Moscow visit a success: Thinni

By Libya Herald reporter.

Tunis, 17 April 2015:

Prime Minister Abdullah Thinni, Libya’s only internationally recognized Prime Minister, said that he considered his visit to Moscow to be a success in view of the fact that the Russian side had expressed its preparedness to cooperate and help Libya during this critical period it was going through.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the end of his extended visit to the Russian capital, Thinni said that the long relationship with Russia based mainly on military cooperation provides a foundation for future cooperation between the two countries.

He revealed that he had discussed with the Russian Interior Minister the possibility of training the police in crime prevention, criminal investigation and in the field of anti-terrorism.

In reply to a number of questions from the press, Thinni said Libya too was fully prepared to cooperate with Russian companies in various fields.

There is only one legitimate government in Libya chosen by the people through elections and internationally recognized. The powers in Tripoli are but terror groups that stole power in Tripoli as is the case in Yemen.

He accused the West of double standards between the situation in Yemen and Libya with what he called two differing definitions of democracy.

Thinni said the Islamists political wing in Libya, having lost control of the House of Representatives, gaining only 30 seats, and having lost power in Egypt and Tunisia, wanted to gain power in Libya through the use of force. The Libyan people will not accept this use of force – if they did they would not have made all the sacrifices (of the 2011 revolution) in order to end (the Qaddafi) dictatorship.

The Prime Minister further complained of the double standard in the arms embargo whereby his legitimate government is not being armed to face terrorism while the terrorists are able to smuggle planes full of arms under the cover of the night.

He objected the principle of how the international community equates his legitimate government with the terror groups and absolved Islam from acts of terror.

Terror targets all nationalities and religions he explained, adding that Libya needed help – including that of Russia – in confronting terrorism. He was not able to give a timeline for the liberation of Libyan territory from terror groups – in the absence of receiving arms.

Thinni blamed the international community for the failure to complete their task in Libya and said that if Libya is unable to receive arms officially it will deal even with the devil in order to defend its people.

He said he welcomed the dialogue and a negotiated settlement within agreed principles, but that the Islamic wing wished to rule on its own – a point that is unacceptable to the Libyan people. [/restrict]