Epress.am News from Armenia
Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa is in Britain and says he is “no longer willing” to work for the regime.
The Foreign Office said Koussa flew into an airport near the capital on March 30. He has subsequently spent hours talking to British officials.
A British Foreign Office statement said that Koussa “has told us that he is resigning his post,” reports RFE/RL.
“We encourage those around Gaddafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said, reports the UK’s The Telegraph.
He arrived in Britain after a two-day stay in Tunisia, which Tripoli had officially described as a “private visit.”
Several senior members of Gaddafi’s entourage have defected since the uprising against his 42-year-rule began more than a month ago.
Koussa’s defection comes as rebels in Libya are retreating from former strongholds along the eastern coast after advances by forces loyal to Gaddafi, as world powers consider arming outgunned rebel forces.