31-03-2011, 08:06 AM
Mussa Kussa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mussa Kussa
Kussa in September 2010
Former Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
4 March 2009[citation needed] 31 March 2011[clarification needed]
Preceded by Abdel Rahman Shalgham
Succeeded by position vacant (as of 31 March 2011)
Born circa 1949[citation needed]
Libya[citation needed]
Alma mater Michigan State University[1]
Mussa Kussa (Arabic: موسى كوسا[pronunciation?]; born circa 1949[citation needed]) is a Libyan political figure and diplomat, who served in the Libyan government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2009, into the 2011 Libyan uprising, when he resigned his position in 30th March 2011.[2]
Kussa previously headed the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009, and was considered one of the country's most powerful figures.[3] He arrived in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2011, and later the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office released an official statement saying that Mussa no longer wished to represent the Libyan government,[4] and intended to resign.[2]Contents [hide]
1 Education
2 Diplomat and intelligence chief
3 Foreign minister
4 UK diplomatic visit and defection
5 See also
6 References
Education
He attended American Michigan State University, located in East Lansing, Michigan, earning a bachelor's in sociology in 1978.[1] [my note: I believe there was a CIA program uncovered out of this university at about that time...have to look it up...P.L.]
Diplomat and intelligence chief
Kussa worked as a security specialist for Libyan embassies in Europe before being appointed as Libya's Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1980. He was expelled from the United Kingdom in 1980, after stating in an interview with The Times newspaper that his government intented to eliminate two political opponents of the Libyan government, who were living in the UK.[5]
Later he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the head of the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009.[3] He was a key figure in the normalization of relations between Libya and many NATO nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Kossa was key in securing the release of Pan Am flight 103 bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. In October 2008, he met both British and Scottish government officials, listed as an interpreter. In a second visit in January 2009, he was listed as Minister of Security.[5]
Foreign minister
On 4 March 2009, Kussa was designated as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Abdel Rahman Shalgham, in a ministerial reshuffle announced by the Libyan parliament.[3][5]
In April 2009, he presided over the 28th council meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union (comprising Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) in the Libyan capital Tripoli.[6]
In an interview published by Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 10 November 2009, Kussa sharply criticized some aspects of Chinese investment in Africa. According to Kussa, it was unacceptable for the Chinese to bring "thousands of Chinese workers to Africa" when Africans themselves needed jobs, and he spoke of "a Chinese invasion of the African continent" that he said "brings to mind the effects that colonialism had on the African continent". Kussa also harshly criticized China's unwillingness to deal with the African Union and its preference for dealing with individual African states, which he said was suggestive of a divide and rule policy. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of political cooperation in addition to economic cooperation, saying that the former was lacking in China's relationship with Africa. He said that China only dealt in business, and never engaged in political support, in order to please all sides in a dispute.[7]
Kussa was described as "hands shaking" as he announced a ceasefire weeks into the 2011 uprising, after the UN Security Council had opened the way to a no-fly zone. Western "officials indicated that they were prepared to move quickly if a decision was made to take military action. France and the UK and then the United States responded [to the ceasefire announcement] with almost identically worded skepticism ...." Attacks by government troops on Benghazi were also being reported and denied at the time, some hours after the announced ceasefire.[8]
On 29 March 2011, Kussa wrote to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, nominating the former foreign minister of Nicaragua's socialist Sandinista government and one-time president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, as Libya's new ambassador to the UN. The letter stated that Brockmann was nominated, as Ali Abdussalam Treki, also a former General Assembly president who was their first choice, was denied a visa to enter the United States under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.[9]
UK diplomatic visit and defection
After departing Tripoli by car and arriving in Tunis, Tunisia, on 28 March 2011, via the Ras Ejder border crossing, a Tunisian Government spokesman via Tunis Afrique Presse stated that Kussa had arrived on a "private visit."[10] On 30 March 2011, he departed from Djerba on a Swiss-registered private jet,[11] arriving at Farnborough Airfield, England, according to Libyan sources on a diplomatic mission.[12] The Foreign and Commonwealth Office later released an official press statement, stating that Mussa no longer wished to represent the Libyan government and intended to resign,[2][4][13] unhappy with Libyan Army attacks on civilians.[14]
References
^ a b[unreliable source?] Staff writer (30 May 2006). "Rumored Coordinator of Pan Am Bombing to be Named Libyan Envoy to U.S." (scroll down page). Vital Perspective: Clarify on Middle East Issues (blog hosted on TypePad). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Press release (30 March 2011). "Foreign Office Statement on Musa Kusa". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Staff writer (4 March 2009). "Libyan Spy Chief Named FM in Reshuffle". Agence France-Presse (via Google News). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Flees to UK". BBC News. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Bloxham, Andy; McElroy, Damien (30 March 2011). "Profile: Moussa Koussa, the Lockerbie Spymaster Who Defected Moussa Koussa, the Libyan Foreign Minister Who Defected from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's Regime, Was One of the Architects of Its rehabilitation in the International Community But a Deeply Controversial Figure Who Is Likely To Pose David Cameron a Particularly thorny Political Problem". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Turkia, Mahumd (19 April 2009) "Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa Atte". Agence France-Presse/Getty Images (via Getty Images). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Shichor, Yitzhak (3 December 2009). "Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics". China Brief, Volume 9, Issue 24. Jamestown Foundation.
^ (registration required) Bumiller, Elisabeth; Kikpatrick, David D. (18 March 2011; 19 March 2011, p. A1, New York edition). "Obama Warns Libya, but Attacks Go On". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
^ Varner, Bill; Schmidt, Blake (29 March 2011). "Former Nicaragua Sandinista Leader Named Libya's UN Envoy". Reuters. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (28 March 2011). "Libyan FM Visits Tunisia". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (31 March 2011). "Why Is the Libyan Foreign Minister Flying to London?". International Business Times. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libya Formin Has Not Defected Govt Spokesman". Reuters. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libyan Foreign Minister Defects UK Foreign Ministry Says Moussa Koussa Has Arrived in the UK After Resigning from His Post". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libya FM Defects from Government, Seeks Refuge in Britain Moussa Koussa Quit To Protest Government Attacks on Civilians, Says Friend; Koussa Was Instrumental in Bring Libya Back to International Community after Years of Sanctions". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mussa Kussa
Kussa in September 2010
Former Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
4 March 2009[citation needed] 31 March 2011[clarification needed]
Preceded by Abdel Rahman Shalgham
Succeeded by position vacant (as of 31 March 2011)
Born circa 1949[citation needed]
Libya[citation needed]
Alma mater Michigan State University[1]
Mussa Kussa (Arabic: موسى كوسا[pronunciation?]; born circa 1949[citation needed]) is a Libyan political figure and diplomat, who served in the Libyan government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2009, into the 2011 Libyan uprising, when he resigned his position in 30th March 2011.[2]
Kussa previously headed the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009, and was considered one of the country's most powerful figures.[3] He arrived in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2011, and later the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office released an official statement saying that Mussa no longer wished to represent the Libyan government,[4] and intended to resign.[2]Contents [hide]
1 Education
2 Diplomat and intelligence chief
3 Foreign minister
4 UK diplomatic visit and defection
5 See also
6 References
Education
He attended American Michigan State University, located in East Lansing, Michigan, earning a bachelor's in sociology in 1978.[1] [my note: I believe there was a CIA program uncovered out of this university at about that time...have to look it up...P.L.]
Diplomat and intelligence chief
Kussa worked as a security specialist for Libyan embassies in Europe before being appointed as Libya's Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1980. He was expelled from the United Kingdom in 1980, after stating in an interview with The Times newspaper that his government intented to eliminate two political opponents of the Libyan government, who were living in the UK.[5]
Later he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the head of the Libyan intelligence agency from 1994 to 2009.[3] He was a key figure in the normalization of relations between Libya and many NATO nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Kossa was key in securing the release of Pan Am flight 103 bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. In October 2008, he met both British and Scottish government officials, listed as an interpreter. In a second visit in January 2009, he was listed as Minister of Security.[5]
Foreign minister
On 4 March 2009, Kussa was designated as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Abdel Rahman Shalgham, in a ministerial reshuffle announced by the Libyan parliament.[3][5]
In April 2009, he presided over the 28th council meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union (comprising Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) in the Libyan capital Tripoli.[6]
In an interview published by Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 10 November 2009, Kussa sharply criticized some aspects of Chinese investment in Africa. According to Kussa, it was unacceptable for the Chinese to bring "thousands of Chinese workers to Africa" when Africans themselves needed jobs, and he spoke of "a Chinese invasion of the African continent" that he said "brings to mind the effects that colonialism had on the African continent". Kussa also harshly criticized China's unwillingness to deal with the African Union and its preference for dealing with individual African states, which he said was suggestive of a divide and rule policy. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of political cooperation in addition to economic cooperation, saying that the former was lacking in China's relationship with Africa. He said that China only dealt in business, and never engaged in political support, in order to please all sides in a dispute.[7]
Kussa was described as "hands shaking" as he announced a ceasefire weeks into the 2011 uprising, after the UN Security Council had opened the way to a no-fly zone. Western "officials indicated that they were prepared to move quickly if a decision was made to take military action. France and the UK and then the United States responded [to the ceasefire announcement] with almost identically worded skepticism ...." Attacks by government troops on Benghazi were also being reported and denied at the time, some hours after the announced ceasefire.[8]
On 29 March 2011, Kussa wrote to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, nominating the former foreign minister of Nicaragua's socialist Sandinista government and one-time president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, as Libya's new ambassador to the UN. The letter stated that Brockmann was nominated, as Ali Abdussalam Treki, also a former General Assembly president who was their first choice, was denied a visa to enter the United States under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.[9]
UK diplomatic visit and defection
After departing Tripoli by car and arriving in Tunis, Tunisia, on 28 March 2011, via the Ras Ejder border crossing, a Tunisian Government spokesman via Tunis Afrique Presse stated that Kussa had arrived on a "private visit."[10] On 30 March 2011, he departed from Djerba on a Swiss-registered private jet,[11] arriving at Farnborough Airfield, England, according to Libyan sources on a diplomatic mission.[12] The Foreign and Commonwealth Office later released an official press statement, stating that Mussa no longer wished to represent the Libyan government and intended to resign,[2][4][13] unhappy with Libyan Army attacks on civilians.[14]
References
^ a b[unreliable source?] Staff writer (30 May 2006). "Rumored Coordinator of Pan Am Bombing to be Named Libyan Envoy to U.S." (scroll down page). Vital Perspective: Clarify on Middle East Issues (blog hosted on TypePad). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Press release (30 March 2011). "Foreign Office Statement on Musa Kusa". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Staff writer (4 March 2009). "Libyan Spy Chief Named FM in Reshuffle". Agence France-Presse (via Google News). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Flees to UK". BBC News. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ a b c Bloxham, Andy; McElroy, Damien (30 March 2011). "Profile: Moussa Koussa, the Lockerbie Spymaster Who Defected Moussa Koussa, the Libyan Foreign Minister Who Defected from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's Regime, Was One of the Architects of Its rehabilitation in the International Community But a Deeply Controversial Figure Who Is Likely To Pose David Cameron a Particularly thorny Political Problem". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Turkia, Mahumd (19 April 2009) "Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa Atte". Agence France-Presse/Getty Images (via Getty Images). Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Shichor, Yitzhak (3 December 2009). "Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics". China Brief, Volume 9, Issue 24. Jamestown Foundation.
^ (registration required) Bumiller, Elisabeth; Kikpatrick, David D. (18 March 2011; 19 March 2011, p. A1, New York edition). "Obama Warns Libya, but Attacks Go On". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
^ Varner, Bill; Schmidt, Blake (29 March 2011). "Former Nicaragua Sandinista Leader Named Libya's UN Envoy". Reuters. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (28 March 2011). "Libyan FM Visits Tunisia". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (31 March 2011). "Why Is the Libyan Foreign Minister Flying to London?". International Business Times. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libya Formin Has Not Defected Govt Spokesman". Reuters. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libyan Foreign Minister Defects UK Foreign Ministry Says Moussa Koussa Has Arrived in the UK After Resigning from His Post". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ Staff writer (30 March 2011). "Libya FM Defects from Government, Seeks Refuge in Britain Moussa Koussa Quit To Protest Government Attacks on Civilians, Says Friend; Koussa Was Instrumental in Bring Libya Back to International Community after Years of Sanctions". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass