Namibian govt wants stable Libya

“Libya still needs to be stabilised and that will help us to have a sound relationship with that country.” These were the words of Namibia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on the third anniversary of the Libyan revolution that overthrew the regime of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Swapo was an ally of Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years and was killed on October 20 2011 after Western-backed NTC rebels raided the town of Sirte. Between 1977 and 1989, Swapo was represented in Libya by Ambassador Nicky Nashandi. After the takeover a tense relationship simmered between the country’s foreign mission in Namibia, which at one point expressed discontent over Namibia’s reluctance to recognise its new government. Last year, officials of the Libyan embassy were notably absent at the opening of parliament by President Hifikepunye Pohamba, although other embassies were represented at the event. Apart from Libyan diplomats not being invited to government events in Namibia, government officials have also been absent from events organised by the Libyan embassy in Windhoek. However, more than two months after a Namibian Sun article about this snubbing, Libyan chargé d'affaires Abdulhafed Jaber was invited to Pohamba’s State of the Nation address. Yesterday, Nandi-Ndaitwah would not shed any more light on relations between Namibia and Libya, which is expected to convene a Constitutional Assembly today for the drafting of a constitution. The new constitution is expected to pave the way for democratic elections in the North African country. “All that I will say is, what is happening in Libya is affecting the development of that country, they need to find ways to stabilise the situation there,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said. On last year’s alleged snubbing of Libyan diplomats, the minister said: “They are here in this country, we have allowed them and we know they are here. “They get the protection and safety that any other country gets. I am saying the situation in that country has to stabilise and come back to normal.” Jaber was out of the country and could not be reached for comment. WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA