Policy

Libyan Foreign Ministry Surrounded by Armed Men

They don't want anyone who worked for Gaddafi's government to be appointed to senior positions

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Armed men have surrounded Libya's foreign ministry in the capital, Tripoli, to push demands that officials who had worked for deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi's government be banned from senior positions in the new administration.

At least 20 pickup vehicles loaded with anti-aircraft guns blocked the roads on Sunday, while men armed with AK-47s and sniper rifles directed the traffic away from the building, witnesses said.

Esaam al-Naas, a Libyan military official, said there were at least 200 armed men surrounding the ministry building.

He said negotiations with the protesters were under way and that no one had entered the building.