WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Libyan government has managed to resolve its oil crisis and all ports are in operation, the Libyan prime minister said from Washington.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit as his administration took steps to end a period of political change. The new parliament met for the first time Monday about 900 miles east of Tripoli, where pro-government forces are battling heavily armed militias.
Thinni said he valued Washington's role in helping bring stability to the region, including a decision to raid a vessel loaded with oil taken from rebel-held territory earlier this year.
"As a result, the Libyan government has managed to solve the crisis of the oil," he said in a statement Monday. "We have four oil ports that are able to export oil."
Data provided by the Platts energy news service show oil production from Libya is recovering from the June low of 150,000 barrels per day, but is well short of the 1.5 million bpd produced before the onset of the post-war security crisis in May 2013.
With hundreds of people dead in the latest spate of fighting, Kerry said Libya was in a critical stage of transition.
"Libya's challenges can really only be solved by Libyans themselves, but we are committed to stand by them as they engage in the difficult work of doing so," he said in a statement.
