By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 21 September 2013:
Reports that the Prime Minister was prevented from heading into Benghazi after he flew to . . .[restrict]the city’s Benina Airport early this morning and had to return to Tripoli have been flatly denied by his press office.
Ali Zeidan had flown to Benghazi very early this morning, held a meeting with top security officials at the airport and then flew back “as planned”, the press office said.
Media reports had claimed that protestors at the airport had demanded he return to Tripoli and that mediators urged he do so as quickly as possible.
Reliable sources in both Tripoli and Benghazi, not known to be usually supportive of the government, confirmed the Prime Ministerial press office’s version of events to the Libya Herald this evening.
“He flew to Benghazi airport at 6am where he held talks with General Mohammed Al-Sharif [head of the city’s Joint Security Room] and the head of special forces operations, Colonel Wanis Bukhamada, about security,” a source said. “He then flew back to Tripoli at 8am.”
Reports that Zeidan had had to leave were “nonsense” the source added. [/restrict]
