<p>Minister Ignazio La Russa's remarks to reporters in Sicily Sunday, carried by the Italian news agency ANSA, was the first official confirmation that Abdel-Salam Jalloud had arrived in Italy.<br />He didn't say where Jalloud was staying. Libyan rebels said Friday that Jalloud had defected, a blow for Gadhafi's embattled regime.<br /><br />Jalloud helped Gadhafi come to power in a 1969 coup and for decades travelled the world representing Tripoli. He started clashing with Gadhafi in the 1990s.<br /><br />Italian media have reported that Jalloud first fled to Tunisia, then to Italy on Saturday. <br /><br />Italian officials initially declined to comment on Jalloud's whereabouts.</p>
<p>Minister Ignazio La Russa's remarks to reporters in Sicily Sunday, carried by the Italian news agency ANSA, was the first official confirmation that Abdel-Salam Jalloud had arrived in Italy.<br />He didn't say where Jalloud was staying. Libyan rebels said Friday that Jalloud had defected, a blow for Gadhafi's embattled regime.<br /><br />Jalloud helped Gadhafi come to power in a 1969 coup and for decades travelled the world representing Tripoli. He started clashing with Gadhafi in the 1990s.<br /><br />Italian media have reported that Jalloud first fled to Tunisia, then to Italy on Saturday. <br /><br />Italian officials initially declined to comment on Jalloud's whereabouts.</p>