Britain and the US declared on Thursday that Muammer Gaddafi had suffered an important setback with the defection of Moussa Koussa, foreign minister, claiming his resignation proved the Libyan regime was now “crumbling” and “rotten”.
Amid speculation that other regime figures were looking to defect in the wake of Mr Koussa’s departure to Britain, the White House said his desertion was a “significant blow” to the colonel, while the UK said the Libyan regime was now “fragmented” and “under pressure”.
As British officials debriefed Mr Koussa at an undisclosed location in the UK, there were indications that his defection might encourage other prominent Libyans to quit the regime.