Reports that violent protests forced Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi seek political asylum in his ally country Nicaragua are untrue, a senior official close to the Nicaraguan president said, according to RIA Novosti.
"Media reports that Gaddafi allegedly sought political asylum in Nicaragua are false and are a part of a campaign to defame the Libyan leader and justify military aggression against Libya," said Jacinto Suarez Espinoza, who represents Nicaragua in the Central American Parliament.
He said Gaddafi had no plans to seek asylum in Venezuela or Nicaragua, whose leaders earlier expressed support for the embattled Libyan government.
"The leader of the Libyan revolution will stay in his homeland to the bitter end, and follow the path of Saddam Hussein and his sons, who died during the U.S. intervention in Iraq," Espinoza added.
The unrest in Libya began on February 15, following the ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Libyans are demanding an end to Gaddafi`s 42-year rule.
