Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
LIBYAN CHAOS

LIBYA

Six held after intrusion at Libyan embassy

About 20 people demonstrated outside the Libyan Embassy in Stockholm Thursday night. Three of them broke into the premises and were later arrested.

Published: 22 April 2011 08:47 CEST
Six held after intrusion at Libyan embassy

At 4.30am an additional three men were arrested for trespassing at the embassy, lifting the total to six detained individuals.

“They have resided illegally in the area and will likely be released after questioning. There are no charges against them. This morning it has been pretty quiet at the embassy,” said John Hall, station officer at Norrmalm police told the TT news agency.

According to police, the apprehended were probably Swedish nationals.

The police have set up barricades around the embassy in preparation for anticipated protests during the weekend.

The demonstrators demanded that Sweden close the Libyan embassy and reject the regime of Muammar Qaddafi’s newly appointed ambassador.

After consulting with the foreign ministry, police entered the premises.

“Two of them surrendered shortly after 1am after hoisting up their own flag,” Sven-Erik Olsson at Stockholm police told TT.

According to police, a flag burned inside the embassy, causing some damage and the Embassy’s door has been painted in the Libyan rebel flag colours.

A preliminary investigation of aggravated unlawful entry has been initiated.

On April 18th demonstrators protested outside the embassy against the removal of the independence era rebel flag that had been previously flown from the building.

The rebel flag was raised February 22th as then-ambassador Abdelmaged Ali Buzrigh changed sides in support of the rebel cause, distancing himself from Qaddafi.

Protestors connected the flag’s removal to be an indication that the newly installed Embassy head is a supporter of Qaddafi.

The new ambassador Salah Umi has been accused by Buzrigh, amoung others, of belonging to Qaddafi’s notorious external security service.

Since March 10th, the EU no longer recognizes the Qaddafi regime as representative of the Libyan people.

Diplomatic relations will not exist anymore and the embassy in Stockholm thus has no function, said the Foreign Ministry.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

IMMIGRATION

Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy

A Libya conference will be held in Sicily in November, Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday, with talks focusing on an "inclusive approach" to stabilising the war-torn north African country while not fixating on a date for elections.

Published: 3 October 2018 10:00 CEST
Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy
The coastline of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The peace conference in Palermo on November 12 and 13 will aim to “identify the stages of a stabilisation process”, Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi told the Senate.

The meeting would drive towards “a common solution, even if there are differences of opinion between the parties involved”, he said.

Four key leaders from Libya agreed at a conference in Paris in May to hold landmark polls on December 10 as part of a French-led plan to stabilise the crisis-hit country despite ongoing violence and deep divisions.

France, however, has faced opposition to the election timetable from the United States along with other European Union countries, notably Italy.

Milanesi said he had received “confirmation of interest” in the conference from Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar as well as support from the US, and was planning on discussing the dossier with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

“No deadlines will be imposed on the Libyans, nor tasks dictated,” Milanesi said.

Italy, a key supporter of the UN-backed government of Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli, said in September it wants to “maintain an active dialogue” with all well-intentioned actors in Libya.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was driven from power and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Sarraj's Government of National Accord has been unable to form a functioning army or regular security forces and has been forced to rely on militias to keep Tripoli safe.

Militias formed the backbone of the uprising that toppled Kadhafi.

Since then rival administrations, including one allied with Haftar and based in the remote east, and the militias have competed for authority and oil wealth in the North African country.

Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship, Haftar refuses to recognise the authority of Sarraj's Tripoli-based GNA.

READ MORE: