BENGHAZI, Libya, June 19 (Xinhua) — Libyan rebels denied Sunday that they are engaged in negotiations with leader Muammar Gaddafi’s government and said the financial aid will be available in the coming days.
Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov said Saturday in Tunisia that the Gaddafi government had forged multiple contacts with the Libyan opposition and the two sides would hold negotiations in neighboring Tunisia.
“There is no negotiation between the National Transitional Council (NTC) and any member of Gaddafi’s regime,” Abdel Hafeedh Ghoga, spokesman for the rebel NTC, said at a press conference in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Sunday.
“We have not rejected any political settlement. The only condition we have is that the settlement should not include Gaddafi and his sons,” Ghoga said.
Meanwhile, oil chief of the Libyan rebels Ali Tarhouni accused the Western countries on Saturday of failing to keep up their promises to deliver financial aid, insisting that the NTC is facing financial crisis after months of fighting with Gaddafi’s troops.
“Until now, we have not received any of the promised money,” Ghoga said, but “the financial mechanism has been established, and we are optimistic that the money, which is 3.5 billion U.S. dollars, will be available in the coming days.”
“We are assured that the mechanism will be implemented,” he stressed.