Thursday, Jun 30, 2011

By Hassan Hafidh

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

AMMAN (Dow Jones)--Libyan Leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi has appointed his long-time ally Omran Abukraa as the new head of Libya's National Oil Corp., replacing Shokri Ghanem who had defected last month, Abukraa said Thursday.

"Yes I have been appointed as head of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, which is the equivalent of oil minister in Libya," Abukraa told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone from Tripoli.

-By Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires; +962 799 831 831; hassan.hafidh@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

30-06-11 0749GMT