Stop Libya ‘becoming new Somalia’

Moussa Koussa broke his silence by giving a prepared statement in Arabic to the BBC

Libya’s most high-profile minister to flee the regime has called on all sides in the conflict to stop his country becoming “a new Somalia”.

Speaking publicly for the first time since coming to the UK, Moussa Koussa said: “The unity of Libya is essential to any solution and settlement.”

He told the BBC: “I ask everybody to avoid taking Libya into civil war.”

Mr Koussa was Col Muammar Gaddafi’s foreign minister until 12 days ago, when he fled to London.

He is a former head of Libyan intelligence and has been accused of being involved in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

He has been staying at an undisclosed location since travelling to the UK from Tunisia.

BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera said he was told Mr Koussa was not ready to be interviewed, but would give a statement in Arabic.

In the prepared statement, he said: “I ask everybody, all the parties to avoid taking Libya into civil war. This would lead to so much blood and Libya would be a new Somalia.

“More than that, we refuse to divide Libya. The unity of Libya is essential to any solution and settlement for Libya.”

He said the solution would come from the Libyans themselves through discussion and democratic dialogue.

The UK and its allies have a responsibility to ease the dialogue so that Libyans can build a democratic country, he added.

He went on to speak about his relationship with the UK, saying Britons were Libya’s friends, historically and on a personal level.

He also explained his reasons for leaving Col Gaddafi’s regime after 30 years.

He told how he had been “devoted” to his work and was confident and certain that it was serving the Libyan people.

However, he said, recent events had changed things and he was aware his resignation would bring problems but was ready to make a sacrifice.

The BBC’s Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen said Mr Koussa’s decision to speak in Arabic suggested he wanted to send a message back home – to both sides.

The former minister’s comments come as Libya’s rebels reject a proposal put forward by an African Union delegation to end the eight-week conflict.

The AU said Col Gaddafi had accepted the plan on Sunday, but on Monday his forces attacked the besieged western city of Misrata.

The US, the UK and Italy have repeatedly called for the Libyan leader to step down.

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