Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC), holds a news conference in Tripoli March 19, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Ismail Zitouny
By Yoko Nishikawa and Sherine El Madany
TOKYO/BENGHAZI, Libya | Mon May 23, 2011 7:21am BST
(Reuters) - Libya's top oil official is in neighbouring Tunisia and believed to be no longer working for Muammar Gaddafi, Tunisia said on Monday, following rebel assertions that he defected in the country's civil war.
Tunisia's foreign minister stopped short of confirming that Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya's NOC state energy firm and a central figure in Gaddafi's government, had swapped sides.
But the possibility that Ghanem has deserted the Libyan leader would bolster the rebels, already buoyed by a visit from the EU's foreign policy chief to their Benghazi base.
Ghanem's whereabouts have been a mystery since the rebels and a Tunisian security source said last week that he had defected. The Libyan government denied this and said he was merely on an official trip to Tunisia, Europe and Egypt.
However, on Monday Tunisian Foreign Minister Mouldi Kefi cast doubt on Tripoli's assertions over Ghanem, Libya's delegate to OPEC who is widely respected in the energy industry.
"I believe and I suspect Mr Ghanem just left Libya and that he is not any more working with the Gaddafi regime. Probably that's why he came to Tunisia," Kefi said on a visit to Tokyo.
Ghanem was staying in an hotel on a small southern Tunisian island, he told a news conference. But when asked whether Ghanem planned to travel to other countries, Kefi said: "Only God knows what is in Mr Ghanem's mind."
HOPES OF COLLAPSE
Western nations, including Britain, France and the United States which are conducting air strikes on Libya, hope that stalemate in the civil war will be broken by a collapse of Gaddafi's government.
The most prominent Libyan defector so far is Moussa Koussa, the former foreign minister who fled to Britain in March. A Tunisian security source also said last week that Gaddafi's wife Safia and daughter Aisha were on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
Rebels and Arab media previously reported that the U.S.-educated Ghanem, a technocrat credited with liberalising Libya's economy and energy sector, had stepped down. However, he appeared later and said he was in his office and working as usual.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton promised support for the rebels in eastern Libya on Sunday, becoming the most senior foreign official to visit the area since the revolt against Gaddafi began.
"We are here for the long term and what we can offer is support to Libyan institutions and the economy. We will be here to support you all the way," Ashton said in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, where she opened an EU representative office.
France, Britain and other European states have backed Libya's poorly trained and equipped rebels against a government that has held onto power for more than four decades.
French planes were the first to bomb Gaddafi's forces in March after the United Nations voted to allow intervention to protect civilians. The air strikes, now led by NATO, were launched as Gaddafi's troops advanced on Benghazi after the Libyan leader vowed "no mercy, no pity."
"I'm very clear that protecting civilians and the people of Libya is fundamental," said Ashton. "Too many people have died already it is important to realise that Gaddafi should leave."
"The Libyan people appreciate this visit and appreciate the European Union for supporting the revolution," said Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who heads of the Benghazi-based rebel National Transitional Council.
Several Libyans surrounded Ashton in the city where the revolt against Gaddafi began in mid-February, flashing victory signs. One man said: "Every Libyan is very happy."
Libya denounced the visit. "The visit itself gives the impression of recognition of an illegal entity," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the state news agency Jana. "It aims to divide Libya."
It said the EU should instead be looking for a peaceful solution to the conflict "to save the blood of Libyans and strengthen the unity of Libya and its territorial integrity in accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolutions."
(Additional reporting by Joseph Logan in Tripoli; Writing by David Stamp; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
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