Libya is not extremist Islamic nation, says interim leader

TRIPOLI - Libya will not become an extremist Islamic country, said on Saturday the head of the interim authority to the holder outside the European Union and announced that next week will be completed with the formation of the cabinet experts.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, had caused a stir in the West when he said in October that the sharia, or Islamic law, would be the main focus of the new legislation in Libya and that any appearance that the violation would be canceled.

At a press conference with the head outside the EU, Catherine Ashton, Abdul-Jalil put things calm. "We will not be an Islamic extremist," he said. "Our Islam is moderate."

Other members of the Transitional National Council Abdul-Jalil said he had only expressed his personal views on the Sharia.Perhaps in 2012 emphasized that drafting a constitution that includes the role of religion in Libya.

As part of a transition to democracy in Libya, after the capture and execution in October dictator Moammar Gadhafi, an interim government will lead the country until the election in June of a national assembly.

Prime Minister el-Keiba Abdurrahim, recently appointed, will present next week a list of names of ministers to the National Transitional Council, said Abdul-Jalil on Saturday.

The ministers are chosen according to their experience and ability, not by tribal considerations, he said.

The head of the National Transitional Council sidestepped a question about uncontrolled possession of weapons.

Since the civil war ended with the overthrow of the Qadhafi regime after eight months, paramilitary groups that fought against the forces of dictator have produced several clashes between them.

On Friday, there were two deaths due to a clash between armed groups in the coastal city of Zawiya, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Tripoli and the nearby town of Warshefana.

Still not been clarified the circumstances of those deaths. The fighting was the latest in a series of violent confrontations between rival paramilitary groups to have prominence.