TRIPOLI – Security is reported to be under review at Libyan oilfields following the attack early this morning, Wednesday, by militants on an oilfield just across the border in Algeria. Prime Minister Ali Zidan, who has made border security a major plank of his policies, was clearly concerned about the attack at the weekly government press conference this late this afternoon. “We are serious in protecting our petroleum installations”, he said when asked about the safety of oil workers in Libya. “God willing, no oil workers will be abducted. . . If oil workers are abducted — we cannot rule it out — we will deal with it,” he said. Although the Algerian oil minister has said that the militants are from neither Libya nor Mali, there are continuing concerns about the smuggling of weapons from Libya to elsewhere as well as growing fears that the latest development in the Mali conflict could impact on Libya. On Saturday, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said that he was worried that “Tunisia is becoming a corridor [for arms smuggling] between Libya and Mali.” – Libya Herald
