Libya today dismissed suggestions that foreign minister Moussa Koussa had defected, saying he had been given permission to travel to neighbouring Tunisia to undergo urgent medical treatment.
Britain's foreign office said yesterday that Koussa - one of Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy's closest officials - had resigned and arrived in Britain.
"As far as we know Mr Moussa Koussa asked the government for permission to rest because he is a very, very ill person," the Libyan government spokesman, Mussa Ibrahim, said.
"The government gave him permission so he went to Tunisia to rest for a few days, possibly even for a few weeks and receive some urgent medical treatment," he said when asked for a comment on Mr Koussa's defection.
"He has not notified us of any position different from his previous position," said, adding: "Anyway as I said our struggle and our political movement is not about individuals, it's about the Libyan nation."
Mr Ibrahim added that Col Gadafy will stay in Libya "until the end" to lead it to victory against its enemies.
He said Western air strikes against Libya had only united its top leadership against "a clear enemy".
"If this aggression did anything, it only rallied people around the leader and the unity of the nation," Mr Ibrahim said. "Especially now. They see a clear enemy."
Asked if Gadafy and his sons were still in the country, he said: "Rest assured, we are all here. We will remain here until the end. This is our country. We are strong on every front."
He added: "We are not relying on individuals to lead the struggle. This is a struggle of the whole nation. It's not dependent on individuals or officials."
Ibrahim dismissed suggestions that coalition air strikes had tipped the balance in favour of rebel forces fighting against Col Gadafy troops, or encouraged ordinary people to seek change after Col Gadafy's four-decade rule.
"With the air strikes bombarding every Libyan city, you don't see people coming out en masse demanding any change," he said. "Where is a popular revolution? Where are the tribes coming out and saying to the leader: 'Leave the country'? You need to read the signs."
Reuters