Libyan rebels occupying key eastern oil ports have reached an agreement with the government to reopen two terminals, a rebel spokesman said on Sunday. The spokesman said the agreement would reopen Zueitina and Hariga ports in the east, but government officials and protesters holding Hariga could not immediately confirm those details.
Asked for confirmation, the government said authorities had scheduled a news conference for Sunday night, but did not give any further comment. Earlier, Public and private sector staff including oil workers went on strike in the Libyan port city of Benghazi on Sunday, protesting against worsening security and demanding the resignation of parliament whose mandate has expired.
Traffic at Benghazi's international airport was halted by the strike. As a result, a Turkish Airlines plane was turned away, according to state media.
Oil companies, universities and schools also closed, heeding a call by political groups for a day of "civil disobedience" to demand better security, witnesses said. Government forces have failed to improve security in the port city where car bombs and killings of police and army officers have become part of daily life.