UK paves way for flight of Libyan defectors

Libyan officials who abandon the Gaddafi regime would 'be treated with respect' in the UK, William Hague tells MPs

Britain will lift its ban on members of the Libyan regime entering the UK if they renounce their loyalty to Muammar Gaddafi, the foreign secretary, William Hague, told MPs as western governments continued to try to engineer a political solution to the deadlocked conflict.

The announcement came ahead of news that Scottish authorities investigating the Lockerbie bombing are expected to question Moussa Koussa, Libya's foreign minister and Gaddafi confidant who defected to Britain last week.

After making a formal request to speak with him, Scottish police and prosecutors met Foreign Office officials yesterday and are now expected to gain access to Koussa in the coming days.

However, the US last night dropped Koussa from a blacklist of Libyan officials subject to financial and travel sanctions imposed last month, saying it was rewarding him for his decision last week to cut ties with Gaddafi, and to encourage other members of the Libyan leader's inner circle to follow suit.

In Tripoli, the government was optimistic that a political outcome to the crisis could be found, spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said, claiming the regime was "the most positive party" in the whole conflict.He told reporters at a late-night press con ference that Libya was ready to hold elections and reform its political system, but only its own people would decide whether Gaddafi could stay at the helm. "We could have any political system, any changes: constitution, election, anything, but the leader has to lead this forward. This is our belief," said Ibrahim.

Libya would be willing to hold a referendum on its future, he said, adding that "our only request is that no one from outside Libya decides the future of Libya".

The regime's envoy, deputy foreign minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, arrived earlier in the Turkish capital, Ankara, as part of a three-country tour, reportedly with a message that Libya was willing to negotiate a way out of the military impasse. Obeidi's visits, combined with unconfirmed reports that two of Gaddafi's sons are proposing a transition to a constitutional democracy, suggest that significant elements of the regime may be ready to broker a deal on Libya's future.

However, the Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini, dismissed Obeidi's proposals, demanding Gaddafi relinquish power. The Libyan opposition and most of the international community say there can be no political deal without the departure of Gaddafi and his sons.

In Benghazi, the opposition spokeswoman Iman Bughaigis said: "This war has shown everyone and the world that Gaddafi's sons are no different from him. They are two sides of the same coin.

"Gaddafi has been waging a war on our people with the help of his sons' militias and mercenaries, so we see no difference between them. There is no way to negotiate with this regime."

Italy, which is significant as the former colonial power and for having had strong ties to the Gaddafi regime, joined France and Qatar in recognising the rebel government in the east of the country. It said that the interim transitional national council was the international community's only legitimate interlocutor.

Kuwait said it would also recognise the opposition de facto government within days.

The Libyan government said it regretted Italy's move and was asking it to reverse its position.

In the Commons, Hague told MPs that Libya had no future while Gaddafi remained in power, and the international community must keep up the pressure. "The world is united in believing that the Gaddafi regime has lost all legitimacy and that he must go, allowing the Libyan people to determine their own future," he said.

The defection last week of Koussa, "exposes its utter lack of legitimacy even in the eyes of those most closely associated with it in the past".

Hague said coalition that military action, humanitarian aid and diplomatic contacts with the rebel government would continue.

Libyan ministers and officials who were prepared to abandon the regime would be "treated with respect and in accordance with our laws", he added. "In the case of anyone currently sanctioned by the EU and UN who breaks definitively with the regime, we will discuss with our partners the merits of removing the restrictions that currently apply to them, while being clear that this does not constitute any form of immunity whatsoever ?

"Sanctions are designed to change behaviour, and it is therefore right that they are adjusted when new circumstances arise."

Koussa ? whose flight to the UK was termed a "departure" by Hague, rather than a defection ? was refused formal leave to enter the UK because of sanctions, but was granted temporary admission and met by officials.

The foreign secretary said Koussa would be encouraged to co-operate with Scottish law enforcement officials who wished to question him about the Lockerbie bombing.Hague confirmed that the UK had sent a diplomatic mission to Benghazi for talks with the interim council. Britain was not engaged in arming the rebels, Hague stressed, but would supply non-lethal equipment, including telecommunications which could not be intercepted, to "help with the protection of civilian lives and the delivery of humanitarian aid".

Harriet Sherwood

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