Tripoli, June 02: It has been confirmed that Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem has defected to the opposition, joining a slew of other high-ranking officials who have jumped ship.
“I can’t work in this situation. So I have left my country and my job to join the choice made by young Libyans to fight for a democratic country,” Shukri Ghanem was quoted as saying by AFP on Wednesday after he fled to Italy.
He added that he lost hope in the possibility of reform in Libya when he saw the country’s people being killed.
Ghanem noted that “there could be many solutions, including a peaceful solution,” to the crisis.
On May 17, it was reported that Ghanem had defected but the report was not confirmed until June 1.
On May 20, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Ghanem had defected, but Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim denied her remarks.
The oil minister’s defection comes a day after eight high-ranking military Libyan officers — five generals, two colonels, and a major — deserted the Gaddafi regime and fled to Italy.
Italian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari said Italy was following the issue of Libyan defections.
However, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that it did not play a role in bringing Ghanem to Rome.
——–Agencies