Government powerless over militias, Libyan leader confesses

TRIPOLI - The Associated Press

Libyan rebel fighters react as they search for snipers while fighting for the final push to flush out Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Abu Slim area in Tripoli August 25, 2011. REUTERS photo

Libya's leader has acknowledged that his transitional government is powerless to control militias that are refusing to lay down their arms after ousting Moammar Gadhafi.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil also warns that remnants of the former regime still pose a threat and it will take years for Libya's new leaders to overcome a "heavy heritage" of corruption and distrust after more than four decades of Gadhafi's rule.

He made his comments Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press in Tripoli.

Abdul-Jalil says the National Transitional Council has made mistakes. But he also blames former rebels who have formed powerful militias and local governments that have emerged as rivals to the Tripoli-based central government, which assumed power after Gadhafi was ousted.