September 21, 2011 - 13:55 AMT
Libya likely to name new government within 10 days

Libya will likely name a new government within 10 days, interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said, Reuters reported.

Libya's de facto rulers won expressions of support from Washington, the African Union and South Africa and its new flag flew for the first time at the United Nations.

"I expect the government to be announced in the next week to 10 days maximum," Jibril said after a G8 conference on aiding Arab countries' transition to democracy taking place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"I'm not bothered by the time consumed to bring about a national consensus," he said.

Discussions in Libya to set up a more inclusive interim government have fallen apart before. The National Transitional Council (NTC), still based in the eastern city of Benghazi, has faced questions about whether it can unify a country divided on tribal and local lines.

Libya's new rulers are trying to dislodge well-armed Gaddafi loyalists from several towns and have yet to start a countdown toward writing a constitution and holding elections.

Jibril said among the considerations the interim leaders were debating were the number of ministries in the new government and whether they would be in Tripoli or divided between eastern and western Libya.

He said there would be some democratic improvements to make the OPEC member state more transparent. "With this government comes other structures such as an international tendering body to add some sort of transparency and some credibility to the work of the government," he said.