Radek Sikorski (third from right) in Benghazi; photo - PAP/Pawel Superniak

A military plane taking Poland's foreign minister Radek Sikorski to Benghazi in Libya yesterday afternoon had to abandon its first attempt to land after information suggested it might be under attack.

A second attempt to land was successful, however.

Minister Sikorski travelled to Libya with the agreement of EU head of diplomacy Catherine Ashton and NATO to meet with members of the rebel Provisional National Council, which has established Benghazi as its base in what has become a civil war with Col. Gaddafi’s regime in Tripoli.

Minister Sikorski made the unannounced trip to Libya after writing on his Twitter page yesterday he was "going somewhere warmer. Twitter might not work".

Yesterday, Radoslaw Sikorski met with chairman of the Provisional National Council Mustafa Abdel Dżalilem.

After the meeting Sikorski said that he hoped that the conflict in Libya would end soon and stressed that he was in the country on behalf of the European Union as a whole and not only Poland.

“I am here in agreement with the High Representative of the European Union [Ashton] in order to convey our recognition of the Council as the legitimate contact point with the European Union,” Minister Sikorski told reporters.

“The only solution for Libya is the departure of Colonel Gaddafi’s government and the launching of a constitutional process that will lead to democratisation. We wish the people of Libya victory,” he added.

Minister Sikorski also met with diplomats from Britain, France, the United States and Italy, also present in Benghazi.

Poland’s foreign minister visited a local hospital and delivered 12 pallets of medical supplies for the treatment of rebel forces wounded in the fighting.

EU mission

Last week Radek Sikorski said that during Poland’s EU presidency, which begins on 1 July, he would be playing a role in diplomatic relations with the bloc’s southern and eastern neighbours.

Italian coast guards say they have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by a flood of refugees fleeing the fighting in some areas of Libya. Most are third country nationals from sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and Bangladesh who work in low paid jobs in the country.

Rebels say that many of the refugees are being forced onto rickety boats by Gaddafi’s troops and told the sail to the Italian coast as a form of retaliation against EU countries supporting the uprising.

Italian and French governments have called for tightening of the Schengen Zone border free travel regulations after claiming they were being flooded with refugees from North Africa.

In the US, former presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry said Wednesday he was drafting legislation to free up some of the 34 billion USD in Libyan assets frozen by the White House to assist rebel forces.

"The issue for me is running a war economy with no resources." Ali Tarhouni, finance minister for Libya's Provisional National Council said yesterday in Washington.

Rebels are looking for at least 3 billion USD to be able to carry on the uprising he said. (pg)

source: IAR/PAP/AP