Libya Wants Britain to Deport All Members of the Radical Islamic Group

Europe, Middle East / N. Africa - Libya, United Kingdom
24 Oct 2005 - MIPT

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Libya, which last week signed a deportation agreement with Britain, said Sunday it thinks all members of the radical Libyan Islamic Fighting Group should be deported, not just some.

"We think that all the members of the group should be deported and not five as some British newspapers reported," Libya's ambassador to Britain, Mohammed al-Zaway, said in a telephone interview from Tripoli. He did not say how many.

Al-Zaway warned that "the presence of the group, which has links with the al-Qaida terrorist organization, is a grave danger to Britain's security."

Libya is interested in the members because one of the group's goals is the overthrow of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The Libyan ambassador said those "who committed terrorist acts would be tried, but others who have no criminal record are welcomed in their country and among their people."

Al-Zaway said Libya has not yet received anyone from the group.

The agreement with Britain, which guarantees that foreign nationals returned to their countries will not be mistreated, comes as Prime Minister Tony Blair's government bolsters its powers to expel radical Islamic preachers and terror suspects from Britain.

A similar agreement was signed with Jordan in August.

As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain is not allowed to deport people to countries where they may face torture or mistreatment. It is seeking similar agreements with eight other countries, including Algeria, Lebanon and Tunisia.

Copyright AP 2005