Unrest in Tripoli forces Abbas to cancel trip

An informed source at Tripoli International Airport told Arabstoday that the visit of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas to Libya, was cancelled due to the presence of armed militias roaming in front of the airport and Transitional National Council building, demanding seats in the national election conference. The source, who asked to remain anonymous, told Arabstoday, that the authorities could not disperse the armed militias, adding that the Palestinian delegation were informed to cancel the visit, as the Libyan authorities were unable to control the security situation in the capital. The source stated that Abbas was supposed to arrive Tuesday, in his first official visit after the overthrow of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Abbas had arrived to Tunisia Saturday, in an official visit at the invitation of the Tunisian President Moncef Marzouqi, during which they discussed developments in Palestine and bilateral cooperation, as well as the building of  the new headquarters of the Palestinian embassy in Tunisia.