Libya says oil minister on official trip abroad

Libya says oil minister on official trip abroad

(Reuters) - Libya's government said on Thursday Oil Minister Shokri Ghanem had not defected but was instead on an official trip abroad.

"Shokri Ghanem is on an official visit to Tunisia and some European countries and is expected to be in Egypt. We are quite confident he will continue his work and help his people to move out of this difficult time," spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told journalists following reports Ghanem had defected.

(Reporting by Joseph Logan, writing by Matthew Bigg)