the authority of the GNA.” Reads the statement.

The statement explained as well that any attempts to circumvent the UN Security Council’s Libya sanctions regime will cause deep harm to Libya’s economy, exacerbate its humanitarian crisis, and undermine its broader stability, indicating that the international community will hold those who undermine Libya’s peace, security, and stability to account.

The western countries’ statement also urged all armed actors to cease hostilities and withdraw immediately from oil installations without conditions before further damage occurs in the oil crescent region.

The four-country statement said the legitimate NOC must be allowed again to take up unhindered work on behalf of the Libyan people, to repair infrastructure damaged after the attack by forces under the direction of Ibrahim Jodran, and to restore the oil exports and production disrupted by that attack.

In the meantime the European Union said it is going to oppose any attempt to sell or purchase Libyan oil outside the official channels managed by the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC,) a statement by the EU’s foreign affairs department Maja Kocijančič said on Thursday.

The statement of the EU explained that oil infrastructure, production, and export need to remain under the exclusive control of the Tripoli-based NOC, with all oil revenues transferred to the Central Bank of Libya (CBL).

“Recent statements calling for oil exports from the eastern oil terminals to be approved by entities other than the legitimate NOC are therefore unacceptable and contravene UN Security Council Resolutions.” The statement reads.

It remarked that any illegal action that may jeopardize the Libyan oil industry must be avoided.

Khalifa Haftar ordered the handover of oil terminals to the parallel NOC in Benghazi which operates under the Interim Government in east Libya. Local reactions were more of rejection than acceptance.

The parallel NOC started operating in the oil crescent region as its Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) disallowed an oil vessel from entering Hariga oil terminal in Tobruk as it wanted to ship crude as per an agreement with Tripoli’s NOC.