Another Gadhafi Insider Bails / Anxiety Roils Libyan Capital Amid Top-Level Defections

[Turborama]

Source: Edmunton Journal & NYT

BY STEVEN EDWARDS, POSTMEDIA NEWS APRIL 1, 2011 2:09 AM

A second high-profile defection of a senior Libyan official in as many days on Thursday gave credence to the claim Moammar Gadhafi's inner circle may be "crumbling."

Ali Abdussalam Treki, the former Libyan president of the United Nations General Assembly, renounced the Gadhafi regime a day after Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Imhimid Kusa defected to Britain.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Kusa's decision to flee showed "the desperation and the fear right at the heart of the crumbling and rotten Gadhafi regime," and called it a "serious blow to Gadhafi's authority."

Treki, who served twice as Libyan foreign minister, had been Gadhafi's first pick to take over as Libya's new ambassador to the UN after the defection of the serving ambassador Feb. 25.

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Another+Gadhafi+insider+bails/4540262/story.html

---

Anxiety Roils Libyan Capital Amid Top-Level Defections

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and C.J. CHIVERS
Published: April 1, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya — Anxiety seized the Qaddafi government on Thursday over the second defection in two days of a senior official close to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, stirring talk of others to follow and a crackdown to stop them.

And, on Friday British news reports on the BBC and in The Guardian newspaper said Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to one of Colonel Qaddafi’s sons, had traveled to London for talks with British officials in recent days. But there was no immediate confirmation of those reports. A Foreign Office spokesman, who spoke in return for anonymity under departmental procedures, said: “We are not going to provide a running commentary on our contact with Libyan officials.”

As rebels challenging pro-Qaddafi forces struggled to regroup around the oil port of Brega, and the roar of allied warplanes was heard again over the capital, residents reacted in shock at the defection of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, a close ally of Colonel Qaddafi’s since the early days of the revolution, who once earned the nickname “envoy of death” for his role in the assassinations of earlier Libyan defectors.

And then came the defection to Egypt of another senior official, Ali Abdussalam el-Treki, a former foreign minister and a former United Nations ambassador who had worked closely with Colonel Qaddafi for decades.

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/world/africa/02libya.html?_r=1

[tavalon]

1. Like rats.........

Here's hoping.

[joshcryer]

2. think this is almost as big as Musa.

I mean, first pick, who do you choose as your first pick but someone you trust dearly?

[LAGC]

5. I just wonder how they are going to handle Moussa.

I mean, clearly he's guilty of war crimes against his own people. But if they arrest him and try him in the International Criminal Court, that might cause other potential defectors to think twice. Maybe their strategy is to just pretend to offer them sanctuary for now, until Gadhafi's regime completely implodes, then try them all for war crimes after the regime collapses.

I just hope it happens quickly. The longer this thing drags on, the more bloody it will be.

[joshcryer]

6. War crime trials won't happen for awhile, I bet it's being mused quietly...

...but I agree with you that it's not going to be spoken of loudly. I did see a report where they claimed that they wanted to try him for Lockerbie, but we'll have to see if we even hear of those murmerings while the conflict is ongoing.

My bet is: not.

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. Reuters picking up AJE says 4 more.

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE72U2JE20110331

CAIRO, March 31 (Reuters) - Al Jazeera television said on Thursday that "a number of figures" close to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had left Libya for Tunis, a day after Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa defected and flew to London.

A spokesman for the Tunisian foreign ministry said he had no information on the matter. A Libyan government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Citing unnamed sources, Al Jazeera said the group included the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation Shokri Ghanem.

...

Also named by Al Jazeera were the speaker of Libya's General People's Congress Mohamed Abdul Qasim al-Zwai, foreign intelligence chief Abuzeid Dorda and Abdelati al-Obaidi, a senior diplomat in charge of European affairs.

[joshcryer]

4. I saw that but wanted to wait for a confirm since it wasn't posted on the live blog.

Treki was posted late last night but I somehow missed it.

[Waiting For Everyman]

8. Here's the AJE video report, Josh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A072lzbqLDM&feature=player_embedded

I found it in a new Juan Cole article:
http://www.juancole.com/2011/04/defections-us-withdrawal-point-to-political-solution-in-libya.html


There's still a little vagueness, possibly until the UK authorities confirm first.

[joshcryer]

9. Thanks, I am still wondering about Durdah's denial.

[Waiting For Everyman]

14. He was sent on a hit mission

and decided to bail too - that's what several stories say. So in that case, he would want to deny until the last minute, right?

A guess, but plausible. I'd give you a link but I didn't save any more. I'll add one if I run across it again.

[joshcryer]

7. Durdah is denying it:

0916: Our colleagues at BBC Monitoring report that Libyan intelligence chief Abuzayd Umar Durdah has called into Libyan state TV denying claims he had defected. He called into a live discussion programme on the state-owned Al-Jamahiriyah TV channel late on Thursday night, saying: "I don't have one reason to depart the homeland or to betray the people or the leader and the victorious revolution he is leading."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

Could have family he wants to get out first or could be someone jumping the gun. AJE still hasn't come forward with this yet.

[LawnKorn]

10. So far President Obama has kept American blood out of the sand

That is not saying much about our money that went kablooie with each Tomahawk missile.

[trud]

17. Not Libyan blood though

Interesting NYTimes article on the plane that crashed. The pilot called in a strike on Libyans coming towards him,. Turned out they were friendlies, some now dead, one man had to have his leg amputated. Sure glad we are helping the Libyan people.

[Turborama]

20. Link please to the article you mention.

Thanks in advance.

[LawnKorn]

11. K&R

[sendero]

12. The next crop.

.... will be shot in the back as they try to board the plane.

[tcaudilllg]

15. Everything comes down to Saif.

However, Khamis is the way...?

I suspect they are trying to kill Khamis to eliminate his role as an alternative to Saif in his father's eyes. Then a succession can doubtless be arranged. Saif will broker a cease-fire if given the chance.

I suspect Khamis is the real core of the regime. Gadhafi... is just looking out for the future of his children at this point (probably). They are embroiled in his sins and he cannot give up without losing them.

[xchrom]

13. maybe this will end the conflict faster. fingers crossed. nt

[Gin]

16. IMO these defections are nothing more than paving the way for

Gadhafi to depart and find a new place to live....these trusted insiders are negotiating his future as well as theirs.

[xchrom]

22. I wouldn't say you're wrong. Nt

[trud]

18. I wonder how much the U.S. is paying each of them?

I mean, do you think the U.S. government would collapse if part of the Cabinet resigned? (One could only hope.)

[yellowcanine]

19. When his hairdresser defects we will know the jig is up.

[tuckessee]

21. The CIA/MI6 assets are fleeing like rats. n/t