Tony Blair told Gaddafi to flee Libya before he was murdered

Tony Blair today revealed he repeatedly urged Colonel Gaddafi to flee Libya for a 'safe place' before he was killed - but denied he was trying to save his life, according to "Daily Mail" newspaper.
The former prime minister telephoned the dictator three times in 24 hours as his regime was on the verge of collapse in 2011, even though he had been out of power for four years.
Mr Blair, who left Downing Street and quit as an MP in 2007, said he was 'acting as a concerned citizen' and had asked David Cameron and Hillary Clinton for permission.
A transcript of one call read to a committee of MPs today revealed he told Gaddafi: 'If you have a safe place to go you should go there, because this will not end peacefully unless that happens. You have to leave the country'.
But Mr Blair denied he was trying protect the despot from harm and said: 'My concern was not for his safety. I was not trying to save Gaddafi'.
The ex-Labour leader was being questioned about his relationship with Gaddafi before he died in 2011 and their 2004 'deal in the desert', when the dictator agreed to give up his chemical weapons.
It also sealed millions in trade and oil deals between the two countries but Mr Blair denied it also paved the way for the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi and a promise not to pursue the killer of PC Yvonne Fletcher in 1984.
His comments came as the ex-premier gave evidence to the cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee's investigation into the UK's policy towards Libya.
Mr Blair met Gaddafi in his desert tent in 2004, as the north African country began its return to the international community after years of isolation for supporting terrorism, including sending shipments of semtex to the IRA. They met more than once a year until Mr Blair left power in 2007.
As part of the 'deal in the desert' Gaddafi renounced weapons of mass destruction, bringing to a halt programmes to develop nuclear and chemical arms.
But Mr Blair denied that in the meeting with Gaddafi he agreed to help free Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi or not pursuing the killers of PC Yvonne Fletcher.
Mr Blair said: 'It was important to bring them in from the cold. The prize was to take Libya from being the sponsors of terrorism to fighting it'
He said: 'We did not lay these issues aside. We did not hold back on Lockerbie or Yvonne Fletcher for a better relationship. Quite the opposite'.
He added: 'They were absolutely in my mind but the game was worth it'.
Giving evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Blair said he believed his decision to engage with Libya remained 'important' in the present day, because ISIS have gained strength there.
He said: 'Otherwise, we would have had a situation where Libya was continuing to sponsor terrorism, was continuing to develop chemical and nuclear weapons and would have remained isolated in the international community
'I think it is important that we brought them in from the cold, as it were, and important also in today's context because I think - particularly if we had still had the residue of that chemical weapons programme in Libya today, given the state of Libya today and given the presence of Isis there - it would have constituted a real risk, even today.'
He also admitted that Colonel Gaddafi's demise means that other rogue leaders like Bashar al-Assad will never give up their chemical weapon.
Committee chair Crispin Blunt told Mr Blair that he regarded the reopening of Libya, with its vast oil resources, as 'a signal achievement of your premiership'.
Mr Blair said he hoped Mr Blunt was right, adding: 'It was always one of those decisions that was difficult because of the nature of the regime and the individual we were dealing with.
'But on the other hand, I think it was worthwhile, because of the protection of our security and because of the broader interest of trying to engage a country like that in a process of change.'
The former PM confirmed he continued to make visits to Libya after leaving office in 2007, saying he felt it was 'important to see if it was possible to get them to do the political and economic reform that followed their switch from the position on security'.
He added: 'I'm not sure it was very easy to do that, but it was worth trying in my view.'
Mr Blair said he had 'never had any business interests in Libya'.
Following his departure from office, 'the interaction I had with them was really as a result of the interaction I had with them in government,' he said.
Mr Blair said he would talk with Gaddafi about the Palestinian issue and Africa as well as the prospects for Libya to open up its economy and make political change.
'The tragedy of Libya is that the potential of the country is enormous,' said the former PM. 'It's got some incredible assets. It's potential in energy is huge, and so it is in tourism.
'It's tragic that the country was taken over by the Gaddafi regime and then tragic what has happened subsequent to the fall. But those assets remain, and the country's progress remains something that, if they could get stability there, it could be a fantastic country.'
Mr Blair confirmed that the UK had taken an interest in Gaddafi's son Saif as his father's most likely successor if the regime survived.
But he added: 'Once the Arab Spring began, it was clear that ... none of these regimes were going to stay as they were.'
It is claimed that the opening up of Libya led to Britain doing deals with the regime.