TRIPOLI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Government of National Unity on Thursday appointed a new chairman for the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) despite the opposition of the former head.
"I thank the Government of National Unity for appointing a new board of directors," Farhat Gdora, the new NOC chairman, told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.
"I would also like to stress that the board includes an elite group of diverse national experts in terms of competence, who will provide an integrated environment to lead this sector toward success," he said.
Gdora stressed the need to support the Libyan oil sector, the country's main source of income, and keep it away from political rivalry.
However, former NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla dismissed the Tripoli government's decision as illegal and void because its mandate has "expired."
Libya has been suffering escalating violence and unrest ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. The country is currently divided between a government that was appointed by the House of Representatives in March, and the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity that refuses to hand over power until a new government is elected. ■
