TRIPOLI – Talks were held Monday and Sunday between Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur and a number of political parties and independent figures on forming the new government. “I have met some party leaders and independents as part of the outreach to form the government today and yesterday,” Abushagur tweeted Monday evening. The Tripoli rumor mill has been in overdrive these past couple of days as speculation intensified about who would be appointed. Figures close to the new prime minister, however, deny reports that a cabinet has already been decided and will go for approval to the General National Congress in the next couple of days. “It's not true”, a close colleague of Abushagur told the Libya Herald. “He has only just has set up a committee to assess potential ministers. Names were being received and studied, the colleague said, but no decisions on appointments had been taken so far. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Jibril's National Forces Alliance is said to have denied that it has refused to serve in the new government. Last week it was widely reported that Jibril had said that none of the members of the alliance would accept posts in the new cabinet and that it would act as a strong opposition to the government. Abushagur has said that he wants to lead a government of national unity which would include all the main parties. – Libya Herald
