A Libyan official says five foreign oil and gas companies have returned to Libya to resuscitate production choked off by civil war and sanctions.
Mahmud Turkia | AFP | Getty Images
Oil and gas fields in Tripoli, Libya
Aref Ali Nayed, a member of the Libyan interim government's so-called stabilization team, says that advance teams from five international oil companies that had infrastructure in Libya "are already back" to assess damage and restart output.
He named Italy's Eni as one of the companies but said he could not provide the names of the other four.
He insisted that the rebel-led National Transitional Council would respect past contracts and sees these countries "as full partners."
Nayed was speaking in Paris on Friday after a meeting with U.N. and other international officials about how to stabilize Libya after the ouster of leader Moammar Gadhafi.