Tanzania has backed the Africa Union (AU) in not recognising the Libya National Transitional Council (NTC) rebels even as they continue to tighten the noose around embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi in his birth town of Sirte.
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The Tanzania stand was announced in Dar es Salaam on Sunday by the minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe.
But, Mr Membe said Tanzania would recognise the group if it is takes over the government and establishes all the governing organs which respect the division of power between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.
Apart from that, Mr Membe said, there should be election through which people of Libya would have opportunity of choose the leaders they want.
With that decision, Tanzania becomes among 41 countries in Africa that refused to recognise the Interim Government in Libya.
So far, about 11 African countries have recognised the rebels led NTC in Libya. These include Botswana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tunisia, Senegal, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Kenya and Djibouti.
Over the weekend The Interim Government released names of members of its governing council for the first time and promised to increase its roster rapidly to provide representation to newly liberated parts of the country.
But, Mr Membe said it was not clear whether the rebel group has taken over the country.
"The issue of Libya is like a bunch of spiralling worms in can that you cannot see their heads and tails as well as know their number and size," he said.
He said what Tanzania and African Union (AU) see as important step now was restoration of peace in order to rescue lives of innocent people in the country engulfed in sporadic fighting.
"Our concern is not whether (Muammar) Gaddafi remains in power or not. We are concerned about the future of the country and prosperity of its people," he argued.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 prisoners have been freed from Muammar Gaddafi's jails since the fall of Tripoli but almost 50,000 others are still missing, the Libyan rebels' military spokesman said on Sunday, adds AFP.
"The number of people arrested over the past months is estimated at between 57,000 and 60,000," Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani told a news conference in the eastern city of Benghazi.
"Between 10,000 and 11,000 prisoners have been freed up until now ... so where are the others?" he asked.
In another development, a top Libyan rebel commander said today insurgent forces were 30 kilometres west of Gaddafi's hometown bastion of Sirte and 100 kilometres away in the east after seizing Bin Jawad.
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The Tanzania stand was announced in Dar es Salaam on Sunday by the minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe.
But, Mr Membe said Tanzania would recognise the group if it is takes over the government and establishes all the governing organs which respect the division of power between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.
Apart from that, Mr Membe said, there should be election through which people of Libya would have opportunity of choose the leaders they want.
With that decision, Tanzania becomes among 41 countries in Africa that refused to recognise the Interim Government in Libya.
So far, about 11 African countries have recognised the rebels led NTC in Libya. These include Botswana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tunisia, Senegal, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Kenya and Djibouti.
Over the weekend The Interim Government released names of members of its governing council for the first time and promised to increase its roster rapidly to provide representation to newly liberated parts of the country.
But, Mr Membe said it was not clear whether the rebel group has taken over the country.
"The issue of Libya is like a bunch of spiralling worms in can that you cannot see their heads and tails as well as know their number and size," he said.
He said what Tanzania and African Union (AU) see as important step now was restoration of peace in order to rescue lives of innocent people in the country engulfed in sporadic fighting.
"Our concern is not whether (Muammar) Gaddafi remains in power or not. We are concerned about the future of the country and prosperity of its people," he argued.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 prisoners have been freed from Muammar Gaddafi's jails since the fall of Tripoli but almost 50,000 others are still missing, the Libyan rebels' military spokesman said on Sunday, adds AFP.
"The number of people arrested over the past months is estimated at between 57,000 and 60,000," Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani told a news conference in the eastern city of Benghazi.
"Between 10,000 and 11,000 prisoners have been freed up until now ... so where are the others?" he asked.
In another development, a top Libyan rebel commander said today insurgent forces were 30 kilometres west of Gaddafi's hometown bastion of Sirte and 100 kilometres away in the east after seizing Bin Jawad.