Ministerial reshuffle in Libya, Shukri Ghanem is prime minister

Libya has made a ministerial reshuffle according to which former minister of the economy and oil exports Shukri Ghanem became prime minister to replace Mubarak al-Shamekh.

The Libyan people's general conference approved this ministerial reshuffle in conclusion of its meeting on Saturday in Sert city to the north of Libya.

Within this reshuffle, the post of the renowned Libyan diplomat Ali Abdul Salaam al-Tureiki, was canceled as a minister for African Unity. This ministry merged with the foreign ministry which will be led by Abdul Rahman Shalqam.

The reshuffle coincided with the call made by the Libyan Leader of the Revolution Colonel Muammar al Qathafi to privatize the oil sector alog with the other industries nationalized since 1999. In his call, Qathafi called for implementing fundamental economic reforms to reach what he had called "People's Capitalism."

Qathafi criticized the public sector and accused it of failure similar to that of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe because it depended on "unqualified employees who doe not care about the interests of their country."