Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Western security firms have arrived to establish a presence
in Libya.

Industry sources said a range of Western security companies have sought
to open offices in several Libyan cities. They said the companies were
focusing on Benghazi, the headquarters of the rebel movement.

“Benghazi is considered the safest city in Libya,” an industry source
said.

The sources cited companies from Britain, France and the United States.
Two of the companies were identified as Secopex and Safety & Security
Solutions Group, which sent executives to Benghazi and Misrata.

“After pulling out of Baghdad, American and British private security
firms are rubbing their hands at the prospect of big business in Libya,” the
North African newsletter Maghreb Confidential said.

The sources said the Western companies were expected to help protect
foreign embassies, VIPs as well as Libya’s energy sector. Several energy
majors, particularly Italy’s Eni, have returned to renew full operations at
the crude oil wells of the North African state.

  Benghazi, Eni, Maghreb Confidential, Misrata, Safety & Security Solutions Group, Secopex, Western security firms pulling out of Iraq see ‘big business’ opportunities in Libya