The Tripoli Post November 22, 2011 Surprises as Libya PM Names Transitional Cabinet Libya's interim prime minister Abdurrahim ei•Keeb announcing his new cabinet late Tuesday Libya's National Transitional Council Tuesday evening unveiled the new cabinet that will govern the country until it holds its first elections since the Al Qathafi era It features a number of surprise appointments, and as interim prime minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb said as he addressed a news conference late Tuesday, "all of Libya is represented in the new line-up, and it is hard to say that any area is not represented." As expected, Osama al-Juwali, the commander of the forces from Zintan who captured Seif al-Islam Al Qathafi, has been assigned the portfolio of defence minister. Perhaps what wasn't expected was the appointment of little known diplomat originally from Derna, Ashour Bin Hayal as foreign minister. Pre-selection predictions had indicated that the portfolio could have gone to Libya's deputy envoy to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi who came to the fore early in the eight-month long uprising by rallying diplomats to support the uprising against Al Qathafi. El-Keeb appointed former oil executive Hassan Ziglam as finance minister, while the oil minister's portfolio was assigned to another former executive in the oil industry, Abdulrahman Ben Yezza, who previously worked with with Italian oil major ENI. Western countries, which backed the revolt against the former Al Qathafi regime and have a big stake in seeing his replacements succeed, were reported by Reuters as welcoming the new government, saying it would guide Libya towards democracy. Page 11 012 EFTA01122519