Burkina Faso won't grant asylum to Gaddafi

2011-09-07 08:50

Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso on Tuesday ruled out granting asylum to deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, saying it did not want to create problems for the west African country.

"We cannot grant him asylum because for the past three years we have not had good relations with him," said government spokesperson Alain Traore. "We don't see why we would stick our neck out for him and create problems for ourselves."

Earlier on Tuesday, Burkina Faso authorities said they knew nothing about a large convoy of civilian and military vehicles from Libya that crossed into Niger on its way to this country.

"We can confirm that around 200 cars crossed from Libya to Niger, but we can't confirm who was in this convoy," said Jalal al-Gallal, spokesperson for Libya's ruling National Transitional Council as Niger officials denied that Gaddafi was aboard.

Asked about reports of ongoing negotiations involving France on the fate of Gaddafi, Traore said Gaddafi’s destination "is not an issue that concerns us".

"We are not expecting Gaddafi," he added, pointing to his country's "obligations toward the international community".

- SAPA