Libya’s oil giant turns off the pump until the fighting stops

BENGHAZI, Libya — The spokesman for Libya’s biggest petroleum company says it will not produce oil until the war ends, and that probably applies to the entire country.

Information director Abdeljalil Mohamed Mayuf of Arab Gulf Oil Company said the company stopped production for fear of further attacks by ruler Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

The decision came after rocket attacks April 4 badly damaged a pumping station and production facilities at southeast Messla. A pumping station on the pipeline to Tobruk port also came under attack.

Mayuf said in an interview Sunday, “We cannot put an army around each field.” Resuming production “depends on this military operation and when Gadhafi leaves.”

Libya’s three-month revolt against Gadhafi has caused oil prices to soar.