Libya's Defected Former PM Jalloud is in Italy
Libya's former Prime Minister Abdessalam Jalloud is in Italy, Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told reporters on Sunday, confirming reports that he had flown to Italy after defecting.
"Gadhafi's former number two is indeed in Italy," La Russa said, referring to Jalloud -- a popular figure who was once a close ally of Moammar Gadhafi but had been distanced from politics in recent years.
In a video statement aired earlier Sunday on Al-Jazeera news channel, Jalloud urged Gadhafi’s tribe to disown the embattled "tyrant" and called on the population of Tripoli to rise up in rebellion.
"Disown this tyrant because he will go and you will end up inheriting his legacy," he said.
"The people of Tripoli, who account for a quarter of Libya's inhabitants, should rise massively. It is time to act... overcome fear," he added.
Al-Jazeera did not reveal where the video message was recorded.
Jalloud and his family had taken a Maltese plane early Saturday morning from the Tunisian island of Djerba to Italy, according to an airport official.
Another source in Tunisia said Gadhafi’s former close aide arrived in the southern Tunisian town of Remada overnight Friday.
Libya's state-run JANA news agency on Saturday downplayed Jalloud's escape, saying he had remained out of politics for some time.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/13354 |