A senior Libyan official denied yesterday reports out of Israel that high-level, behind the scenes talks had recently been held over the prospect of forging diplomatic ties.
| "Nope. Nope. Never happened..." |
âLibyan authorities have looked into these reports and found nothing to them,â Deputy Foreign Minister Hassuna Shawsh told the state news agency JANA. Diplomatic sources in Israel said yesterday a senior aide to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom held talks late last month with a senior Libyan official about the prospect of forging diplomatic ties. Shalomâs chief political advisor, Ron Prosor, was said to have met the unnamed Libyan Foreign Ministry official in secret talks in Paris. In response, Shawsh said, âwhoever is circulating these reports should provide proof by stating the date and place of these meetings, as well as the people involved. âInternational relations are not built on rumors and intrigues.â
| Sure they are. That's what diplomats do for a living... |
Instead, he said, they are âbased on clarity and mutual confidence.â Shawsh added that âthose who are spreading these rumors believe they are in the process of serving their interests but, quite the contrary, these rumors are detrimental to them.â The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Wednesday the government was pursuing efforts to establish diplomatic relations with Libya and other Arab countries, without confirming the meeting in Paris. âWe have nothing to say concerning such a meeting,â spokesman David Saranga said. |