Moussa Koussa
Mussa Kussa | |
|---|---|
| Foreign Minister of Libya | |
| Assumed office 4 March 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Abdel Rahman Shalgham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949? Libya |
Mussa Kussa (Arabic: موسى كوسا; born c. 1949) is a Libyan political figure and diplomat who has served in the government of Libya as Minister of Foreign Affairs since March 2009 and into the 2011 Libyan uprising. He previously headed the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009 and is considered one of the country's most powerful figures.[1] He resigned on 30 March 2011 from his post as foreign minister in protest at continuing attacks on civilians by the Gaddafi Regime.[2]
Education
Kussa attended Michigan State University, earning a bachelor's in sociology in 1978.[3]
Diplomat and intelligence chief
Kussa worked as a security specialist for Libyan embassies in Europe before being appointed as Libya's Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1980. He was expelled from the United Kingdom later in 1980, after stating his intention to eliminate political opponents of the Libyan government who were living in the UK. Later he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the head of the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009.[1]
He was a key figure in the normalization of relations between Libya and many NATO nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Foreign minister
On 4 March 2009, Mussa Kussa was designated as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Abdel Rahman Shalgham, in a ministerial reshuffle announced by the Libyan parliament.[1]
In April 2009, Kussa presided over the 28th council meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union (comprising Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) in the Libyan capital Tripoli.[4]
In an interview published by Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 10 November 2009, Kussa sharply criticized some aspects of Chinese investment in Africa. According to Kussa, it was unacceptable for the Chinese to bring "thousands of Chinese workers to Africa" when Africans themselves needed jobs, and he spoke of "a Chinese invasion of the African continent" that he said "brings to mind the effects that colonialism had on the African continent". Kussa also harshly criticized China's unwillingness to deal with the African Union and its preference for dealing with individual African states, which he said was suggestive of a divide and rule policy. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of political cooperation in addition to economic cooperation, saying that the former was lacking in China's relationship with Africa. He said that China only dealt in business, and never engaged in political support, in order to please all sides in a dispute.[5]
Koussa was described as "hands shaking" as he announced a cease-fire weeks into the 2011 uprising, after the UN Security Council had opened the way to a no-fly zone. Western "officials indicated that they were prepared to move quickly if a decision was made to take military action. Britain, France and then the United States responded [to the cease-fire announcement] with almost identically worded skepticism ...." Attacks by government troops on Benghazi were also being reported -- and denied -- at the time, some hours after the announced cease fire.[6]
On March 30, 2011, Koussa defected to the United Kingdom from Libya over objections to the regime's systematic massacre of its citizens.
UK Diplomatic visit
On 30 March, 2011, he arrived at Farnborough Airfield via Tunisia, according to Libyan sources on a diplomatic mission.[7] BBC News later reported Foriegn and Commonwealth Office sources, stating that he no longer wished to represent the Libyan government.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Libyan spy chief named FM in reshuffle", AFP, 4 March 2009.
- ^ BBC Libya coverage, retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ http://vitalperspective.typepad.com/vital_perspective_clarity/libya/
- ^ AFP Getty Images
- ^ Yitzhak Shichor, "Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics", China Brief, Volume 9, Issue 24, Jamestown Foundation, 3 December 2009.
- ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth and David D. Kirkpatrick, "Obama Warns Libya, but Attacks Go On", The New York Times, March 18, 2011 (March 19, 2011 p. A1 NY ed.). Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ "Libya formin has not defected - govt spokesman". Reuters. 30 March, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Libyan minister arrives in London on surprise visit". BBC News. 30 March, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
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