Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived in London late on Wednesday and told British authorities he was going to resign from his post, the British Foreign Office said.
An earlier statement by the Libyan government claimed that the minister traveled to the U.K. on "a diplomatic mission."
"We can confirm that Moussa Koussa arrived at Farnborough Airport on March 30 from Tunisia," a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said. "He travelled here under his own free will. He has told us that he is resigning his post."
Koussa, who has been Gaddafi's right-hand man for years, is the first senior official to defect the regime since a UN resolution on March 17 imposed a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Gaddafi's attacks on rebel-held towns.
British officials urged other Libyan officials to defect the dictator who ruled the oil-rich North African country for 42 years.
"We encourage those around Gaddafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people".
Meanwhile, Libyan rebels have been pushed back by forces loyal to Gaddafi over the past two days, raising doubts about their ability to overthrow the regime without direct intervention by international coalition forces.
Rebel commanders claim that they "are being outgunned by the superior military power of loyalists."
The United States, France and Italy suggested on Tuesday they were prepared to supply weapons to anti-Gaddafi movements.
LONDON, March 31 (RIA Novosti)
