NTC Demands Niger Stop Gadhafi Crossing Border
Libya's new leaders were Wednesday urgently seeking Niger's help in preventing Moammar Gadhafi, his family or his troops from crossing the border, as the hunt for the fugitive strongman intensified.
Gadhafi’s sole remaining media mouthpiece, Mishan al-Juburi, the owner of Syria-based Arrai Oruba television, said the defeated leader was still in Libya, along with his son Seif al-Islam.
"I can tell you that I spoke with Gadhafi very recently," Juburi told Agence France Presse.
"He is in Libya, in very good spirits, feels strong, is not afraid, and would be happy to die fighting against the occupiers," Juburi, a former Iraqi MP who owns the Syria-based channel, said by telephone.
"His son Seif al-Islam is in the same state of mind," added Juburi, whose channel has broadcast a number of audio messages by Gadhafi and his son since they went into hiding after Tripoli was overrun by rebel fighters last month.
Asked how he makes contact with Gadhafi, Juburi said: "When I need to talk to him, I send him a message, or he contacts me when he wants to pass a message."
Libya's new rulers are anxious to arrest Gadhafi and put him on trial, thus sealing their hold on the country.
They are fearful he may slip across a border into a neighboring country, particularly Niger, where a convoy carrying other senior officials of his ousted regime fled to on Monday.
Bidding to cut off Gadhafi’s potential escape routes, the now-ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) said it had dispatched a team to Niamey.
"We have sent a delegation today that is going to Niger to talk ... about securing our borders to stop any kind of infiltration of Gadhafi troops to Niger, to stop any attempt by Gadhafi or his family to escape to Niger," Fathi Baja, head of the NTC's political affairs committee, told reporters.
"We ask any neighboring countries to stop Gadhafi people from going to their land," Fathi said, speaking to reporters in the eastern city of Benghazi.
When asked about the convoy that crossed to Niger reportedly carrying money and gold, he replied: "We don't know how much money this convoy was transporting but according to what we know, security reports provided by groups in this region, from phone contacts and certain people's dispatches, we can say that they have seen money and gold in these cars."
He added: "If that happened, we want that money back."
The large convoy of civilian and military vehicles entered Niger late Monday and drove through the city of Agadez.
Niger was adamant Gadhafi was not with the convoy while Washington said that while some senior officials of the ousted regime were in the convoy, the fallen dictator was not believed to be among them.
Gadhafi’s remaining forces have been a given a Saturday deadline to surrender and lay down their arms, in a bid to spare further bloodshed.
Source: Agence France Presse
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