Gaddafi's former foreign minister to stay in Qatar

Apr 14, 2011, 5:59 GMT

(FILE) A file photograph showing Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa giving a press conference after the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over the country, in Tripoli, Libya, 18 March 2011. Media reports state that Libya\'s foreign minister Musa Kusa has defected to Britain, stating that he is \'no longer willing\' to represent Colonel Gaddafi\'s regime. The British Foreign Office confirmed Musa Kusa had travelled to Britain of his own free will and was resigning his post. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Dubai - Libya's former foreign minister Musa Kusa has decided to stay in Qatar for the time being due to worries that the relatives of Libyan terror attack victims want him prosecuted, the Al Arabiya broadcaster said Thursday.

Kusa fled to London at the end of March, around six weeks after the start of the uprising against Moamer Gaddafi, and dissociated himself from the Libyan ruler.

It appears he initially thought he could play a role in the new Libya. But most opposition figures distrust him and Western countries are interested in information he could provide as former head of the intelligence service rather than cooperation with him.

After his arrival in London, Kusa was questioned about the bombing of a US airliner over Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988 that killed 270 people. Gaddafi allegedly ordered the attack. Kusa was not detained.

Kusa's predecessor as foreign minister, Abdel Rahman Shalgham, described him as the 'black box' of the Gaddafi regime.

Britain's decision to allow Kusa to attend a meeting of the Libya Contact Group in Qatar on Wednesday was criticized by some human rights groups and relatives of terror attack victims.

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