U.S. officials said Mr. Koussa’s move was an example of growing splits inside Col. Gadhafi’s inner circles. In recent days, Mr. Koussa and other senior Libyan officials have reached out to at least 12 countries to discuss either defections or ways to end the Libyan conflict, according to these officials. There’s hope inside the Obama administration that a larger rebellion could take place as these senior officials leave…

Mr. Koussa, who took over as foreign minister in March 2009, appears to have been a key participant in Libya’s decision to abandon its weapons of mass destruction programs, which led to the lifting of international sanctions against his homeland, according to diplomats…

Two years ago Mr. Koussa participated in negotiations with Britain over the release of Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.