In The Aftermath Of Libya's Foreign Minister's Problems, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Affirms All Diplomatic Meetings Must Be Approved

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that all secret diplomatic meetings must be approved by his office, days after his foreign minister sparked a diplomatic and political storm, by disclosing a secret meeting with his Libyan counterpart.

PM Netanyahu also requested that the publication of a secret diplomatic meeting, must obtain prior permission from the Prime Minister's Office.

This was done after Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revealed his meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, while the Libyan government under Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh said he was not aware of the meeting.

According to analysts, it is unlikely that Mangoush or Cohen will hold the unprecedented meeting without informing their respective prime ministers.

The meeting Cohen revealed on Sunday took place in Italy. Internal Libya was agitated hearing this, causing public protests, while Mangoush, who had been decommissioned, was finally removed from his position and reportedly flew to Turkey.

Inside Israel, PM Netanyahu's government has also received a lot of criticism for the way it handled this sensitive interaction.

An unnamed source at the Mossad spy agency quoted by Channel 12 said Cohen's actions had done great damage to the relationships that had existed in recent years.

"He burned the bridge. It can not be repaired," said the source.

Separately, the Libyan Foreign Ministry denied any formal talks with Cohen.

"What happened in Rome was an ordinary meeting that was unofficial and unprepared, during a meeting with the Italian Foreign Minister, and did not include any discussions, agreements or consultations," the Libyan Foreign Ministry said in a communiqué.

However, two senior Libyan government officials told The Associated Press the prime minister was aware of the talks between his foreign minister and Israel's chief diplomat.

One of the officials said Dbeibeh gave the green light for the meeting last month, during his visit to Rome. The prime minister's office arranged the meeting in coordination with Mangoush, he said.

Meanwhile, another official said the Mangoush-Cohen meeting lasted about two hours. Mangoush briefed the prime minister directly after he returned to Tripoli.

The official added that normalizing relations between Libya and Israel was first discussed during a meeting between Dbeibeh and CIA Director William Burns, who visited the Libyan capital in January.

It is known, Mangoush represents the UN-recognized government based in Tripoli. She is the country's first female foreign minister.