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A Libyan envoy held secret talks in London with the British government on a possible exit plan for Muammar Gaddafi, it was reported Friday, as Britain insisted it would only accept the leader's departure as an outcome. Britain's Foreign Office refused to confirm or deny reports that Mohammed Ismail, a key aide to Gaddafi's powerful son Saif alIslam, met with officials in London. "We are not going to provide a running commentary on our contacts with Libyan officials," a spokeswoman said. "In any contact that we do have, we make it clear that Gaddafi has to go." Prime Minister David Cameron's office refused to comment. The Guardian, which first broke the story, said the meeting was only one of a number of such instances between the two nations in the last two weeks, and is believed to have looked at potential exit strategies for Gaddafi. Despite a low profile in Libya and internationally, Ismail is a key aide to British-educated Saif alIslam and has represented the nation in arms purchase negotiations, cables obtained by WikiLeaks revealed. The BBC said Ismail had now returned to Tripoli. A report in The Times, however, quoted government sources as playing down the idea that Ismail had come bearing a message from Gaddafi, saying that he was on a family visit. British officials sent him back with a message for Gaddafi, it added. In Libya, Gaddafi's forces stormed the western rebel outpost of Misrata with tanks and artillery on Friday, a rebel spokesman said, while insurgents marshaled defenses in their eastern heartland. A rebel leader speaking after talks with a UN envoy in Benghazi offered a ceasefire on the condition that Gaddafi left Libya and his forces withdrew from cities now under government control. It was unclear if the offer was part of broader diplomatic moves to end a conflict that appears deadlocked on the military front. The reports of Ismail's talks in Britain came shortly after Gaddafi's foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, unexpectedly flew into an airport southwest of London on Wednesday night and announced he was defecting. Britain said it had not offered Koussa immunity following his arrival but did urge other Libyan officials to follow suit. Scottish authorities said on Thursday they wanted to interview Koussa, the former Libyan spy chief, over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, pleasing victims' relatives. While British officials are hoping that he will provide vital military and diplomatic intelligence, campaigners want him to shed light on the bombing. Families representing some of the 270 people killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie said Koussa should not receive any protection. Agencies |
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