Sydney: Libya`s embassy in Australia reportedly cut its ties with strongman Moammar Gaddafi on Tuesday, joining a rash of defections around the world after his regime launched a bloody crackdown on protesters.
The ambassador in Canberra, Musbah Allafi, met with Australian government officials early Tuesday, The Australian newspaper said.
Embassy officials could not be contacted but the mission`s cultural counsellor Omran Zwed told the newspaper: "We represent the Libyan people and no longer the Libyan regime."
Libya`s ambassador to India said Tuesday he had quit because of "massive" and "unacceptable" violence against civilians, while embassy staff in Malaysia assailed the "massacre" of anti-government protesters.
On Monday Libyan diplomats at the United Nations condemned Gaddafi as a "tyrant" and accused him of "genocide" as they called on him to stand down or be forced out of power.
And Libya`s permanent representative to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim al-Honi, on Sunday quit his position in order to "join the revolution" unfolding in his country.
The development came as Australia and New Zealand raised their travel warnings after pro-democracy demonstrators overran several Libyan cities.
Australia raised its advice to "do not travel", the highest level, and explored evacuation options for about 80 citizens after reports of warplanes firing on protesters.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence that people have seen on their TV screens," Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters, saying there was "no excuse" for the brutal clampdown.
The New Zealand government, which has about 25 people in the country, raised its travel advice to "extreme risk" and called reports coming from the country "deeply disturbing".
PTI
