Libya urge neighbors to hand over supporters of Gaddafi
- Taking the floor Sunday at the opening of a conference on territorial security held in Tripoli in the presence of ministers from neighbouring countries including Algeria’s interior minister Dahou Ould Kablia, Libyan Prime Minister Abderrahim Al Keib warned against “the schemings being hatched by runaway supporters of former leader Muammar Gaddafi with the aim of dealing a blow to Libya’s national unity and territorial integrity”.
- “We have sent memorandums to these countries, some of them Arab, some of them African, to hand over these people but these states have not taken legal steps to hand over them or stop them in their work against Libya,”Al Keib said.
- “The Libyan people won’t forgive any state which won’t hand them over. Our relationship with these states will depend on their cooperation in this matter”, he added.
- Meanwhile, Libya’s transitional leader rejected a call for federalism by the eastern half of the country on Wednesday, warning that he was prepared to use “force” to abort this partition plan.
- Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the National Transitional Council (NTC), said that his overriding aim was to preserve Libyan national unity and prevent partition between “Tripolitania” in the west and “Cyrenaica” in the east.
- The latter region saw the beginning of the revolt against Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime last year and was a rebel stronghold throughout the civil war. “Cyrenaica”, whose unofficial capital is Benghazi, possesses most of Libya’s oil reserves.
- The region was neglected throughout Gaddafi’s 42-year rule and, in the view of many of its people, denied the full benefit of its oil wealth.
- On Tuesday, tribal leaders and militia commanders declared that Cyrenaica had become a “semi-autonomous” region with its own assembly, raising fears of Libya’s possible disintegration.
- But Mr Jalil said: “We are not prepared to divide Libya.” He urged negotiations and claimed that demands for federalism were inspired by elements loyal to Gaddafi’s old regime.
- “They should know that there are infiltrators and remnants of Gaddafi’s regime trying to exploit them now and we are ready to deter them, even with force,” said Mr Jalil in a televised speech.
- A draft constitution, called the national charter, rules out federalism and “contains provisions that protect this nation,” he added.
- Libya is supposed to hold parliamentary elections in June. But the country has been lawless since Gaddafi’s downfall, with thousands of former rebel fighters still at large.
- Gun battles between rival groups have become regular occurrences, taking place even in the capital, Tripoli.
- Abderrahim El-Keib, the interim prime minister, met with US President Barack Obama in the White House earlier this week. Mr Obama asked for firm assurances that the election would take place as planned.