Libyan government aide was in London

Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Muammar Qadhafi’s son, Seif al—Islam Gadhafi, met with and also spoke by phone to British officials, who repeated to him their public calls for Col. Qadhafi to quit.

A Libyan girl shows a victory gesture with her arm painted with French, U.S., Great Britain, Italian and Qatari flags during a demonstration in Benghazi, Libya, on Thursday. Photo: AP.

A Libyan government aide has held talks in Britain with U.K. officials in recent days, two people familiar with the issue said on Friday.

Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Muammar Qadhafi’s son, Seif al—Islam Gadhafi, met with and also spoke by phone to British officials, who repeated to him their public calls for Col. Qadhafi to quit.

Two people familiar with the matter, who both demanded anonymity to discuss details, said Mr. Ismail had been in Britain to visit relatives, and that when officials became aware they took the chance to speak with him.

Both insisted that Mr. Ismail had not been sent to London on a mission mandated by Col. Qadhafi, nor was he in the U.K. in an attempt to open up a new channel of communication between Tripoli and the West.

Mr. Ismail has returned to Libya following his visit earlier this week.

Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement that it would not provide “a running commentary on who we are or are not speaking to,” but stressed that in any contacts “we make it clear that Qadhafi has to go.”

Officials were on Friday continuing to debrief Libya’s ex—foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, who fled Tripoli and flew into England on Wednesday.