News / National
D-Day for expelled Libyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe
02 Sep 2011 at 06:36hrs | Views
Former Libyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Taher Elmegrahi will be forcibly deported if he does not leave the country when the 72-hour ultimatum he was given expires this afternoon.
On Wednesday the former envoy had indicated he would leave yesterday and cited difficulties in securing flights to get him to Libya.
Yesterday morning Mr Elmegrahi was not co-operative when The Herald sought a comment from him on what time he was leaving the country.
"Why are you troubling me, talk to your Government on that," he said before switching off his phone. Later in the day he said: "I don't want to talk to you on that."
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha, yesterday said Mr Elmegrahi would be forcibly deported if he did not leave today.
"We gave him a 72 hour ultimatum and it expires tomorrow (today). If he does not leave then we will have to use force but I do not think it will come to that," he said.
Mr Elmegrahi together with his embassy staff defected to the rebel National Transitional Council that has been waging war against Colonel Gaddafi with the assistance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) since March. The NTC has taken over most Libyan cities.
On Wednesday the former envoy had indicated he would leave yesterday and cited difficulties in securing flights to get him to Libya.
Yesterday morning Mr Elmegrahi was not co-operative when The Herald sought a comment from him on what time he was leaving the country.
"Why are you troubling me, talk to your Government on that," he said before switching off his phone. Later in the day he said: "I don't want to talk to you on that."
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha, yesterday said Mr Elmegrahi would be forcibly deported if he did not leave today.
"We gave him a 72 hour ultimatum and it expires tomorrow (today). If he does not leave then we will have to use force but I do not think it will come to that," he said.
Mr Elmegrahi together with his embassy staff defected to the rebel National Transitional Council that has been waging war against Colonel Gaddafi with the assistance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) since March. The NTC has taken over most Libyan cities.
Source - TH
