Nato delays formal Libya decision

Nato unexpectedly postponed a definite decision to end its bombing campaign in Libya as consultations continued with the United Nations and the country’s interim government over how and when to wind down the operation.

Last week the alliance announced preliminary plans to phase out its mission on October 31. Nato’s governing body – the North Atlantic Council (NAC) – was expected to formalise that decision today.

Air patrols have continued in the meantime because some alliance members were concerned that a quick end to Nato’s seven-month operation could lead to a resurgence in violence.

Spokeswoman Carmen Romero said Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen was consulting the United Nations and Libya’s National Transitional Council.

“The NAC will meet with partners on Friday to discuss our Libya mission and take a formal decision,” she said, adding that there was an “ongoing process” in the UN Security Council.

US defence secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that some of Libya’s leaders had called for Nato to continue its mission “during this interim as they try to establish some new governance”.

And at the United Nations, Libya’s deputy UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi asked the Security Council yesterday to delay lifting the no-fly zone and ending its authorisation to protect civilians.

However, a Nato official said the alliance had not received any formal request from Libya’s transitional government to prolong its air and naval patrols past the end of the month.

Nato’s 26,000 sorties, including 9,600 strike missions, have destroyed about 5,900 military targets since they started on March 31. These included Libya’s air defences and more than 1,000 tanks, vehicles and guns, as well as Muammar Gaddafi’s command and control networks.

The daily air strikes enabled the rebels’ forces to advance and take Tripoli two months ago. On Sunday, Libya’s interim rulers declared the country liberated, launching the oil-rich nation on what is meant to be a two-year transition to democracy.

In Qatar, Libya’s interim leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil attended an international planning conference today with representatives of Gulf states and Western powers that participated in the Libyan operation.

The meeting was expected to focus on how the allies could help the new authorities bring stability to the nation.

Qatar, a leading Arab backer of the uprising to topple Gaddafi’s regime, contributed war planes to the Nato-led air campaign and helped arrange a critical oil sale to fund the former rebels.

The United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Sweden also joined in the Nato war effort.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi’s intelligence chief, wanted by the International Criminal Court, has slipped into the desert nation of Niger and is hiding in the expanse of dunes on the border with Algeria, a Niger presidential adviser says.

Abdullah al-Senoussi entered Niger several days ago in a convoy piloted by Tuaregs, the traditional desert dwellers who remained fiercely loyal to Gaddafi until the end, the adviser said.

Al-Senoussi played a key role in maintaining Gaddafi’s control in Libya. A much less public presence than the flamboyant Gaddafi, al-Senoussi is believed to have masterminded the most brutal crackdowns on perceived threats to the regime.

The Niger official – an influential leader of the Tuareg community – said he was in touch with Tuaregs in contact with the convoy.

Al-Senoussi is one of two surviving members of the Gaddafi regime that are the subjects of international arrest warrants. The second is Gaddafi’s son and heir apparent Saif al-Islam, whom the official said was also in the area, but still in the triangle of sand just north of the Niger border, between Libya and Algeria.

“Senoussi? He’s already in Niger, but he’s not near the towns,” the official said. “Where is he headed? We don’t have any details on that. In any case, he can’t come to the towns (without getting caught). He entered some time ago - it’s been a few days. He’s hiding. His driver? Other Tuaregs,” he said.

“They (Senoussi and Saif al-Islam) are travelling in separate convoys.”

The information was confirmed by Serge Hiltron, owner of Radio Nomad, a radio station operating in Niger’s north, a region dominated by the Tuaregs.

“It’s like the story of the cat and the mouse, and we’re waiting for him (al-Senoussi) to come out of his hole.” Mr Hiltron said.

“For them (al-Senoussi and Saif al-Islam) the area that is safest is this buffer zone between Algeria, Libya and Niger – it’s the most secure. But they can’t stay there forever. With the protection of the Tuaregs they can last a while though.”