Reshuffle of Libya opposition group could restore confidence

WASHINGTON - The US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday that the reshuffle of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Libya's main opposition group, is a chance to restore confidence for the opposition leadership.

"This is an opportunity for renewal, not only in political terms, but in terms of the confidence that the Libyan people are going to have in NTC leadership," Nuland told reporters.

"So it's in that spirit that we want to see the next step, which is for Prime Minister Jalil to propose, and for the NTC to consider a new government," she said, urging it to be "open, transparent and broadly representative".

"I think in terms of the US role in this, or other countries' role, it is simply to ensure that we are providing any advice that they would like, and that we are making clear that the principles of transparency, openness, unity, broad representation are goals that they share," Nuland added.

Mustafa Abdel Jalil, leader of the NTC, dismissed the council's executive board on Monday, saying the 14 board members dismissed should take responsibility for the assassination of the opposition's military commander Abdel-Fattah Younis.

Younis was killed on July 28 and the reason for his death remained unclear. His death was a strong setback for the rebels, for the situation not only exposed internal rifts in the opposition camp, but also embarrassed the Western countries supporting the rebels.

The United States had asked the opposition camp to keep solidarity and internal order. Analysts believed Jalil's move to sack the old cabinet was an effort to restore the opposition's credibility.