Libya: Moussa Koussa 'tried to get job in new government'

National Transitional Council officials said that Koussa, who is in exile in Qatar after fleeing to Britain in March, offered his experience and contacts, only to be told that he would be tried for crimes against humanity if he returned to Tripoli.

“He has blood on his hands, no one will touch him,” an NTC spokesman told The Times. Koussa was accused of masterminding the Lockerbie bombing. His arrival in Britain and subsequent departure for Qatar was highliy controversial, attracting criticism from families of Lockerbie victims.

It is thought he may now turn his attention to seeking a role in pan-Arab affairs, perhaps with the Arab League.

The claims came as Mahmoud Jibril, the interim Libyan prime minister, finally arrived in Tripoli last night, following complaints he was too busy travelling the world to lead his own revolution.

Mr Jibril landed at Matiga Airbase in the east of the city and immediately began to meet local officials.

His arrival, more than two weeks after the fall of the Libyan capital to rebel forces, came after diplomats and members of his own Transitional National Council questioned his long absence.

“He should have been here on the first day,” said one NTC member already in Tripoli. “He is the head of the team - and when there is a crisis he should be holding regular meetings.”

A senior western diplomat also said that Mr Jibril’s decision to spend so much time abroad was a “mystery”. In recent weeks he has been in Paris for a meeting of western donors to Libya, Qatar, and Malta.

“In Paris it was made very clear to Mr Jibril the importance attached to the presence and activity of the NTC here in Tripoli,” the diplomat said.

There have been fears that without a visible presence of the top leadership a power vacuum would give way to squabbling among competing factions for control.

The NTC on the other hand are said to be sensitive to the criticism that arriving in Tripoli from their base in Benghazi would be a premature assertion of victory when many pro-Gaddafi loyalists need to be convinced to give themselves up peacefully.

A spokesman also said that Mr Jibril was aware that he was the main spokesman for the NTC abroad and that transport difficulties made it hard for him to travel quickly between Libya and the outside world.

Mr Jibril’s boss, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the NTC and de facto president, is expected in Tripoli as early as Saturday, one source said.

Before today, the senior figure in the city was the deputy prime minister, Ali Tarhouni.

The town of Bani Walid continued to hold out last night, demonstrating how difficult it will be for the NTC to assert control over the rest of the country without intense bloodshed.

Days of negotiation that were thought to have achieved a peaceful handover of power fell apart on Tuesday night when the delegation of tribal elders from the town were fired on by loyalists as they returned after striking a deal.

The NTC has now given the town until Friday to agree terms.

The town of Bani Walid is the headquarters of the Warfalla tribe, Libya’s largest, which is divided between a majority of anti-Gaddafi rebels and a minority of die-hard loyalists. Mr Jibril himself is a Warfalla from Bani Walid.