More Senior Libyans 'To Defect Within Days'

[Turborama]

Source: Sky News

11:43pm UK, Thursday March 31, 2011

More senior Libyans are expected to follow the foreign minister in defecting from Colonel Gaddafi "within days", the country's mission to the UN told Sky News.

A spokesman on behalf of the mission also said they had been anticipating Musa Kusa's decision to abandon the dictator.

"We've been expecting his defection for some time and we expect more ambassadors and senior figures to do the same in the coming days," he said.

"We welcome such an action. This will make the Gadaffi regime weaker. His defection exposes the lies that the regime are putting out. Kusa knows that Colonel Gadaffi is finished."

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Video-Libyan-Foreign-Minister-Musa-Kusa-Will-Not-Be-Offered-Immunity-Says-William-Hague/Article/201103415963304?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15963304_Video:_Libyan_Foreign_Minister_Musa_Kus

[Tx4obama]

1. Well that is going to be hard to do ....

I read somewhere here on DU (or on AJE) earlier today that Gaddafi has put armed guards on all the top officials so that they can not leave and defect.

Edited to add:

It was a NY Times article...

Soon rumors swirled of a cascade of high-level defections. The pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera reported without confirmation that the intelligence chief and the speaker of Parliament had fled to Tunisia. Other rumors, like the exit of the oil minister, were quickly shot down. But taking no chances, Libyan officials posted guards to prevent any other officials from leaving the country, two former officials said.

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

[joshcryer]

3. They have $$$. And $$$ talks.

I think a lot of them were actually with Musa when he went over the border, and are already hiding out in Tunisia.

[Tx4obama]

4. I've added more info in my comment above....

Also, in that article yesterday about the 32 diplomatic cars that went to Tunisia it listed the Oil Minister as one of the people that left Libya.
BUT I saw somewhere today that the Oil Minister was still in Tripoli and that he came out and said that he was still in his office and that he was going to be on TV. That's the last I heard about him today.

So, maybe that article about the 32 cars might not have been completely accurate. I don't know.

--------------------------

Edited to add:

Excerpt

However one of the officials named by Al Jazeera, chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation Shokri Ghanem, denied he had left.

"This is not true, I am in my office and I will be on TV in a few minutes," he said by phone.

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.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-libya-gaddafi-aides-idUSTRE72U6ZB20110331

[joshcryer]

5. With Saif's aide's going to Britian for talks, they could be trying to make a measured...

...withdrawal. If they allow their people to leave without them, then they risk generals defecting, and the noose will tighten around their neck.

[Turborama]

6. So, did he go on TV a few minutes after the phone call?

Thanks for both the links, BTW.

:hi:

[Tx4obama]

7. That's the same thing that I'd like to know. n/t

[joshcryer]

2. Something tells me they already have, and that they were waiting to see how Musa was treated.

That convoy of 30+ cars wasn't just Musa and family.

Also it appears to me that Musa isn't going to get immunity, but that ultimately he probably got amnesty for his family in exchange for his defection + prosecution.