BENGHAZI: As Libya's rebel fighters push west, retaking towns they lost to government forces a week earlier, opposition representatives in Benghazi are trying to form a government-in-waiting.
The task is a difficult and delicate one, being handled by an elite group of Libyans, many of whom have returned from exile.
They have to contend with everything from poor communications to the sensitivities of those Libyans from all over the country who have lived through the Qadhafi regime.
At present, the official voice of Libya's opposition rests with the so-called Provisional Transitional National Council (PTNC), a group of 31 members representing the country's major cities and towns.
Of the 31, the names of only 13 have been publicly revealed: council spokesmen argue it is still too dangerous to identify members in areas still controlled by Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.
Even Mustapha Abdul-Jalil, the soft-spoken former justice minister who heads up the council, is in hiding amid fears for his safety. His number two, Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa, acts as the official spokesman for the council.
Reporting to the council is a collection of committees responsible for keeping rebel-held cities running.
“We realised that we needed to have committees that could organise things,” said Iman Bugaighis, an orthodontist who is now a member of the council's media committee.
“And, more or less, we have managed to ensure that things are acceptable in the liberated cities. People were paid their salaries on time last month and we are working to make sure they are paid on time this month too.”
Now the council is working on forming a real cabinet, complete with ministers empowered to talk to their counterparts in other countries.
“We need an entity that is more organised and can really build institutions,” said Bugaighis.
Colleague Mustafa Gheriani, another member of the council's media committee, put it this way: “You can think of the PTNC as more of a legislative body, and the new executive body will be the transitional government that is put in place either when Tripoli falls or before.”
Gheriani would like to have seen the executive body formed sooner.
But some within the PTNC reportedly initially resisted creating any kind of government while western parts of the country remained under Qadhafi's control, for fear of appearing to have established an “eastern government”.
“The PTNC still exists, and it is the symbol of unity,” said Bugaighis.
And as more territory fell to the rebels, politicians from western cities could be added to the government, he added.
Forming the cabinet also required being sensitive to those Libyans who regard the returning exiles with suspicion or resentment.
“Everybody has to tread a very fine line,” said Gheriani.
“I think the non-liberated cities will understand we had to move forward, but the 'I was here from day one, where were you?' is more difficult to overcome.”
The initial cabinet is expected to be headed by Mahmud Jibril, a former professor who, as a rebel representative, has already met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The defence ministry is expected to go to Omar Al-Hariri, with former economy minister and diplomat Ali Essawi taking charge of the foreign relations portfolio.
Economist Ali Tarhoni has already been charged with the finance, economy and oil ministry. He told reporters on Sunday that he had signed a deal with Qatar to export crude from rebel-held territory.
Qatari warplanes on Friday made their first sortie as part of the international coalition enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, France's military reported: the first Arab League country to take part in such a mission.
The council is also expected to name an information minister and could add other portfolios, officials said.
Once the government is officially announced, top priorities will be dealing with oil export and revenue and drafting a new constitution.
“Getting the ball rolling on the constitution is going to be one of the top priorities,” Gheriani said.
“It will be the basis for elections, for everything that comes next.”
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