Kusa warns of civil war spiral in Libya

LONDON, April 12 (UPI) -- Former Libyan Prime Minister Musa Kusa warns the civil war being waged in his country could result in "a new Somalia."

Kusa, who defected at the end of March, said unifying Libya was key to any settlement to the two-month conflict between rebels and strongman Moammar Gadhafi, the BBC reported.

Kusa's comments came after rebels rejected an African Union cease-fire proposal that Gadhafi reportedly accepted, even as his forces attacked Misurata.

"I ask everybody to avoid taking Libya into civil war," Kusa said in a statement given to the BBC Monday. "This would lead to so much blood and Libya would be a new Somalia."

Since a civil war broke in 1991, there has been no central government control over most of Somalia.

Kusa also led Libyan intelligence and has been accused of involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. He has been staying at an undisclosed location since arriving in Great Britain from Tunisia.

Ibrahim Zarouk al-Sharif, Libya's minister for social affairs, said he could not comment on Kusa's statement while the former foreign minister was "captured."

In his statement, Kusa said he was "devoted" to his three decades of work under Gadhafi and confident in his service to the Libyan people. However, he said he defected nearly two weeks ago because "things changed and I couldn't continue."

He said the solution in Libya would come from within through discussion and dialogue. However, the international community has a responsibility to assist in the dialogue so Libyans can build a democratic country, he said.

A resident in Misurata told the BBC Gadhafi's forces had been firing rockets since early Monday. Accounts of fighting in Misurata can't be verified because Libyan authorities have prevented journalists from reporting freely.