Row over Muammar Gaddafi’s body delays burial plans
Col Gaddafi’s burial has been delayed by differences among officials about what should be done with the body.
Under Islamic tradition burial should have taken place as soon as possible. But Libya’s oil minister said the remains may be kept “for a few days”.
It is unclear whether the ex-leader will be buried in Sirte, where he was captured on Thursday, in Misrata where the body has been taken, or elsewhere.
Nato says it will end its campaign in Libya by 31 October.
The alliance’s Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that as the mission winds down, Nato “will make sure there are no attacks against civilians during the transition period”.
Its seven-month campaign of air strikes was carried out under a UN mandate authorising the use of force to protect civilians in Libya.
Freezer
The BBC’s Caroline Hawley in Tripoli says the authorities now have to decide how to deal with Col Gaddafi’s death and in particular his burial.They have said they will conduct a secret burial and there is some speculation that they might even try to bury him at sea, as happened with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, to prevent any grave being turned into a shrine, she adds.
Col Gaddafi’s body is lying in a meat storage room in Misrata. Oil Minister Ali Tarhouni told Reuters news agency it would not be released for immediate burial.
“I told them to keep it in the freezer for a few days… to make sure that everybody knows he is dead,” he said.
Asked about the burial arrangements, he said: “There is no decision yet.”