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Secretary of State Clinton says Gaddafi exploring exile options

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On Tuesday’s broadcast of “ABC World News,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed in an exclusive interview with host Diane Sawyer that Muammar Gaddafi is flirting with departing Libya. However, she wouldn’t confirm the death of Gaddafi’s son, which had been reported by some foreign media.

“Well, I can’t confirm it but we’ve heard it, we’ve heard a lot … well, we’ve heard it from many different sources and that’s why I can’t confirm it. I can’t give confirmation because, you know, the evidence is not sufficient. But we’ve heard that. We’ve heard about other people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world – Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond, you know, saying, what do we do? How do we get out of this? What happens next?”

Clinton did not say if Gaddafi was the one reaching out to negotiate an exit, but she did indicate that contacts have been made with those presumed to be working on his behalf about the possibility.

“Well, I’m not aware that he personally has reached out, but I do know that people allegedly on his behalf have been reaching out,” Clinton said. “So, that’s why I say, this is a very dynamic situation.

Clinton said the State Department is encouraging the scenario of Gaddafi abandoning Libya.

“This is what we hear from so many sources, Diane,” she said. “It is a constant — today, yesterday, the day before. Some of it, I’ll be very, you know, as my personal opinion, some of it is theater. A lot of it is just the way he behaves. It’s somewhat unpredictable, but some of it is, we think exploring what are my options? Where could I go? What could I do? And we would encourage that.”

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