TRIPOLI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Saturday that the United Nations is closely following attempts to illegally sell Libyan oil.
Stephanie Williams, deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general for political affairs in Libya, confirmed the UN efforts during her meeting on Friday with Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UN-backed Libyan government.
"Williams emphasized that the UN is closely following attempts to sell oil in violation of UN Security Resolutions and reaffirmed that the NOC is the sole, internationally recognized entity that has the right to export and sell Libyan oil," the UNSMIL said in a statement.
Libya is politically divided between a UN-backed government in the west and an east-based government, each of which has its own oil corporation.
Most oil ports and fields are controlled by the east-based army which is allied with the east-based government.
Agila Saleh, speaker of the east-based House of Representatives, revealed that the east-based government had been failing to sell oil because of international opposition.
