Video | Libyan ambassador says he will not resign as protest continues outside embassy and diplomats defect

Libyan ambassador to Malta Saadun Suayeh has said that he would not give in to demands by Libyans in Malta who are calling for his resignation.

Suayeh – who spoke to The Times - said he represented the interests of all the Libyan people, including those who were protesting against the regime.

The ambassador said the deaths in Libya were 'regrettable' and he wanted to see a full investigation into the bloody events of the past few days in Benghazi, Tripoli and other cities.

The ambassador said, however, that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi “should not go because his presence for the time being is definitely a guarantee for the country's unity,"

The protest

At 2:00 pm, a crowd of approximately 260 protestors gathered in front of the Embassy, waving flags and placards with slogans. Some called for Gaddafi to step down, others read “Game Over”, while other placards urged the regime to stop the violence.

Having kicked off at approximately 11am by a small gathering of roughly 30 men, the crowd quickly grew amid mounting police presence managing and controlling the crowd. Throughout the protest, interactions between the crowd and police were civil, albeit punctuated by isolated moments of tension.

The crowd called on the Libyan Embassy to take down to replace Gaddafi’s current all-green Libyan flag with the old Kingdom of Libya flag, adopted when Libya gained independence in 1951.

It consists of a white crescent-and-star on a triband red-black-green design, with the central black band being twice the width of the outer bands. Today, the former flag is still used by monarchists and the Libyan opposition abroad and is fast becoming an icon of the ongoing protests both in Libya and abroad.

The current flag, institutionalised in 1977 is green, the traditional color of Islam, the state religion. It is also symbolic of Gaddafi's "Green Revolution"

The Libyan ambassador refused to remove the flag and have it replaced, insisting that the one flying on the building was the internationally recognised flag of Libya.

The crowd outside were joined by at least three Embassy staff members, who walked out to join the crowds. Haled al Ashtari, Chief of Security, said that walking out had effectively meant he had given in his resignation. “I’ve had enough,” he told the media outside. “I am pure Libyan, and the will of the people cannot be stopped.”

“This has lasted 42 years. I have lived abroad, but I want to have a home.” He confirmed that he has family in Libya, and when asked by the media if he was concerned by their wellbeing, he replied that he was, but “sacrifices must be made.”

Another Embassy staff member, Abdilla, said that “there are still many people left inside the embassy and they are good people.” A clerk, he said that “they will not let us work again. I have a family and they will not let us go back to work.”aH

Also present for the protest were members of Moviment Graffiti, and Alternattiva Democratica spokesperson Prof. Arnold Cassola.

In a brief statement, Cassola called on Foreign Minister Tonio Borg to, along with other EU foreign affairs ministers, take a stance on the violence and condemn the ongoing violence. “Borg should show initiative on an EU level to take action against the violence,” Cassola said, urging EU Commissioner for Health John Dalli to do likewise

Borg is currently in a meeting with other EU foreign ministers on what position to take over the spiralling violence and the communication links that are going down between Libya and the outside world.

Between 12:30 and 1:50, the protestors stopped the protest and joined together in prayer in the street before the Embassy.

An embassy spokesman was however reported as saying that the three men who had walked out were "low ranking Libyan employees who were not officials, officers, or diplomats." The spokesman said these were employed on local contracts as security guards.

The protest was interspersed with moments of tension when some protestors attempted to set a flag on fire, but were stopped by police and other protestors. In another instance, one protestor became too agitated and was momentarily removed from the crowd by police. Moments later however, he calmed down and was allowed to rejoin the protest.

In a statement circulated to the media present, Moviment Graffiti said that they are expressing full solidarity with all those currently fighting for democracy and for the just distribution of resources; with those who are placing their lives at risk to fight ruthless dictators."

It added that "the courage shown by these persons heavily contrasts with the policies being implemented by European and the United States who are supporting, both materially and politically, these dictators in North Africa and the Middle East. The case of Libya is just another sad example of this anti-democratic behavior."

Moviment Graffiti also called slammed the Maltese government for "working for agreements with the Libyan governments that includes millions of Euros in help for the Ghaddafi regime; while it never voiced a single word about the abysmal human rights situation in Libya."