Libyan leader acknowledges lack of control over militias

TRIPOLI, Libya - Libya's leader has acknowledged that his transitional government is powerless to control militias that are refusing to lay down their arms after ousting Muammar Gadhafi as it struggles to impose control over the oil-rich North African nation.

In a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday with The Associated Press, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil warned that remnants of the former government also 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.

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