By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 17 August 2013:
Speaking at last Wednesday’s press conference, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan expressed his determination in pushing ahead with the formation and activation of a state intelligence gathering apparatus.
Zeidan implied that he was still facing some opposition to this policy. The Prime Minister had indicated in an earlier press conference that he was receiving opposition to this move from the GNC and thuwar (freedom fighters) to this policy move.
“We started this (the formation of an intelligence gathering agency) to collect information on criminals”, he stressed. There was much opposition to this, but we need this”, he stressed.
Zeidan reassured the public that only those who were not tainted by their activities during the former regime would be considered for roles in the intelligence gathering agency.
Sending a message to those opposing this move, and giving the impression that he was still getting pressure against this it, Zeidan repeated: “We will continue with this. We will not be stopped by objections. We need this”, he concluded.
In a previous press conference Zeidan had stressed that to fight crime and terrorism the security apparatus needed to gather intelligence on criminals, terrorists and the enemies of the state.
But he had also acknowledged the “complex” developed by Libyans against any intelligence agency in view of the experience they had suffered under Qaddafi’s forty year police state and dictatorial regime.
Zeidan had assured the public that the new intelligence gathering agency would not be that: a agency that gathers intelligence and passes its reports to the government and GNC for action. It would not be an agency that can interrogate suspects or execute arrests or any actions.
Arrests, interrogation and the decision on criminal charges would be left to the police and Public Prosecutor’s Office. [/restrict]
