#News: The Libyan rebels say they do not know if Shukri Ghanem has defected or not. The Libyan government said he had been on official business in Tunisia,

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Libyan rebels say they do not know if Shukri Ghanem has defected or not. The Libyan government said he had been on official business in Tunisia,

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Libya: Mystery over missing Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem - BBC News #tunisia http://tiny.ly/S9hj

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Libya: Mystery over missing Oil Minister Shukri Ghanemhttp://bit.ly/koV6aM

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The Libyan rebels say they do not know if Shukri Ghanem has defected or not. The Libyan government said he had been on official business in Tunisia, but had since had lost touch with Tripoli. "Shukri Ghanem has left Libya," a Tunisian official told AFP news agency. The official added that Mr Ghanem had gone to a hotel in Djerba on Saturday but "not tried to contact the Tunisian authorities". However a staff member at the hotel told AFP that Mr Ghanem had checked out with his family early on Tuesday. Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Tripoli had lost contact with him. Mr Ibrahim told the New York Times newspaper that the government's fight against rebels "doesn't depend on individuals, even if they are high-ranking officials". Mr Ghanem is also the head of Libya's National Oil Corporation and a former prime minister. A number of senior officials have abandoned the government of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi side the start of uprising in February - including Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, Interior Minister Abdul Fattah Younis, Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil, and a number of ambassadors.

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Mystery over Libyan oil minister: Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanemis said to have left for Tunisia, amid uncer... http://bbc.in/l4Z338

18 minutes ago

Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem is said to have left the country for Tunisia, amid uncertainty about the reasons for the reported visit. Tunisian officials say he crossed the border on Saturday to go to the island of Djerba. He was later reported to have left for an unknown destination.