Moussa Koussa
Moussa Muhammad El-haj Nemr Koussa | |
---|---|
Abdelati Obeidi | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1949? Tajura, Libya |
Alma mater | Michigan State University |
Moussa Muhammad El-Haj Nemr Koussa (
Koussa previously headed the
Early life and education
Koussa was born in the
Chief of Intelligence and diplomat
After his return to Libya, Koussa was appointed as Secretary of the Libyan People's Bureau in London in 1979. He was expelled from the United Kingdom in 1980, after commenting too candidly[8] in an interview with The Times newspaper about his government's intention to eliminate two political opponents who were living in the UK.[9]
From 1984 to 1992, Moussa Koussa was head of
Moussa Koussa served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994. In 1994, Gaddafi fired
In 2004, he allegedly played a leading role in the failed assassination plot against Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.[12]
Over the decades, Koussa gained a reputation as an urbane and worldly figure "who would not have looked out of place as a Western ambassador," according to the former Central Intelligence Agency agent Paul R. Pillar.[13]
Koussa is further credited by the CIA, British MI6, as well as French Intelligence Services for unraveling a labyrinth of Islamic radical and fundamentalist cells and movements in neighboring Sudan, Niger, Mali, and Chad. Such groups would come to be known as Al-Qaeda.[dubious ] On 16 March 1998, five months before the Al-Qaeda bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Libya ordered the first alert to Interpol for the capture of Osama bin Laden, a fact unbeknown to the wider public.[14] The warrant was forwarded to Interpol in France, where it was formalized on 15 April 1998.
In 2004, George Tenet credited Libya for issuing the first international red notice Interpol alert and arrest warrant for Osama bin Laden.[15] Koussa was also credited for negotiating Libya's decision to give up its WMD program, thus facilitating Libya's reintegration into the international community.[11] Leaked US diplomatic cables reveal that the U.S. viewed Moussa Koussa as a character of high interest with a combination of intellectual acumen, operational ability, and political weight.[16] Oliver Miles, a former British ambassador to Tripoli, stated Koussa is "straightforward and reliable ... I found him a perfectly reasonable person to deal with."[17][18] Another leaked cable described him as "a useful and powerful interlocutor who has been mostly cooperative in liaison channels and key to our re-engagement."[19]
Koussa was appointed Foreign Minister in 2009, replacing
Koussa accompanied
Departure and resignation
Koussa, accompanied by his deputy
Scottish prosecutors interviewed Koussa about the Lockerbie bombing, and found no judicial reason or evidence to hold him in captivity.[27] At the time, Koussa was a leading member of Al-Mathaba.[28]
Koussa left the United Kingdom and moved to
See also
- Moussa Ibrahim
- General People's Committee of Libya
- List of Libyans
References
- ^ Beaumont, Peter (31 March 2011). "Profile: Moussa Koussa". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ Inside Gaddafi's inner circle – Africa. Al Jazeera English. (2011-02-27). Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ a b c "Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Flees to UK". BBC News. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Qaddafi's spymaster takes a walk". Doha. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- ^ Wright, Robin (21 July 1991). "Pair Emerge as Key Suspects in Libyan Terror". LA Times. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ a b Harding, Thomas; Winnett, Robert (30 March 2011). "Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa defects to Britain". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ Shane, Scott (5 April 2011). "Sanctions Are Dropped Against Libyan Defector". New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ a b Bloxham, Andy; McElroy, Damien (30 March 2011). "Profile: Moussa Koussa, the Lockerbie Spymaster Who Defected". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ Barkham, Patrick (7 April 1999). "Lockerbie conspiracies: from A to Z". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Abu Nidal 'behind Lockerbie bombing'". BBC News. 23 August 2002.
- ^ "'UAE ruler's friend' ran Libyan plot to kill Saudi crown prince". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ Shane, Scott (5 April 2011). "Sanctions Are Dropped Against Libyan Defector". The New York Times.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Shane, Scott (17 March 2011). "Old Arab Ties May Harm New Ones". New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ Hopkins, Nick; Black, Ian; Carrell, Severin; Norton-Taylor, Richard (31 March 2011). "Moussa Koussa's defection surprises Libya – and maybe Britain too". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Carrell, Severin. "Moussa Koussa could know truth about Lockerbie bombing, say campaigners". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Middle-east Arab News Opinion". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Factbox: Who is Moussa Koussa?". Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Ransom paid for Canadian diplomats, leaked cable suggests". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- ^ "LIBYA : Mesmari Affair Could Unseat Kussa - 02/12/2010 - Maghreb Confidential". Africa Intelligence. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Libya: Moussa Koussa resigns – factbox". The Daily Telegraph. London. 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Gaddafi's deputy foreign minister flies to Athens with peace proposal". the Guardian. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Libyan FM Visits Tunisia". Xinhua News Agency. 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Libya Formin Has Not Defected – Govt Spokesman". Reuters. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Libyan Foreign Minister Defects – UK Foreign Ministry Says Moussa Koussa Has Arrived in the UK After Resigning from His Post". Al Jazeera English. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ Lockerbie probe police meet Kusa – UK, Local & National[permanent dead link]. Belfasttelegraph.co.uk (2011-04-08). Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ "Koussa Lockerbie interview sought by prosecutors". BBC News. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ Moussa Koussa denies Libya torture alleged on BBC Panorama. The Guardian. 26 October 2011
- ^ "Musa Kusa full statement on Lockerbie" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, STV, 26 October 2011.
- ^ "Musa Kusa full statement on Lockerbie". STV News. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Moussa Koussa collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English
- Moussa Koussa collected news and commentary at The Guardian