Tripoli, March 07: Amid growing criticism of the British government over its recent links with Muammar Qaddafi’s regime, it has emerged that London has still formal ties with the dictator’s government.
Under a deal struck after the “tent in the desert” summit between former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Qaddafi in 2004, the Huddersfield University is training 103 members of Libyan police in the latest policing skills including forensic science.
The group of Libyan police members include senior officers among them a brigadier.
The disclosure has human rights implications for Britain as the Amnesty International had earlier said that the Libyan force has been involved in a range of human rights violations including killing of 12 demonstrators in the African country’s second largest city, Benghazi, in 2006.
Aside from the human rights aspect of the issue, Britain seems to be playing a double game on its connection with the Qaddafi regime.
On the one hand, London said on Saturday it is sending a diplomatic delegation capable of giving military advice to Libya to help the opposition based in Benghazi in the east of the country to gain power as it follows ‘democratic’ demands.
London though stressed they are not going to arm the opposition.
On the other hand, White Hall officials have been simultaneously helping the Libyan regime through keeping the training to its police members running.
Indeed, despite the recent remarks by Prime Minister David Cameron who called for a no-fly zone over Libya as well as a regime change there through a possible military campaign, London has not suspended the training of Libyan police members.
This comes as earlier British Defense Secretary Liam Fox had likened the “strategic shock” after the “events in North Africa” including in Libya to the situation after the 9/11 attacks saying they can “change” the way “we view the world”.
Perhaps Britain is not going to help the Qaddafi regime survive, and it is counting on the opposition to be able to gain back power from the dictator but keeping the contract for training can at least be financially justifiable.
This is regardless of the fact that British security officials have assessed some of the Huddersfield group as deeply loyal to the Qaddafi regime implying that they can be used as valuable sources of intelligence.
The officers are undoubtedly at risk if they return to their country after the possible ouster of Qaddafi and a British residence in exchange for intelligence can be very helpful.
——–Agencies