Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan In Shock After Attempted Assasination
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2013/10/libyan-prime-minister-ali-zeidan-in.html
Zeidan says Libyans need wisdom after brief but dramatic ordeal that saw him taken from his hotel room by armed men.
The Libyan prime minister, Ali Zeidan, has called for calm after being released by rebels who kidnapped him in the early hours of Thursday morning.
"Libyans need wisdom … not escalation … to deal with this situation," he said during a televised cabinet meeting in which he thanked those rebels who helped in his release and urged them to join the regular armed forces.
Zeidan was returned under armed escort to the Tripoli hotel from where he was seized in a brief but dramatic kidnapping. He was taken from his room at 4am by armed men who escorted him from the Corinthia hotel and held him captive.
Libyan television showed him at about 1.30pm local time (12.30pm BST) returning to his Tripoli office wearing a business suit and flanked by dozens of soldiers in red berets. In his brief TV statement afterwards Zeidan gave no details about his ordeal and avoided pointing any finger at those behind the abduction.
The Associated Press quoted him as saying: "We hope this matter will be treated with wisdom and rationality, far from tension. There are many things that need dealing with."
In a phone call with Zeidan following his release, David Cameron said Britain would continue to support Libya in overcoming the "security challenges" it faced.
Militia units, which had taken charge of security outside the hotel after police fled in the morning, withdrew following Zeidan's return and police units in red and white jeeps were again deployed around the entrance.
The situation at the hotel was tense with dozens of armed men from police, army and pro-Zeidan militias clustered at the entrance bearing machine guns and rocket launchers. Inside, guests could be seen standing around the lobby looking out at the security forces.
Condemnations of the kidnapping came from the British foreign secretary, William Hague, the United Nations support mission in Libya, and the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Construction party.
Human Rights Watch said it was "deeply troubled" by Zeidan's detention by "armed forces apparently aligned with the state".
"Libyans need wisdom … not escalation … to deal with this situation," he said during a televised cabinet meeting in which he thanked those rebels who helped in his release and urged them to join the regular armed forces.
Zeidan was returned under armed escort to the Tripoli hotel from where he was seized in a brief but dramatic kidnapping. He was taken from his room at 4am by armed men who escorted him from the Corinthia hotel and held him captive.
Libyan television showed him at about 1.30pm local time (12.30pm BST) returning to his Tripoli office wearing a business suit and flanked by dozens of soldiers in red berets. In his brief TV statement afterwards Zeidan gave no details about his ordeal and avoided pointing any finger at those behind the abduction.
The Associated Press quoted him as saying: "We hope this matter will be treated with wisdom and rationality, far from tension. There are many things that need dealing with."
In a phone call with Zeidan following his release, David Cameron said Britain would continue to support Libya in overcoming the "security challenges" it faced.
Militia units, which had taken charge of security outside the hotel after police fled in the morning, withdrew following Zeidan's return and police units in red and white jeeps were again deployed around the entrance.
The situation at the hotel was tense with dozens of armed men from police, army and pro-Zeidan militias clustered at the entrance bearing machine guns and rocket launchers. Inside, guests could be seen standing around the lobby looking out at the security forces.
Condemnations of the kidnapping came from the British foreign secretary, William Hague, the United Nations support mission in Libya, and the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Construction party.
Human Rights Watch said it was "deeply troubled" by Zeidan's detention by "armed forces apparently aligned with the state".
