The EU's 27 governments reached a preliminary agreement on Wednesday to ease the bloc's restrictions against a list of 28 entities, in a move to help Libya's interim ruling council resume normal economic activity.
Libya's interim council had requested the lifting of sanctions against the ports, oil companies and as many as 19 other institutions. One diplomat has said the list included banks and at least one airline.
The diplomats said the intention was to be able to announce the agreement, when France hosts an international "Friends of Libya" conference to coordinate support for the political and economic rebuilding of the North African state after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
The oil firms, which a diplomat said totalled more than six, were linked to the Libyan National Oil Corp. (NOC), but did not include the NOC itself, which is subject to a U.N. blacklist.
The six Mediterranean ports under the EU embargo imposed in June are Tripoli, Al-Khoms, Brega, Ras Lanuf, Zuara and Zawiyah. (Reuters)
