By IRNA,
London : Former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa has belatedly confirmed his defection from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime two weeks after suddenly arriving in Britain on March 30.
‘My country lives in a difficult time. It’s the worst. When the Libyans started to lose security and stability I decided to resign. I have no contact with the Libyan regime,” said Koussa, who spent much of his time as Libya’s foreign intelligence chief.
‘Things changed and I couldn’t continue, I know that what I did to resign will cause me problems, but I’m ready to make that sacrifice for the sake of my country,’ he said in a prepared statement to the BBC in which he warned of the risk of civil war and Libya becoming another Somalia.
Confirmation of his defections comes after both Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague have repeatedly denied Koussa, who is staying at a secret location, is being offered immunity from prosecution under British or international law.
Last week, Hague went further in insisting no deals had been made, but revealed he was not under arrest and was free to leave the country if he wanted to.
Koussa has long been banned from entering the United States for his alleged involvement in state terrorism in Libya and since his arrival he has been questioned by the British foreign office and also by Scottish authorities about the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
The British government used his defection to proclaim Gaddafi regime’s collapse and lift its ban on other members from entering the UK, if they renounce their loyalty to Gaddafi.
Libyan ministers and officials who were prepared to abandon the regime would be ‘treated with respect and in accordance with our laws’, Hague has announced.
He also said Britain was speaking with its partners about the merits of removing restrictions on anyone currently sanctioned by the EU and UN.