Cairo: A potential end to the blockade of three key Libyan oil exporting terminals is in sight with rebels announcing over the weekend they are willing to negotiate with Tripoli if authorities abandon plans for a military offensive.
Libyan officials on Wednesday gave the armed protesters two weeks to clear the ports they seized last summer, or face a military strike.
Separately, North Korea has distanced itself from a tanker which called at one of the blockaded ports and loaded oil and escaped naval fire. Pyongyang said the ship was owned by UAE interests and had been using the North Korean flag as a flag of convenience for six months. The 35,000 dwt Morning Glory has now been struck off the North Korean registry, Pyongyang said.
Cyprus said on Saturday it is monitoring the course of the Morning Glory which was just off the island’s coastline.
The Cypriot Foreign Ministry said in a statement that a request by the Libyan authorities was received on March 11 to provide assistance in returning the oil to Libya. [16/03/14]
