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Gaddafi upset by lack of 'reward' for giving up nukes
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Libya's Col. Muammar Gaddafi has complained that the US and the rest of the international community have failed to "reward" him appropriately for giving up his weapons of mass destruction programs, and says that this failure is deterring countries like Iran and North Korea from following his example.
In an interview to be screened Friday night on Italian television and made available in advance to The Jerusalem Post, the colonel argues that his decision to "withdraw" from WMD programs was a critical factor in US President George W. Bush's reelection. "We know that with this withdrawal we contributed by 50 percent to his electoral campaign ? a winning hand," the colonel says.
To his dismay, however, Gaddafi goes on, the US, Europe and Japan "reacted with kind words ? nothing more concrete than that.... These interested countries should have helped us... America was very worried that Libya might get a mass-destruction weapon, so they were very happy about our decision." These countries "should have rewarded Libya," he says.
Asked by interviewer Giovanni Minoli what he means by "rewarded," the colonel responds somewhat cryptically: "To transform the atom for civilian purposes now that we decided to ban the military purposes."
He adds that he has discussed his decision to cease WMD programs with countries such as Iran and North Korea, but that they are waiting to "see what Libya will get for taking this important decision, before we follow its example. If Libya will not get rewarded," he says, "nothing will encourage" them to follow suit.
Nevertheless, the colonel says he urges "everybody ? the Israelis, the Americans, the French, the British, China, Russia, India, Pakistan ? I invite all these countries to destroy their mass-destruction weapons."
In the lengthy interview, which will be broadcast on Rai Educational TV's La Storia siamo noi program, Gaddafi, at times sounding focused, at others eccentric, reiterates his "Isratine" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ? "the foundation of one, single democratic state" between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. The area, he asserts, "cannot possibly be enough for two states ? not even for two states that love each other, let alone if they fight each other. In time, the population will grow. The so-called Israeli state will not be able to exist next to a growing Palestinian state. And the Israelis, too, to defend their existence, cannot do it with a Palestinian state in the West Bank and in Gaza, not to mention more than a million Palestinians living in Israel."
Asked whether he can seriously envisage coexistence for Israelis and Palestinians in one democratic state, he responds: "Today they are totally integrated. Within the so-called State of Israel there are more than a million Palestinians. There are no problems. On the other hand, the West Bank and Gaza are filled with Israeli settlers. Until you'll have only one state, both sides will keep claiming their land. The Palestinian state wants to reach the sea, because they claim it's their land. The Israelis, on the other hand, want the West Bank, because they think it is the Promised Land."
Interviewed in his headquarters tent in Tripoli last week, the colonel is asked whether Libya will henceforth be active in the fight against terrorism. He vows that his country will "present itself as a model of moderate Islam... the true Islam." It will also "unmask the Islamic fanatic terrorist ideologies that have been against us ever since our Libyan revolution."
Nonetheless, he says he fears that al-Qaida-style terrorism will thrive as long as there are "theocratic regimes ? regimes that take the Taliban regime as a model, or other regimes of the Islamic world."
Asked whether he holds Osama bin Laden solely responsible for the 9/11 attacks, he says, "Bin Laden is only a symbol. Terrorism has deep roots. If we don't eradicate these roots, we'll always have a bin Laden."
He says he fears that if Turkey joins the European Union, Islamic extremists will profit. "I can only predict what will happen after Turkey will enter Europe," he says. "The Islamic extremists ? even bin Laden ? rejoice for the entrance of Turkey in the European Union. This [is] their Trojan horse. I am only pointing out the consequences of the entrance of this horse in Troy."
Returning to the issue of Bush's election victory, the colonel says he is pleased by it, since "we agreed the withdrawal of the mass destruction armaments with him. It was Mr. Bush who promised to reward Libya if we got rid of this program." But he says he "most certainly" does not support the theory of preemptive war that led Bush to strike in Afghanistan first and then in Iraq.
Much of the interview focuses on Libya's newly warmed ties with Italy, which he vaguely suggests he will visit in the future. Relating to the appointment of Gianfranco Fini as Italy's minister for foreign affairs, Gaddafi says, "I'm told he was a fascist, and now he is an anti-fascist. This is a good thing. And I'm also told that he asked for forgiveness by the Jewish people for what the Italian fascists did to the Jews. If he were to do the same thing with the Libyans, asking for their forgiveness, we would certainly appreciate it."
He signs off by declaring, with characteristic eccentricity, his interest in leading Italy, after 35 years at the Libyan helm.
"My program is to give the power to the Italian people... To let the Italian people be independent, with no representation, no go-betweens, no government... to have the power in the hands of the people and nobody else, because any form of representation is a fraud.
"These are just a few points of my agenda that I would propose if I were to run for office in Italy," he concludes. "I let the Italian people judge."
Putting his idiosyncrasies aside, should we Pay him ?
Gaddafi upset by lack of 'reward' for giving up nukes
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Libya's Col. Muammar Gaddafi has complained that the US and the rest of the international community have failed to "reward" him appropriately for giving up his weapons of mass destruction programs, and says that this failure is deterring countries like Iran and North Korea from following his example.
In an interview to be screened Friday night on Italian television and made available in advance to The Jerusalem Post, the colonel argues that his decision to "withdraw" from WMD programs was a critical factor in US President George W. Bush's reelection. "We know that with this withdrawal we contributed by 50 percent to his electoral campaign ? a winning hand," the colonel says.
To his dismay, however, Gaddafi goes on, the US, Europe and Japan "reacted with kind words ? nothing more concrete than that.... These interested countries should have helped us... America was very worried that Libya might get a mass-destruction weapon, so they were very happy about our decision." These countries "should have rewarded Libya," he says.
Asked by interviewer Giovanni Minoli what he means by "rewarded," the colonel responds somewhat cryptically: "To transform the atom for civilian purposes now that we decided to ban the military purposes."
He adds that he has discussed his decision to cease WMD programs with countries such as Iran and North Korea, but that they are waiting to "see what Libya will get for taking this important decision, before we follow its example. If Libya will not get rewarded," he says, "nothing will encourage" them to follow suit.
Nevertheless, the colonel says he urges "everybody ? the Israelis, the Americans, the French, the British, China, Russia, India, Pakistan ? I invite all these countries to destroy their mass-destruction weapons."
In the lengthy interview, which will be broadcast on Rai Educational TV's La Storia siamo noi program, Gaddafi, at times sounding focused, at others eccentric, reiterates his "Isratine" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ? "the foundation of one, single democratic state" between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. The area, he asserts, "cannot possibly be enough for two states ? not even for two states that love each other, let alone if they fight each other. In time, the population will grow. The so-called Israeli state will not be able to exist next to a growing Palestinian state. And the Israelis, too, to defend their existence, cannot do it with a Palestinian state in the West Bank and in Gaza, not to mention more than a million Palestinians living in Israel."
Asked whether he can seriously envisage coexistence for Israelis and Palestinians in one democratic state, he responds: "Today they are totally integrated. Within the so-called State of Israel there are more than a million Palestinians. There are no problems. On the other hand, the West Bank and Gaza are filled with Israeli settlers. Until you'll have only one state, both sides will keep claiming their land. The Palestinian state wants to reach the sea, because they claim it's their land. The Israelis, on the other hand, want the West Bank, because they think it is the Promised Land."
Interviewed in his headquarters tent in Tripoli last week, the colonel is asked whether Libya will henceforth be active in the fight against terrorism. He vows that his country will "present itself as a model of moderate Islam... the true Islam." It will also "unmask the Islamic fanatic terrorist ideologies that have been against us ever since our Libyan revolution."
Nonetheless, he says he fears that al-Qaida-style terrorism will thrive as long as there are "theocratic regimes ? regimes that take the Taliban regime as a model, or other regimes of the Islamic world."
Asked whether he holds Osama bin Laden solely responsible for the 9/11 attacks, he says, "Bin Laden is only a symbol. Terrorism has deep roots. If we don't eradicate these roots, we'll always have a bin Laden."
He says he fears that if Turkey joins the European Union, Islamic extremists will profit. "I can only predict what will happen after Turkey will enter Europe," he says. "The Islamic extremists ? even bin Laden ? rejoice for the entrance of Turkey in the European Union. This [is] their Trojan horse. I am only pointing out the consequences of the entrance of this horse in Troy."
Returning to the issue of Bush's election victory, the colonel says he is pleased by it, since "we agreed the withdrawal of the mass destruction armaments with him. It was Mr. Bush who promised to reward Libya if we got rid of this program." But he says he "most certainly" does not support the theory of preemptive war that led Bush to strike in Afghanistan first and then in Iraq.
Much of the interview focuses on Libya's newly warmed ties with Italy, which he vaguely suggests he will visit in the future. Relating to the appointment of Gianfranco Fini as Italy's minister for foreign affairs, Gaddafi says, "I'm told he was a fascist, and now he is an anti-fascist. This is a good thing. And I'm also told that he asked for forgiveness by the Jewish people for what the Italian fascists did to the Jews. If he were to do the same thing with the Libyans, asking for their forgiveness, we would certainly appreciate it."
He signs off by declaring, with characteristic eccentricity, his interest in leading Italy, after 35 years at the Libyan helm.
"My program is to give the power to the Italian people... To let the Italian people be independent, with no representation, no go-betweens, no government... to have the power in the hands of the people and nobody else, because any form of representation is a fraud.
"These are just a few points of my agenda that I would propose if I were to run for office in Italy," he concludes. "I let the Italian people judge."
Putting his idiosyncrasies aside, should we Pay him ?
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