Foreign Office Minister meets Libyan Interior Minister
Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne met the Libyan Interior Minister Fawzy Abdilal, who is making his first visit to the UK since his appointment at the end of November 2011.
The visit will focus on how the UK can assist the Transitional Libyan Government in bringing stability and security throughout the country. During his visit, Mr Abdilal will also meet the Home Secretary, Development Secretary and the FCO Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt. Mr Abdilal will visit the Bramshill police training authority and a Security and Policing Exhibition. The UK is already providing assistance to the Libyan Transitional Government and will increase its assistance over the coming months in close co-operation with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.
Speaking after the meeting, the Foreign Office Minister said:
“I am very pleased that the Libyan Interior Minister was able to visit the UK so soon after being appointed to his new role. His visit is a valuable opportunity for us to continue to build a productive and frank relationship between our two countries. During our meeting, I emphasised that the Libyan people’s struggle and sacrifice during the revolution must not be betrayed by a lack of respect for human rights in the new Libya. Recent allegations of torture in Misrata are deeply troubling and I urged the Minister to take action to bring the facilities where detainees are held under government control.
“There is much the UK can do to assist the Libyan Transitional Government with the task of rebuilding Libya. We are already providing assistance directly to the Transitional Government, in close consultation with the UN. A professional security sector under full democratic control that respects human rights is an essential component for stability in Libya. In this regard, I hope that Mr Abdilal’s visit to the Bramshill National Policing Improvement Authority will promote the sharing of best practice between our two countries.
“I also reiterated to the Minister the need for progress on a number of important UK/Libya issues, notably the need to work together to resolve the out-standing issues arising from the actions of the Qadhafi regime, in particular on WPC Fletcher, Lockerbie and Northern Ireland”.