Libyan Brotherhood denies links to US, Qatar

Bashir Al-Kubty, the general observer of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood said his group was not looking to monopolise power. He claimed the Islamists seeked to win over Libyans and denied receiving support from Qatar or the United States. Al-Kubty also said the recently established Justice and Development Party was not a political arm of the Brotherhood in Libya, because those who joined the party only represented themselves. The official however ruled out the possibility of future conflict between Islamist movements, particularly with the Salafists. Moreover, he expressed his rejection of Cyrenaica's declaration as a sem-autonomous federal territory saying the decision was representative of the Libyan people. The solution to marginalisation will be achieved through a decentralised local government and not through disassocation from the state, he added. Al-Kubty said: "We want a civil state with an Islamic background that does not restrict freedom. We welcome everything that will benefit the country and the people as a whole. We encourage openness in fields of culture, knowledge, literature and arts." As for the financial support of Qatar and the United States, Al-Kubty said the allegation were baseless. "We thank Qatar for it humanitarian role in helping Libyans through Gaddafi's crackdown on protests. However, there is no relationship between us and Qatar or the US," he added.