By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 13 September 2013:
At Wednesday’s press conference Prime Minister Ali Zeidan responded to media criticism that the so-called Diplomatic . . .[restrict]Protection Unit was in reality ineffective at doing its job of protecting diplomatic sites in Tripoli.
One member of the media said that during a visit to the Diplomatic Protection Unit’s headquarters it was found lacking in personnel, equipment or arms. The location itself was found to be in poor condition.
Acting Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Sidiq Abdelkarim, said that the Diplomatic Protection Unit “will be activated in reality and it must be an effective unit soon”.
Zeidan, on the other hand, said that he had personally been responsible for the delivery of 100 vehicles in one day to the Diplomatic Protection Unit. He had commandeered them from another government department, he explained.
Zeidan said that Libya needed some psychological reorientation. He said that it was as if someone was in the dark for a long time and then was hit by the light suddenly, implying that the problem was in the personnel and not the equipment. [/restrict]
