Libya denies Gaddafi’s spy chief is in the country

Spokesperson for Libya’s interim government, Nasser al-Mana, has denied rumours that Abdullah al-Senussi, Muammar Gaddafi’s fugitive spy chief, is held in Libya or that a Libyan plane was sent to the Mauritanian capital, where al-Senussi is currently being held, to transport him back to Libya. However, during the Libyan government's weekly press conference, al-Manaa did confirm that negotiations at the highest levels were ongoing and that there were positive signs. Libyan deputy prime minister Mustafa Abu Shaqur, revealed that the Mauritanian government has promised to transfer al-Senussi to Libya, and that the process was only being delayed by some legal and security procedures. In an interview with Libyan newspaper al-Amel, Shaqur said returning al-Senussi back to Libya would push the Libyan-Mauritanian relations forward. "The bilateral relations between the two countries wouldn't rely on a one-man issue, but we hope that our Mauritanian brothers will show the expected cooperation in returning al-Senussi back to Libya where he will be granted a fair trial," Shaqur said. Al-Senussi was arrested at Nouakchott airport on March 17 upon his arrival. He has been held at a Mauritanian prison since the authorities charged him with entering the country with a forged Malian passport.