Deals struck on Libyan blockades but most terminals still shut

Deals struck between the government and protesters at fields in the south-western Murzuq Basin and those controlling the pipeline network south of Tripoli could lead to a resumption of exports from the main western export terminals of Az-Zawiya and Mellitah. But while an agreement with Cyrenaican federalist rebels in early April has enabled exports to restart from two smaller terminals in the east, a definitive resolution of the ten-month long blockade of the main ports in the central Sirte Basin still faces daunting political barriers, not least because of doubts over the legitimacy of the newly appointed prime minister.