‘US committed to stay the course until Gaddafi is removed’ – Elizabeth Dibble

Speaking to journalists at the US Embassy in Malta prior to official meetings with government, Elizabeth Dibble denied any knowledge of meetings or contacts between Gaddafi aides and US diplomats.

Dibble’s denial comes in wake of suggestions that US officials have met face-to-face with members of Gaddafi's regime - but the two sides disagree about what they discussed.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters in Tripoli the talks had been held on Saturday.

Ibrahim refused to say exactly where they happened or which officials were involved, but said they had involved ways to repair ties between Tripoli and Washington. Washington however, said the reason for the meeting was to insist that Col Gaddafi leaves power.

The Libyan spokesman commented in Tripoli that "this is a first step and we want to take further steps. We don't want to be stuck in the past. We want to move forward all the time."

He described it as a "first-step dialogue" to improve relations between the two countries, which had been damaged by "misinformation".

Asked by MaltaToday about these meetings, Dibble replied that “if there were any meetings, they were not with me. I have nothing on that.”

She promised that the United States would 'stay the course' until the Gaddafi regime is removed and said that the US was committed to Nato's mission to defend the Libyan people from Gaddafi.

Dibble – who will meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and foreign minister Tonio Borg - praised Malta it’s “important role” in the Libyan crisis, and thanked the Maltese people for opening their doors wide open to the international community by welcoming and coordinating the evacuation of expats from Libya.

The US has this week recognised the Benghazi-based Libyan Transitional Council as the sole interlocutor for the Libyan people and has also announced that it would be releasing frozen assets for the TNC to use for the benefit of the Libyan people.