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Sunday, June 26, 2011

US admiral says NATO aiming to kill Gaddafi

US admiral says NATO aiming to kill Gaddafi

Molly Peterson and David Kirkpatrick
June 27, 2011



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-admiral-says-nato-aiming-to-kill-gaddafi-20110626-1glop.html#ixzz1QOQimEQS

Mr Turner, an Ohio Republican who voted against authorising the Libyan operation last week, said the admiral also told him that ground troops may be needed in Libya after Colonel Gaddafi is ousted, the magazine reported.

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Captain Ike Skelton, a public affairs officer for Admiral Locklear's command in Naples, was quick to reject the report. The Foreign Policy ''story does not accurately reflect Admiral Locklear's views on either ground troops or the targeting of any individual, including Colonel Gaddafi'', Captain Skelton said in an e-mail. ''The admiral clearly understands and has repeatedly emphasised the stated objectives for the military mission.''

After an improbable series of military victories over the past three weeks - with fewer than 100 rebel fighters killed, their military leaders say - residents of the Nafusa Mountains are celebrating virtual secession from Colonel Gaddafi's Libya.

The mountains are strategically significant in the battle for Libya, in part because the rebels there are closest to Colonel Gaddafi's stronghold in the capital, Tripoli, and in part because they have the potential to cut off vital supply lines from the Tunisian border.

The rebels have established firm control of more than a half-dozen towns from the Dhiba border crossing into Tunisia, where rebel guards mingle amiably with their Tunisian counterparts, to the major town of Yafran, a 90-minute drive from Tripoli.

At least seven local newspapers - photocopied newsletters - have sprung up to capitalise on the new freedom of the press.

Local doctors say they are better equipped with supplies than they were before the uprising, in part due to the generosity of wealthier Libyans abroad. The rebels have even painted a runway along a highway, in the hope planes might land with more weapons and supplies.

Residents in the mountains have long been resentful of the Gaddafi government, in part because perhaps a third are members of the Berber ethnic minority.

Signs and graffiti in the Berber language, Amazigh, have sprouted up everywhere, along with newspapers printed in Amazigh and Arabic.

At a rally on Friday night in Jadu, demonstrators carried signs calling for national recognition of their language and others, declaring ''Libya is one tribe''.

Standing at a checkpoint, Hisham al-Gibali, 33, showed a bullet wound in his leg that he suffered near Yafran a few weeks ago. He said he had left a life in the Netherlands to return to Libya to join the fight, and he contended that the rebels would soon take Gharyan, Colonel Gaddafi's last foothold in the mountains.

''We are fighting for truth and they are not,'' he said. ''The fighters from Zintan and Jadu will come here and we will all go together. We are all Libyans. We are not alone.''

BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK TIMES



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-admiral-says-nato-aiming-to-kill-gaddafi-20110626-1glop.html#ixzz1QOR3haNl

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Muammar Gaddafi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Gaddafi" redirects here. For other uses, see Gaddafi (disambiguation).
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Muammar Gaddafi
مُعَمَّر ٱلْقَذَّافِيّ

Gaddafi at the 12th African Union summit in Addis Ababa. (2009)
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 September 1969
President
Prime Minister
Preceded byPosition established
In office
2 March 1977 – 2 March 1979
Prime MinisterAbdul Ati al-Obeidi
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAbdul Ati al-Obeidi
In office
16 January 1970 – 16 July 1972
Preceded byMahmud Sulayman al-Maghribi
Succeeded byAbdessalam Jalloud
In office
1 September 1969 – 2 March 1977
Prime MinisterMahmud Sulayman al-Maghribi
Abdessalam Jalloud
Abdul Ati al-Obeidi
Preceded byIdris*
Succeeded byPosition abolished
In office
2 February 2009 – 31 January 2010
Preceded byJakaya Kikwete
Succeeded byBingu wa Mutharika
Personal details
Born7 June 1942 (age 69)
Sirt, Italian Libya
Spouse(s)Fatiha al-Nuri (Divorced)
Safia Farkash (1970–present)
Children
ReligionSunni Islam
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Libya Kingdom of Libya(1961–69)
Libya Libyan Arab Republic(1969–77)
Libya Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1977–present)
Service/branchLibyan Army
Years of service1961–present
RankColonel
CommandsCommander-in-chief,Libyan Armed Forces
Battles/warsLibyan–Egyptian War
Chadian–Libyan conflict
Uganda–Tanzania War
2011 Libyan civil war
*As King of Libya

Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi[5][6][variations] (born 7 June 1942) is a Libyan revolutionaryand head of state. Gaddafi has been in power since he overthrew King Idris in a 1969 bloodless coup and established the Libyan Arab Republic.[7] His almost 42 years in power make him one of the longest-serving rulers in history.[8] Gaddafi incorporated Arab socialist and Arab nationalist ideas into his political philosophy, which he published in The Green Book in 1975. In 1979, he relinquished the title of prime minister, and was thereafter called "The Brother Leader" or "The Guide" in Libya's Socialist Revolution.[9][10]

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Libya under Gaddafi was considered a pariah state by Western nations,[11][12] which alleged oppression of internal dissidence, acts of state-sponsored terrorism, assassinations of expatriate opposition leaders, and crass nepotismexhibited in amassing a multi-billion-dollar fortune for himself and his family.[13] Gaddafi was a firm supporter of OAPEC and led a Pan-African campaign for a United States of Africa.[14] After the 1986 Bombing of Libya and the 1993 imposition of United Nations sanctions, Gaddafi established closer economic and security relations with the West, cooperated with investigations into previous Libyan acts of state-sponsored terrorism and paid compensation, and ended his nuclear weapons program, resulting in the lifting of UN sanctions in 2003.

In early February 2011, major political protests, which were inspired by recent protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Arab world, broke out in Libya against Gaddafi's government and quickly turned into a civil war. Gaddafi vowed to "die a martyr" if necessary in his fight against rebels and external forces, saying that those rebelling against his government deserve to die.[15][16][17] On 17 May 2011 the International Criminal Court issued a request for an arrest warrant against Gaddafi for crimes against humanity.[18]

Contents

 [hide]

Early life

Muammar al-Gaddafi was raised in a bedouin tent in the desert near Sirt in 1942. According to most conventional biographies, his family belongs to a small tribe of arabized Berbers, theQadhadhfa, who are stockherders with holdings in the Hun Oasis. Jews living in Israel have claimed to be his distant relatives, claiming that he shares a common grandmother with them.[19] A Libyan historian claimed that Gaddafi was born to an Italian Roman Catholic officer and a Libyan Jewish woman out-of-wedlock, and shamefully gave him up to adoption to a Catholic cardinal who gave the boy to a sheepherder and his wife.[19] As a boy, Gaddafi attended a Muslim elementary school, during which time the major events occurring in the Arab world—the Arab defeat in Palestine in 1948 to Israeli forces and Gamal Abdel Nasser's rise to power in Egypt in 1952—profoundly influenced him. He finished his secondary school studies under a private tutor in Misrata, emphasizing the study of history.

In Libya, as in a number of other Arab countries, admission to the military academy and a career as an army officer became available to members of the lower economic strata only after independence. A military career offered an opportunity for higher education, for upward economic and social mobility, and was for many the only available means of political action. For Gaddafi and many of his fellow officers, who were animated by Nasser's brand of Arab nationalism, a military career was a revolutionary vocation.

Gaddafi entered the Libyan military academy at Benghazi in 1961 and, along with most of his colleagues from the Revolutionary Command Council, graduated in the 1965–66 period. Gaddafi's association with the Free Officers Movement began as a cadet. The frustration and shame felt by Libyan officers who stood by helplessly at the time of Israel's swift and humiliating defeat of Arab armies on three fronts in 1967 fueled their determination to contribute to Arab unity by overthrowing the monarchy. An early conspirator, Gaddafi began his first plan to overthrow the monarchy while in military college.

Gaddafi pursued further studies in Europe. Many false rumors circulated with regards to this part of his life. Gaddafi did not attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[20] He did receive further military training somewhere in the United Kingdom.[21]

Military coup d'état

On 1 September 1969, a small group of junior military officers led by Gaddafi staged a bloodless coup d'état against King Idris while he was in Turkey for medical treatment. His nephew, the Crown Prince Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida al-Mahdi as-Sanussi, was formally deposed by the revolutionary army officers and put under house arrest; they abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic.[22]

A plan to use mercenaries to restore the monarchy was organised by David Stirling, founder of the British Special Air Service, who had been approached by a member of the royal family. The plan—dubbed "Hilton Assignment" in an ironic reference to Libyan jails—was to spring 150 political prisoners from Tripoli jail as a catalyst for a general uprising; the mercenaries were to slip away quietly as the locals took over. Despite Stirling's confidence, the plan was called off at a late stage by the British Secret Intelligence Service, allegedly because the United States government judged that Gaddafi was sufficiently anti-Marxist and thus acceptable.[23][24]

In power

Gaddafi (left) with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1969
Main article: Libya under Gaddafi

Gaddafi idolized Gamal Abdel Nasser's ideas of pan-Arabism and sought to model his government based on Nasser's Egypt. In 1970, he told Western officials that he would expel foreign corporations from Libya's oil fields if they did not share more revenue. (The previous monarchy received 60% of oil revenues from foreign corporations.) Gaddafi also threatened to remove all foreign corporations from his oil fields if Egypt told him to, indicating that he was in strong diplomacy with Nasser.[25] In December 1969, Egyptian intelligence disrupted a planned coup on Gaddafi by high-ranking members of his leadership, many of whom were uneasy about his growing friendship with Egypt.[26] After the failed coup, Gaddafi consolidated power by actively criminalizing any public dissent and by delegating power only to family and his closest associates.

Libyan Arab Republic (1973-1977)

Main articles: Third International Theory and Libyan opposition

On Prophet Muhammad's birthday in 1973, Gaddafi delivered his famous "Five-Point Address" which officially implemented Sharia.[27] Gaddafi's ideology was largely based on Nasserism, blending Arab nationalism,[28][29] aspects of the welfare state,[30][31][32] and what Gaddafi termed "popular democracy",[33] or more commonly "direct, popular democracy". He called this system "Islamic socialism", as he disfavored the atheistic quality of communism. While he permitted private control over small companies, the government controlled the larger ones. Welfare, "liberation" (or "emancipation" depending on the translation),[34] and education[35] was emphasized. He also imposed a system of Islamic morals,[36][37] outlawing alcohol and gambling.

School vacations were canceled to allow the teaching of Gaddafi's ideology in the summer of 1973.[27]

Jamahiriya (1977-Present)

Main article: jamahiriya

In 1977, Gaddafi proclaimed that Libya was changing its form of government from a republic to a "jamahiriya"—a neologism that means "mass-state" or "government by the masses". In theory, Libya became a direct democracy governed by the people[38] through local popular councils and communes.[39] At the top of this structure was the General People's Congress,[40] with Gaddafi as secretary-general.

Gaddafi established Revolutionary committees which kept tight control over internal dissent. Reportedly 10 to 20 percent of Libyans worked in surveillance for these committees, a proportion of informants on par with Saddam Hussein's Iraq or Kim Jong-il's North Korea. The surveillance took place in government, in factories, and in the education sector.[27] All dissent was declared illegal by law in 1973. Gaddafi has said that "execution is the fate of anyone who forms a political party".[27] The regime often executed dissidents publicly through public hangings and mutilations and the executions were rebroadcast on state television channels.[27][41] Engaging in political conversations with foreigners was a crime punishable by three years in prison.

According to the Freedom of the Press Index, Libya under Gaddafi's rule was the most censored country in the Middle East and North Africa.[42]

2011 civil war

Main article: 2011 Libyan civil war

On 17 February 2011, major political protests began in Libya against Gaddafi's government. During the following week, these protests gained significantly in momentum and size despite stiff resistance from the Gaddafi regime. By late February, the country appeared to be rapidly descending into chaos as a 'credible' death toll was reported to be approaching 1,000.[43] On 27 February the International Federation for Human Rights concluded: "Gaddafi is implementing a strategy of scorched earth. It is reasonable to fear that he has, in fact, decided to largely eliminate, wherever he still can, Libyan citizens who stood up against his regime and furthermore, to systematically and indiscriminately repress civilians. These acts can be characterized as crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court."[44]

On Monday, 21 February 2011, Shaykh Yûsuf al-Qaradâwî talked about the 2011 Libyan civil war and issued a fatwa calling for the killing of Muammar Gaddafi:[45] Gaddafi was reported to have imported foreign mercenaries to defend his regime, and large swaths of the country, particularly in Eastern Libya, were reported to have fallen into the hands of anti-Gaddafi elements.[46] According to other sources "It is a myth that the Africans fighting to defend the Jamahiriya and Muammar Qaddafi are mercenaries being paid a few dollars."[47]

Former top officials, including Gaddafi's former "number two" man, Interior Minister General Abdul Fatah Younis, the former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil (who became the head of the provisional government in Benghazi), and several key ambassadors and diplomats resigned their posts in protest over Gaddafi's heavy handed response to the demonstrators. General Al-Abidi issued a plea to whatever military personnel may have felt some loyalty towards Gaddafi to "join the people in the intifada." Already, he said, "many members" of the security forces had defected, including those in the capital, Tripoli.[48]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she considered Gaddafi's Tuesday, 22 February 2011 speech as the equivalent of "him declaring war on his own people".[43]

People protesting against Gaddafi.

At the beginning of March 2011, Gaddafi returned from a hideout, relying on considerable amounts of Libyan and U.S. cash apparently stored in the capital.[49]

See also: LSE Libya Links

In connection with the Libyan uprising, Gadaffi's attempts to influence public opinion in Europe and the United States came under increased scrutiny.

As of March 2011, as part of the Arab Spring, the 2011 Libyan civil war had become a mass uprising against Gaddafi, costing him control of some parts of the country. Gaddafi's former justice minister, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, has told the Swedish newspaper Expressen that he has evidence that Gaddafi had personally ordered the Lockerbie bombing of 1988.

On 17 March 2011 the UN declared a no fly zone in Libya, one of a series of measures intended to protect the civilian population of Libya.[50] A NATO airstrike on 30 April killed the youngest son of Gaddafi and three of his grandsons at his son's home in Tripoli, the Libyan government said. Regime officials said that Muammar Gaddafi and his wife were visiting the home when it was struck, but both were unharmed. Gaddafi son's death comes one day after the Libyan leader appeared on state television calling for talks with NATO to end the airstrikes, which have been hitting Tripoli and other Gaddafi strongholds since last month. Gaddafi suggested there was room for negotiation, but he vowed to stay in Libya. Western officials have been divided in recent weeks over whether Gaddafi is a legitimate military target under the United Nations Security Council resolution that authorized the air campaign. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that NATO was "not targeting Gaddafi specifically" but that his command-and-control facilities – including a facility inside his sprawling Tripoli compound that was hit with airstrikes 25 April – were legitimate targets.[51]

Further information: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970

Gaddafi's influential Defense Minister resigned because he did not wish to order to shoot Libyans. Gaddafi reportedly has jailed him.[52]

The Khamis Brigade was an important asset for Gaddafi and killed rebelling civilians. It was led by Khamis Gaddafi, one of Gaddafi's sons who trained in Libya and Russia. The brigade was the military's best-equipped unit. Gaddafi also relied heavily on two generals from his own tribe, Sayed Qaddaf Eddam and Ahmed Qaddaf Eddam.[52] Gaddafi was reportedly paying Ghanaian mercenaries as much as 2,500 U.S. dollars per day for their services. Advertisements for mercenaries appeared in Nigerian newspapers.[52]

Reports from Libya confirmed the presence of Ukrainian and Serbian mercenaries.[53] A Libyan economist claimed[who?] that Serbian pilots were flying the planes that bombed protesting civilians because Libyan pilots refused to do so.[54] Gaddafi also used Serbian fighters when he put down a civilian uprising in the 1990s.[55][56]

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that in the middle of February a Libyan transport plane visited a Belarussianmilitary base that handled stockpiled weaponry and military equipment.[57]

Prosecution for massacres

The UN referred the massacres of unarmed civilians to the International Criminal Court.[58] Among the crimes being investigated by the prosecution is whether Gaddafi purchased and authorized the use of Viagra-like drugs among soldiers for the purpose of raping women and instilling fear.[59]

Political repression

Following an abortive attempt in 1986 to replace English foreign language education with Russian[60], in recent years English has been taught in Libyan schools from a primary level, and students have access to English-language media.[61] However, one protester in 2011 described the situation as: "None of us can speak English or French. He kept us ignorant and blindfolded".[62]

From time to time, Gaddafi responded to domestic and external opposition with violence. His revolutionary committees called for the assassination of Libyan dissidents living abroad in April 1980, sending Libyan hit squads abroad to murder them. On 26 April 1980, Gaddafi set a deadline of 11 June 1980 for dissidents to return home or be "in the hands of the revolutionary committees".[63]

It is the Libyan people's responsibility to liquidate such scums who are distorting Libya's image abroad.
—Gaddafi talking about exiles in 1982.[64]

Gaddafi employed his network of diplomats and recruits to assassinate dozens of critics around the world. Amnesty International listed at least 25 assassinations between 1980 and 1987.[27][65]

In 1980, a Libyan agent attempted to assassinate dissident Faisal Zagallai, a graduate student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. The bullets partially blinded Zagallai.[66]

In April 1984 the United Kingdom broke off diplomatic relations with Libya after shots were fired from the Libyan People's Bureau in London, killing a British policewoman, Yvonne Fletcher, and wounding ten anti-Gadaffi demonstrators.[67] The United Kingdom restored relations in 1999 after the Libyan Government accepted "general responsibility" and paid Fletcher's family more than £100,000 in compensation.[67]

Gaddafi asserted in June 1984 that killings could be carried out even when the dissidents were on pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. In August 1984, one Libyan plot was thwarted in Mecca.[64]

In 1993, Mansour Kikhia, a former Libyan diplomat, disappeared from a Cairo hotel while working with an Arab human rights organization. According to a 1997 CIA report, he was kidnapped with the help of Egyptian agents and taken back to Libya where he was executed. Kikhia was four-months away from receiving U.S. citizenship.[27][68]

As of 2004, Libya still provided bounties on critics, including 1 million dollars for one journalist.[69]

In 2003 Libyan official Najat al-Hajjajia was selected to chair the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Reporters Without Borders(RWB) stated, "Censorship, arbitrary detention, jailings, disappearances, torture; at last the UN has appointed someone who knows what she's talking about". The commission subsequently banned RWB from its meetings.[70]

A number of political groups opposed Gaddafi, including National Conference of the Libyan Opposition, National Front for the Salvation of Libya and Committee for Libyan National Action in Europe. A website, actively seeking his overthrow, was set up in 2006 and listed 343 victims of murder and political assassination.[71]

Legacy on Libya

The Economy of Libya is centrally planned and follows Gadaffi's Socialist ideals. It depends primarily upon revenues from the petroleum sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and over half of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population have given Libya the highest nominal per capita GDP in Africa.[72] Since 2000, Libya has recorded favourable growth rates with an estimated 10.6% growth of GDP in 2010.

Public works

Question book-new.svg
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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2009)

The Great Manmade River is a network of pipes that supplies 6,500,000 cubic metres (230,000,000 cu ft) of fresh water per day from beneath the Sahara Desert, from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System fossil aquifer, to northern cities, including Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirt.[73] The project consists of more than 1,300 wells, most more than 500 meters (1,600 ft) deep. Gaddafi described it as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and presented the project as a gift to the Third World.

Gaddafi ordered the Libyan National Telescope Project, costing nearly 10 million euros, expressing his passionate interest in astronomy. The robotic telescope was planned to be two metres in diameter and remote-controlled, to be built by France's REOSC,[74] the optical department of the SAGEM Group. It was to be housed in an air-conditioned building, with a network of four weather stations deployed at a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) around it to warn of impending sandstorms that could damage its fragile optics.[75] A desert site at 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) above sea level near Kufra was chosen as the site, hosting North Africa's largest astronomical observatory.

Postage stamps and currency

Libyan dinars printed in 2004 contain Gaddafi's image[76]

The Libyan Posts (General Posts and Telecommunications Company, GPTC) released many postage issues (stamps, souvenir sheets, postal stationery, booklets, etc.) relating to Gaddafi. The first issue was a souvenir sheet celebrating the 6th Anniversary of the September Revolution in 1975.[77][78]

Geo-political activities

Main article: Nasserism

After Nasser's death on 28 September 1970, Gaddafi attempted to take up the mantle of ideological leader of Arab nationalism. He remained displeased by the failures of Nasser's Six Day War, and united leaders from Arab nations to better coordinate future attacks on Israel.[79] Beginning in 1972, Gaddafi granted financial support and military training to volunteers willing to support Palestinian terrorist groups against Israel.[80][81][82] During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Gaddafi sent one armored brigade, two fighter squadrons, and financial aid to Egypt.

He discussed unification with new Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who distrusted Gaddafi's offer to allow him Presidency while Gaddafi would be defense minister. Gaddafi persuaded him to form a partial union, which he agreed to in 1972, but Gaddafi's hope of a "Federation of Arab Republics" —Libya, Egypt, and Syria— did not reach fruition as the three disagreed on merger conditions. (All three did adopt the same flag)

Gaddafi was firmly in support of the Islamization of Sudan and Chad. He opposed Sudanese leader Tombalbaye, in large part because he was black and Christian, and Gaddafi granted military bases and support to revolutionary forces Frolinat as early as 1969.[83] In 1971, Gaddafi offered to merge Libya with Sudan, but Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry turned down that offer.[84] Gaddafi became even more embittered when Nimeiry negotiated a peace settlement with the Sudanese Christians in 1972. Nimeiry said of Gaddafi: "He has a split personality—both parts evil."[85]

Weapons program

Gaddafi's attempts to procure weapons of mass destruction began in 1972, when Gaddafi tried to get the People's Republic of China to sell him a nuclear bomb.[86]

In 1977, he tried to get a bomb from Pakistan, but Pakistan severed ties before Libya succeeded in building a weapon.[86] After ties were restored, Gaddafi tried to buy a nuclear weapon from India, but instead, India and Libya agreed for a peaceful use of nuclear energy, in line with India's "atoms for peace" policy.[87]

Several people around the world were indicted for assisting Gaddafi in his chemical weapons programs. Thailand reported its citizens had helped build a storage facility for nerve gas. Germany sentenced a businessman, Jurgen Hippenstiel-Imhausen, to five years in prison for involvement in Libyan chemical weapons.[86][88]

Inspectors from the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) verified in 2004 that Libya owned a stockpile of 23 metric tons of mustard gas and more than 1,300 metric tons of precursor chemicals. Disposing of such large quantities of chemical weapons was expected to be expensive.[89] Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces in 2003, Gaddafi announced that his nation had an active weapons of mass destruction program, but was willing to allow international inspectors into his country to observe and dismantle them. U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush and other supporters of the Iraq War portrayed Gaddafi's announcement as a direct consequence of the Iraq War. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a supporter of the Iraq War, was quoted as saying that Gaddafi had privately phoned him, admitting as much. Many foreign policy experts, however, contend that Gaddafi's announcement was merely a continuation of his prior attempts at normalizing relations with the West and getting the sanctions removed. To support this, they point to the fact that Libya had already made similar offers starting four years before one was finally accepted.[90][91] International inspectors turned up several tons of chemical weaponry in Libya, as well as an active nuclear weapons program. As the process of destroying these weapons continued, Libya improved its cooperation with international monitoring regimes to the extent that, by March 2006, France was able to conclude an agreement with Libya to develop a significant nuclear power program.

On 15 May 2006, the U.S. State Department announced that it would restore full diplomatic relations with Libya, once Gaddafi declared he was abandoning Libya's weapons of mass destruction program. The State Department also said that Libya would be removed from the list of nations supporting terrorism.[92]

Pan-Arabism (1969-1998)

In 1974, he signed an agreement with Tunisia's Habib Bourguiba on a merger between the two countries, but this also failed to work in practice and ultimately differences between the two countries deteriorated into strong animosity.

In 1984, he signed the Oujda treaty with Morocco's Hassan II, with the aim of the union of both countries, centered in economic, cultural and political cooperation. It was also an instrument to end the support of Morocco to the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, with Libya taking the same decision with the Polisario Front.[93] The treaty was broken by Hassan II in 1986, after the visit to Ifrane (Morocco) of then Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, that was qualified by the Libyan government as "an act of treason".[94]

Wars with Chad and the Islamic Legion
Main article: Islamic Legion

In 1972, Gaddafi created the Islamic Legion, a paramilitary terrorist organization, to Arabize the region. The priority of the Legion was first Chad, and then Sudan. Gaddafi sympathized with the Arab Gathering in Darfur, which was a similar militant pan-Arabist organization.[95]Because the two organizations shared members and a source of support, and the distinction between the two is often ambiguous.

At the beginning of the 1987 Libyan offensive into Chad, the Legion maintained a force of 2,000 in Darfur. The nearly continuous cross-border raids that resulted greatly contributed to a separate ethnic conflict within Darfur that killed about 9,000 people between 1985 and 1988.[96]According to foreign journalists, the Legion's members were mostly poor immigrants who had gone to Libya "hoping for a civilian job, but found themselves signed up more or less by force to go and fight in an unknown desert."[97] [98] They had been provided with inadequate military training and possessed little commitment.[97] There was evidence that some of the legionnaires later became leaders in theJanjaweed, a group which carried out a genocide in Sudan in the 2000s.[99][100]

See also: Chadian–Libyan conflict, Toyota War, and Libyan–Egyptian War

As early as 1969 Gaddafi waged a campaign against neighbouring Chad. Libya was also involved in a sometimes-violent territorial dispute with Chad over the Aouzou Strip, which Libya occupied in 1973. This dispute eventually led to a Libyan invasion and a conflict that ended with a 1987 ceasefire. The dispute was in the end settled peacefully in June 1994 when Libya withdrew from Chad due to a judgement of theInternational Court of Justice issued on 13 February 1994.[101]

The Chad government, headed by Chadian President Hissène Habré, received extensive U.S. and French help, which finally led to a Chadian victory in the so-called Toyota War. The 1987 war resulted in a heavy defeat for Libya, which, according to American sources, lost one tenth of its army, with 7,500 troops killed and 1.5 billion dollars worth of military equipment destroyed or captured.[102] Chadian losses were 1,000 troops killed.[103]

Gaddafi dispatched his military across his Egyptian border in the 1977 in the Libyan–Egyptian War, but Egyptian forces fought back, forcing Gaddafi to retreat.

Pan-Africanism (1998-Present)

Gaddafi turned his attention to pan-Africanism in 1998
Main article: United States of Africa

In 1998, Gaddafi turned his attention away from Arab nationalism. He eliminated a government office in charge of promoting pan-Arab ideas and told reporters "I had been crying slogans of Arab Unity and brandishing standard of Arab nationalism for 40 years, but it was not realised. That means that I was talking in the desert. I have no more time to lose talking with Arabs...I am returning back to realism...I now talk about Pan-Africanism and African Unity. The Arab world is finished...Africa is a paradise...and it is full of natural resources like water, uranium, cobalt, iron, manganese."[104] Gaddafi's state-run television networks switched from middle eastern soap operas to African themes involving slavery. The background of a unified Arab League that had been a staple of Libyan television for over two decades was replaced by a map of Africa, which Gaddafi sported on his outfits from then forward. He also stated that, "I would like Libya to become a black country. Hence, I recommend to Libyan men to marry only black women and to Libyan women to marry black men."[105][106][107]

Gaddafi ran a school near Benghazi called the World Revolutionary Center (WRC), where he gave military training to foreign leaders who shared ideological similarities with him.[108] Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso and Idriss Déby of Chad were graduates of this school, and are currently in power in their respective countries.[109] Gaddafi trained and supported Charles Taylor of Sierra Leone, Foday Sankoh, the founder of Revolutionary United Front, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the Emperor of the Central African Empire.[110][111], and Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia.[111] Gaddafi intervened militarily in the Central African Republic in 2001 to protect his ally Ange-Félix Patassé from overthrow. Patassé signed a deal giving Libya a 99-year lease to exploit all of that country's natural resources, including uranium, copper, diamonds, and oil.[108] He also sent troops to fight against Tanzaniaon behalf of Idi Amin and lost 600 Libyan soldiers defending Amin's collapsing regime.[110]

Gaddafi's support frequently went to leaders recognized by the United Nations as dictators and warlords. Gaddafi used anti-Western rhetoric against the UN, and complained that the International Criminal Court was a "new form of world terrorism" that wanted to recolonize developing countries.[112] Gaddafi opposed the ICC's arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and personally gave refuge to Ida Amin in Libya after his fall from rule in 1979.[113] According to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Charles Taylor's orders for "The amputation of the arms and legs of men, women, and children as part of a scorched-earth campaign was designed to take over the region's rich diamond fields and was backed by Gaddafi, who routinely reviewed their progress and supplied weapons".[109][114]

Gaddafi's support for different rulers and dictators across Africa cemented his reputation as a powerful African leader, and gained him several allies across the continent. He was bestowed the title of King of Kings of Africa in 2008 as part of a grassroots effort to encourage African heads of state and government to follow Gaddafi towards greater political integration. Gaddafi was celebrated in the presence of over 200 African traditional rulers and kings, although his views on African political and military unification received a lukewarm response from their governments.[115] His 2009 forum for African kings was canceled by the Ugandan hosts, who believed that traditional rulers discussing politics would lead to instability.[116] On 1 February 2009, a coronation ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was held to coincide with the 53rd African Union Summit, at which he was elected head of the African Union for the year.[117] Gaddafi told the assembled African leaders: "I shall continue to insist that our sovereign countries work to achieve the United States of Africa."[118]

Anti-Western terrorism

Gaddafi supported terrorist organizations across the world with anti-Western sympathies. He attempted to radicalize Australian Aborigines, left-wing unions,[119] Arab Australians,[119]and one Labor Party politician, Bill Hartley, against the "imperialist" government of Australia.[65][119][120][65][119][120] In New Zealand, he financed the Workers Revolutionary Party.[119][121] and attempted to radicalizeMaoris.[120]

Gaddafi with Serbian President Boris Tadić

After the December 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks, which killed 19 and wounded around 140, Gaddafi indicated in his speech that he would continue to support the Red Army Faction, theRed Brigades, and the Irish Republican Army as long as European countries supported anti-Gaddafi Libyans.[122] The Foreign Minister of Libya called the massacres "heroic acts".[123]

On 5 April 1986, Libyan agents bombed "La Belle" nightclub in West Berlin, killing three and injuring 229. Gaddafi's plan was intercepted by Western intelligence. More detailed information was retrieved years later in Stasi archives. Libyan agents who had carried out the operation from the Libyan embassy in East Germany were prosecuted by the reunited Germany in the 1990s.[124]

In Austria, Jörg Haider reportedly received tens of millions dollars from Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein.[125]

Libya had close ties with Slobodan Milošević's regime. Gaddafi aligned himself with the Orthodox Serbs against Bosnia's Muslims and Kosovo's Albanians. Gaddafi supported Milošević even when Milošević was charged with large-scale ethnic cleansing against Albanians in Kosovo.[126][127][128]

In 1976 after a series of terror attacks by the Provisional IRA, Gaddafi announced that "the bombs which are convulsing Britain and breaking its spirit are the bombs of Libyan people. We have sent them to the Irish revolutionaries so that the British will pay the price for their past deeds".[80]

In April 1984, Libyan refugees in London protested the execution of two dissidents. Libyan diplomats shot at 11 people and killed a British policewoman. The incident led to the cessation of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Libya for over a decade.[129] An alleged plot by Britain's Secret Intelligence Service to assassinate Gaddafi, when rebels attacked Gaddafi's motorcade near the city of Sirtein February 1996, was denied by former foreign secretary Robin Cook, although the FCO later stated: "We have never denied that we knew of plots against Gaddafi."[130]

Gaddafi developed a friendship with Hugo Chávez; in March 2009 Libya named a stadium after the Venezuelan leader.[131]

Documents seized during a raid against FARC in 2008 showed that both Chavez and Gaddafi backed the group.[109] Gaddafi developed an ongoing relationship with the FARC, becoming acquainted with its leaders in meetings of revolutionary groups regularly hosted in Libya.[108][109]

In September 2009, at the Second Africa-South America Summit on Isla Margarita in Venezuela, Gaddafi joined host Chávez in calling for an "anti-imperialist" front across Africa and Latin America. Gaddafi proposed the establishment of a South Atlantic Treaty Organization to rivalNATO, saying: "The world's powers want to continue to hold on to their power. Now we have to fight to build our own power."[132]

Lebanon

In August 1978, Lebanese Shia leader Musa al-Sadr and two companions departed for Libya to meet with government officials. They were never heard from again. Musa al-Sadr had founded Amal Movement, a centrist-Shia Lebanese resistance movement (which later went on to oppose the Israeli invasion of Lebanon). However the rise of Amal Movement annoyed the PLO which was based primarily in south Lebanon. Libya consistently denied responsibility, claiming that al-Sadr and his companions left Libya for Italy. Some reports claimed that he remained secretly in jail in Libya. Al-Sadr's disappearance remained a major dispute between Lebanon and Libya. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri claimed that the Libyan regime, and particularly the Libyan leader, were responsible for the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr.[133]

According to Iranian General Mansour Qadar, the then head of Syrian security, Rifaat al-Assad, told the Iranian ambassador to Syria that Gaddafi was planning to kill al-Sadr. On 27 August 2008, Gaddafi was indicted in Lebanon for al-Sadr's disappearance.[134]

Israel

In 1995, Gaddafi expelled some 30,000 Palestinians living in Libya, in response to the peace negotiations that had commenced between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.[135]

In January 2009, Gaddafi contributed an editorial to The New York Times, suggesting that he was in favor of a single-state solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflicts that moved beyond old conflicts and looked to a unified future of shared culture and mutual respect.[136]

United States

In 1981 Gaddafi talked about assassinating new American president Ronald Reagan.[137]

Reagan dubbed Gaddafi the "mad dog of the Middle East". In December 1981, the U.S. State Department invalidated U.S. passports for travel to Libya, and in March 1982, the United States banned the import of Libyan oil.[138]

In 1984. Gaddafi started plotting terrorist acts inside the United States. One of the leading groups receiving Gaddafi's money was the Nation of Islam. Al-Rakr, a Libyan-financed gang in Chicago, declared in 1984 that it was preparing for a "race war" to "settle scores with whites". Members of the gang were arrested in 1986 for preparations to bomb government buildings and bring down American planes.[139] In 1986 Libyan state television announced that Libya was training suicide squads to attack American and European interests.

On 14 April 1986, the United States carried out Operation El Dorado Canyon against Gaddafi, bombing air defenses, three army bases, and two airfields in Tripoli and Benghazi. The "surgical strikes" failed to kill Gaddafi but he lost a few dozen military officers. Gaddafi then spreadpropaganda about how it had killed his "adopted daughter" and how victims had been all civilians. The campaign was successful as large portions of the Western press reported the regime's stories as facts.[7][41] Gaddafi announced that he had won a spectacular military victory over the United States and the country was officially renamed the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah".[64] However, his speech appeared devoid of passion and even the "victory" celebrations appeared unusual. Criticism of Gaddafi by ordinary Libyan citizens became more bold, such as defacing Gaddafi posters.[64] The raids brought the regime to its the weakest point in 17 years.[64]

In June 2008, Gaddafi strongly criticised U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel, saying "The statements of our Kenyan brother of American nationality, Obama, on Jerusalem ... show that he either ignores international politics and did not study the Middle East conflict or that it is a campaign lie."[140]

In September 2008, U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice became the first in her position to visit Libya since 1953 and said about the visit; "It demonstrates that when countries are prepared to make strategic changes in direction, the United States is prepared to respond."[141]

Other

See also: Foreign relations of Libya and Active measures
Gaddafi (right) with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in 1977
Gaddafi's airplane sculpture

On 7 October 1972, Gaddafi praised the Lod Airport massacre, carried out by the Japanese Red Army, and demanded that Palestinian terrorist groups carry out similar attacks.[80]

Gaddafi asserted in June 1984 that he wanted his agents to assassinate dissident refugees even when they were on pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. In August 1984, one Libyan plot in Mecca was thwarted by Saudi Arabian police.[64]

Gaddafi fueled a number of Islamist and communist terrorist groups in the Philippines, including the New People's Army of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The country still struggles with their murders and kidnappings.[27][120][122][142][142][143] In Indonesia the Organisasi Papua Merdeka was a Libyan backed militant group.Vanuatu's ruling party enjoyed Libyan support.[120]

Gaddafi sought close relations with the Soviet Union, and purchased arms from the Soviet bloc. Gaddafi's support for paramilitary groups and international terrorism often extended to groups with ideologies far removed from his own, including[144][145] European terrorists in France[64][123] and Germany,[65][120][122] the United States, and Latin America.[146][147]

In October 1981 Egypt's President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. Gaddafi applauded the murder and remarked that it was a punishment.[137]

Partial rapprochement

After the fall of the Soviet Empire, Libya appeared to reassess its position in world affairs and began a long process of rejoining the larger world.

In his four decades as Libya's 'Brother Leader', Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has gone from being the epitome of revolutionary chic to an eccentric statesman with entirely benign relations with the West.
— David Blair, diplomatic editor for The Daily Telegraph[148]

Gaddafi also appeared to be attempting to improve his image in the West. Two years prior to the 11 September attacks, Libya pledged[citation needed] its commitment to fighting al-Qaeda and offered to open its weapons programme to international inspection. Neither the Clinton[citation needed] nor Bush[citation needed] administrations pursued the offer at the time since Libya's weapons program was not then regarded as a threat, and the matter of handing over the Lockerbie bombing suspects took priority. Following the attacks of 11 September, Gaddafi made one of the first, and firmest, denunciations of the Al-Qaeda bombers by any Muslim leader.[citation needed] Gaddafi also appeared on ABC for an open interview with George Stephanopoulos, a move that would have seemed unthinkable less than a decade earlier.[citation needed]

Lockerbie bombings

For most of the 1990s, Libya was under economic and diplomatic sanctions as a result of Gaddafi's refusal to allow the extradition to the United States or Britain of two Libyans accused of planting a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed down on Lockerbie, Scotland. Through the intercession of South African President Nelson Mandela—who made a high-profile visit to Gaddafi in 1997—and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Gaddafi agreed in 1999 to a compromise that handed over the defendants to the Netherlands for trial under Scots law.[149] UN sanctions were thereupon suspended, but U.S. sanctions against Libya remained in force.

After diplomatic negotiations held through the various countries' secret services, led by Stephen Kappes of the CIA and Sir Mark Allen ofMI6,[150] in August 2003, two years after Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's conviction, Libya wrote to the United Nations formally accepting 'responsibility for the actions of its officials' in respect of the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to pay compensation of up to US$2.7 billion—or up to US$10 million each—to the families of the 270 victims. The same month, Britain and Bulgaria co-sponsored a UN resolution which removed the suspended sanctions. (Bulgaria's involvement in tabling this motion led to suggestions that there was a link with the HIV trial in Libya in which five Bulgarian nurses, working at a Benghazi hospital, were accused in 1998 of infecting 426 Libyan children with HIV.)[151]Forty percent of the compensation was then paid to each family, and a further 40% followed once U.S. sanctions were removed. Because the United States refused to take Libya off its list of state sponsors of terrorism, Libya retained the last 20% ($540 million) of the $2.7 billion compensation package. In October 2008 Libya paid $1.5 billion into a fund which will be used to compensate relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims with the remaining 20%, American victims of the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing, American victims of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing and Libyan victims of the 1986 U.S. bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. In exchange, President Bush signed Executive Order13477 restoring the Libyan government's immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismissing all of the pending compensation cases in the United States, the White House said.[152]

On 28 June 2007, Megrahi was granted the right to a second appeal against the Lockerbie bombing conviction.[153] One month later, the Bulgarian medics were released from jail in Libya. They returned home to Bulgaria and were pardoned by Bulgarian president, Georgi Parvanov.

Gaddafi with then-President of RussiaVladimir Putin in 2008
Gaddafi with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Gaddafi (at right) attending the G-8 Summit in 2008

Gaddafi's 2009 celebration of the return of convicted Lockerbie bomber Megrahi, who was releasedfrom prison on compassionate grounds, attracted criticism from Western leaders.[154][155][156]

Europe

In July 2007, French president Nicolas Sarkozy visited Libya and signed a number of bilateral and multilateral (European Union) agreements with Gaddafi.[157]

Gaddafi and Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed establishing a Russian military base in Libya.[158]

On 4 March 2008 Gaddafi announced his intention to dissolve the country's existing administrative structure and disburse oil revenue directly to the people. The plan included abolishing all ministries, except those of defence, internal security, and foreign affairs, and departments implementing strategic projects.[159]

Italy

On 30 August 2008, Gaddafi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed a landmarkcooperation treaty in Benghazi.[160][161][162] Under its terms, Italy agreed to pay $5 billion to Libya as compensation for its former military occupation. In exchange, Libya would take measures to combat illegal immigration coming from its shores and boost investments in Italian companies.[161][163] The treaty was ratified by Italy on 6 February 2009,[160] and by Libya on 2 March, during a Berlusconi visit to Tripoli.[161][164] In June Gaddafi made his first visit to Rome, where he again met Berlusconi, President Giorgio Napolitano and Senate President Renato Schifani; Chamber President Gianfranco Fini cancelled the meeting because of Gaddafi's delay.[161] The Democratic Party and Italy of Values opposed the visit,[165][166] and many protests were staged throughout Italy by human rights organizations and the Italian Radicals.[167] Gaddafi also took part in the G8 summit in L'Aquila in July as Chairman of the African Union.[161] During the summit a handshake between U.S. President Barack Obama and Muammar Gaddafi marked the first time the Libyan leader had been greeted by a serving U.S. president.[168] At the official dinner hosted by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister and G8 host, overturned protocol at the last moment by having Gaddafi sit next to him (just two places away from President Obama, seated on Berlusconi's right).[169][170][171][172][173] During a two-day visit to Italy in August 2010 Gaddafi upset his hosts by stating that Europe should convert to Islam. During a lecture to 200 young women whom Gaddafi had paid a modeling agency to send, he urged the women to convert to Islam and, according to one of them, said "Islam should become the religion of all of Europe." Each woman received a copy of the Qur'an.[174] Gaddafi, in a speech that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on 10 April 2006, said: "There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe–without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades."[175][176]

United Kingdom

In March 2004, British Prime Minister Tony Blair became one of the first Western leaders in decades to visit Libya and publicly meet Gaddafi. Blair praised Gaddafi's recent acts, and stated that he hoped Libya could now be a strong ally in the international War on Terror. In the run-up to Blair's visit, the British ambassador in Tripoli, Anthony Layden, explained Libya's and Gaddafi's political change:

35 years of total state control of the economy has left them in a situation where they're simply not generating enough economic activity to give employment to the young people who are streaming through their successful education system. I think this dilemma goes to the heart of Colonel Gaddafi's decision that he needed a radical change of direction.[177]

UN General Assembly speech

On 23 September 2009, Colonel Gaddafi addressed the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, his first visit to the United States.[178] Gaddafi spoke for one hour and 36 minutes.[179] A translation of the speech courtesy of Jamahiriya News Agency(JANA) the official Libyan news agency, is available on the internet.[180]

Gaddafi spoke in favor of the preamble to the United Nations Charter, but rejected several provisions of the rest of the Charter; and criticized the United Nations for failing to prevent 65 wars, and invited the General Assembly to investigate the wars that the Security Council had not authorized, and for those responsible to be brought before the International Criminal Court. He also defended the Taliban and Somali Pirates. He also claimed that a foreign military was responsible for the H1N1 outbreak, accused Israel of assassinating John F. Kennedy, and called for a one-state solution for Palestine and Israel, and referred to Barack Obama as "son of Africa".[181]

Following Colonel Gaddafi's speech, in which he criticized the UN Security Council (UNSC) calling it the "Terror Council",[182] and claimed that it practised "security feudalism" preferencing those who had a protected seat.[183] Gaddafi failed to attend a special Security Council heads-of-state meeting on 24 September, 2009, when a resolution calling for a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons passed unanimously.[184]

The Libyan leader demanded representation for the African Union. His appearance generated demonstrations both for and against Gaddafi.[185] A Libyan diplomat, Ali Treki, has just become president of the General Assembly for 2009–10.

Gaddafi preferred to reside in a tent when travelling.[186] His plans to erect a tent in Central Park and on Libyan government property inEnglewood, New Jersey during Gaddafi's stay at the UN were protested by community leaders and subsequently cancelled by Gaddafi.[187][188][189] His tent was moved to an estate belonging to Donald Trump in Bedford, until the local government issued a work stop order, claiming the tent needed a permit, and Trump told him to go elsewhere.[190][191]

Gaddafi once characterized HIV as "a peaceful virus, not an aggressive virus". In the African Union summit in Maputo in July 2003, Gaddafi asserted "if you are straight you have nothing to fear from AIDS".[192]

Ideology

Main article: Political ideology of Muammar Gaddafi
Gaddafi's Green Book

In addition to The Green Book (1975), Gaddafi has authored other works, including Escape to Hell and Other Stories (1998)[193] and "The One-State Solution", an op-ed piece which appeared in The New York Times in 2009.[194]

Gaddafi is known for erratic statements, and commentators often express uncertainty about what is sarcasm and what is simply incoherent. Over the course of his four-decade rule, he accumulated a wide variety of eccentric and often contradictory statements.[195]

Notwithstanding his claims of concern for his African roots, Gaddafi has often expressed an overt contempt for the Berbers, a non-Arab people of North Africa, and for their language, maintaining that the very existence of Berbers in North Africa is a myth created by colonialists. He adopted several measures forbidding the use of Berber, and often attacks this language in official speeches, with statements like: "If your mother transmits you this language, she nourishes you with the milk of the colonialist, she feeds you their poison" (1985).[196]

Gaddafi defended the actions of Somalian pirates, "It is a response to greedy Western nations, who invade and exploit Somalia's water resources illegally. It is not a piracy, it is self defence... If they (Western nations) do not want to live with us fairly, it is our planet and they can go to [an]other planet."[197]

Personal life and family

His second wife is Safia Farkash, née el-Brasai, former nurse from Al Bayda.[198][199][200] Gaddafi had eight biological children, seven of them sons.

Moatessem-Billal al-Gaddafi with Hillary Clinton, Treaty Room, Washington, DC, 21 April 2009

His eldest son, Muhammad al-Gaddafi, born to Gaddafi's first wife, runs the Libyan Olympic Committee.[198]

The next eldest son, by his second wife Safia, is Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi, who was born in 1972. Saif serves as a politician in his father's government, including as a spokesperson during the 2011 uprising, and works as an architect. He runs a charity (GIFCA) which was involved in negotiating freedom for hostages taken by Islamic militants, especially in the Philippines. In 2006, after sharply criticizing his father's regime, Saif Al-Islam briefly left Libya, reportedly to take on a position in banking outside of the country. He returned soon after, and launched an environment-friendly initiative to teach children how to help clean up parts of Libya. He was involved in compensation negotiations with Italy and the United States.

The third eldest, Al-Saadi al-Gaddafi, married the daughter of a military commander. Saadi runs the Libyan Football Federation and signed to play for various professional teams including ItalianSerie A team Perugia Calcio, although appearing only once in first team games.

The fourth, Hannibal Muammar al-Gaddafi, is a former employee of General National Maritime Transport Company, a company that specialized in oil exports. He is most notable for involvement in a series of violent incidents throughout Europe. In 2001, Hannibal attacked three Italian policemen with a fire extinguisher; in September 2004, he was briefly detained in Paris after driving a Porsche at 140 kilometres per hour (90 mph) in the wrong direction and through red lights down the Champs-Élysées while intoxicated; and in 2005, Hannibal in Paris allegedly beat model and then-girlfriend Aline Skaf, who later filed an assault suit against him.[201] He was fined and given a four month suspended prison sentence after this incident. On 15 July 2008, Hannibal and his wife were held for two days and charged with assaulting two of their staff in Geneva, Switzerland and then released on bail on 17 July. The government of Libya subsequently boycotted Swiss products, reduced flights between Libya and Switzerland, stopped issuing visas to Swiss citizens, recalled diplomats from Bern, and forced all Swiss companies such as ABB and Nestlé to close offices. General National Maritime Transport Company, which owned a large refinery in Switzerland, halted oil shipments to Switzerland.[202] Two Swiss businessmen who were in Libya at the time were denied permission to leave the country and held hostage for some time. (see Switzerland-Libya conflict). At the 35th G8 summit in July 2009, Gaddafi labeled Switzerland a "world mafia" and called for the country to be split between France, Germany and Italy.[203] In August 2009, Hannibal Gaddafi stated that if he had nuclear weapons, he would "wipe Switzerland off the map".[204]

Gaddafi's fifth son, Al-Mu'tasim-Billah al-Gaddafi, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Libyan Army. He later serves as Libya's National Security Advisor, in which capacity he oversaw the nation's National Security Council. His name مُعْتَصِمٌ (بِٱللّٰهِ) /muʿtaṣimu-n (bi l–lāhi)/ could be Latinized as Mutassim, Moatessem or Moatessem-Billah. Saif Al-Islam and Moatessem-Billah were both seen as possible successors to their father.[citation needed]

Gaddafi's sixth son was Saif al-Arab al-Gaddafi ("the sword of the Arabs"). Saif was appointed a military commander in the Libyan Armyduring the 2011 Libyan uprising. Saif al-Arab and three of Gaddafi's grandchildren were reported killed by a NATO bombing in April 2011. Like the death of Hanna, this is disputed by the organizations alleged to be responsible.[205]

Gaddafi's seventh son is Khamis al-Gaddafi, who serves as the commander of the Libyan Army's elite Khamis Brigade.

Gaddafi's only natural daughter is Ayesha al-Gaddafi, a lawyer who joined the defense teams of executed former Iraqi leader Saddam Husseinand Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi.[198] She is married to a cousin of her father's.

He is also said to have adopted two children, Hanna and Milad.[206][207] Hanna was apparently killed in 1986 at the age of four, during retaliatory US bombing raids; the facts are disputed however,[208] and this adoption may have been posthumous.

Gaddafi's brother-in-law Abdullah Senussi‎, who married to Gaddafi's wife's sister, is believed to head military intelligence.[209]

The family's main residence is on the Bab al-Azizia military barracks, located in the southern suburbs of Tripoli.

Gaddafi holds an honorary degree from Megatrend University in Belgrade conferred on him by former Yugoslav President Zoran Lilić.[210]

Gaddafi fears flying over water, prefers to stay on buildings' ground floors and almost never travels without his trusted Ukrainian nurse Halyna Kolotnytska, a "voluptuous blonde," according to a U.S. document released by WikiLeaks late 2010.[211] Halyna's daughter denied the suggestion that the relationship is anything but professional.[212]

Family wealth

Italian companies had a strong foothold in Libya. The country buys a quarter of Libya's oil and 15 per cent of its natural gas. The LIA owned significant shares in Italy's Eni oil corporation, Fiat, Unicredit bank and Finmeccanica.[213] In January 2002, Gaddafi purchased a 7.5% share of Italian football club Juventus for USD 21 million, through ("Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company"[214]). This followed a long-standing association with Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli and car manufacturer Fiat.[215]

On 25 February 2011, Britain's Treasury set up a specialised unit to trace Gaddafi's assets in Britain.[213]

Gaddafi allegedly worked with Swiss banks to launder international banking transactions for years.[49]

Public relations

At 27, Gaddafi, with a taste for safari suits and sunglasses, sought to become the new "Che Guevara of the age".[148] To accomplish this Gaddafi turned Libya into a haven for anti-Western radicals, where any group, supposedly, could receive weapons and financial assistance, provided they claimed to be fighting imperialism.[148]

A Revolutionary Command Council was formed to rule the country, with Gaddafi as chairman. He added the title of prime minister in 1970, but gave up this title in 1972. Unlike some other military revolutionaries, Gaddafi did not promote himself to the rank of general upon seizing power, but rather accepted a ceremonial promotion from captain to colonel and remained at this rank. While at odds with Western military ranking for a colonel to rule a country and serve as commander-in-chief of its military, in Gaddafi's own words Libya's society is "ruled by the people", so he did not need a more grandiose title or supreme military rank.[7]

Name

Because of the lack of standardization of transliterating written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name was romanized in many different ways. Even though the Arabic spelling of a word does not change, the pronunciation may vary in different varieties of Arabic, which may suggest a different romanization. In literary Arabic the name مُعَمَّر ٱلْقَذَّافِيّ can be pronounced /muˈʕamːaru lqaðˈðaːfiː/. [ʕ] represents avoiced pharyngeal fricative (ع). Geminated consonants can be simplified. In Libyan Arabic, /q/ (ق) may be replaced with [ɡ] or [k] (or even[χ]); and /ð/ (ذ) (as "th" in "this") may be replaced with [d] or [t]. Vowel [u] often alternates with [o] in pronunciation. Thus, /muˈʕamːar alqaðˈðaːfiː/ is normally pronounced in Libyan Arabic [muˈʕæmːɑrˤ əlɡædˈdæːfi]. The definite article al- (ال) is often omitted.

"Muammar Gaddafi" is the spelling used by TIME, BBC News, the majority of the British press and by the English service of Al-Jazeera.[216]The Associated Press, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News use "Moammar Gadhafi". The Library of Congress uses "Qaddafi, Muammar" as the primary name. The Edinburgh Middle East Report uses "Mu'ammar Qaddafi" and the U.S. Department of State uses "Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi", although the White House chooses to use "Muammar el-Qaddafi".[217] The Xinhua News Agency uses "Muammar Khaddafi" in its English reports.[218] The New York Times uses "Muammar el-Qaddafi". The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times of Tribune Company, andAgence France-Presse use "Moammar Kadafi".[219][220]

In 1986, Gaddafi reportedly responded to a Minnesota school's letter in English using the spelling "Moammar El-Gadhafi".[221] The title of the homepage of algathafi.org reads "Welcome to the official site of Muammar Al Gathafi".[222]

An article published in the London Evening Standard in 2004 lists a total of 37 spellings of his name, while a 1986 column by The Straight Dope quotes a list of 32 spellings known at the Library of Congress.[223] ABC identified 112 possible spellings.[224] This extensive confusion of naming was used as the subject of a segment of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on 12 December 1981.[225]

In short, the alternative spellings for each part of his name are shown in brackets:

{\color{OliveGreen}M \begin{cases}u\\o\end{cases} \begin{cases}\varnothing\\'\end{cases} a \begin{cases}mm\\m\end{cases} \begin{cases}a\\e\end{cases} r} ~~~~ {\color{MidnightBlue}\begin{cases}al\\el\\Al\\El\\\varnothing\end{cases} \begin{cases}-\\\textvisiblespace\\\varnothing\end{cases}} {\color{RedViolet}\begin{cases}Q\\G\\Gh\\K\\Kh\end{cases} \begin{cases}a\\e\\u\end{cases} \begin{cases}d\\dh\\dd\\ddh\\dhdh\\dth\\th\\zz\end{cases} a \begin{cases}f\\f\!f\end{cases} \begin{cases}i\\y\end{cases}}

However, not all are possible, as some alternatives are most probably combined with others, or even impossible with others (for example, simplification of geminated [m:] usually implies simplification of [a:]).

See also

Cold War portal
Libya portal
Socialism portal

References

Notes

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  178. ^ "The Nation: All Eyes On Obama At The United Nations". Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  179. ^ "General Debate of the 64th Session (2009) – Statement Summary and UN Webcast". Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  180. ^ "Gadafi's speech to the UN General Assembly(2009)". Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  181. ^ Neil MacFarqhuar (23 September 2009). "Libyan Leader Delivers a Scolding in UN Debut". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  182. ^ James Bone & Francis Elliott (24 September 2009). "Colonel Gaddafi chastises 'terror council' in rambling, 94-minute speech". The Times (UK). Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  183. ^ "Gadhafi: UN Security Council is undemocratic". Finalcall.com. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  184. ^ Helene Cooper & Sharon Otterman (24 September 2009). "UN Security Council Adopts Measure on Nuclear Arms". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  185. ^ "Anger and support for Gadhafi". CNN. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  186. ^ "When in Rome, Gaddafi will do as the Bedouins". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  187. ^ Ed Pilkington in New York (25 August 2009). "New Jersey town outraged over upcoming Gaddafi visit". Guardian (UK). Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  188. ^ Battle, Pat (28 August 2009). "Gadhafi Cast Out of Garden (State): Source". Nbcnewyork.com. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  189. ^ O'Connor, Anahad (29 August 2009). "Qaddafi Cancels Plans to Stay in New Jersey". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  190. ^ Gadaffi's tent finds home on Donald Trump's estate M&G
  191. ^ "Moammar Gadhafi Won't Stay in Bedford Tent After All – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  192. ^ Geldenhuys, Deon (November 2003). "The rule-breaking conduct of Qaddafi's Libya". Strategic Review for Southern Africa(Strategic Review for Southern Africa).
  193. ^ Qaddafi, Muammar (1998). Escape to Hell and Other Stories. [Montréal]: Stanké. ISBN 2-7604-0613-X.
  194. ^ The One-State Solution The New York Times. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  195. ^ see e.g. a 2006 review of Escape to Hell: "Of course, what most people really want to know about the Libyan leader is whether he's a complete loon… and reading Escape to Hell does tend to confirm the widespread suspicion that Qaddafi isn't playing with a full deck. His writing has a rambling, stream-of-consciousness flavor reminiscent of Chairman Mao's less coherent essays, suggesting that dictators are often edited with a very light hand. Combine this with his excursions into surrealism and frequent recourse to the high-ironic stance, and it's often difficult to make head or tail of his work. It's tempting to conclude that the man is hopelessly cracked-but often enough there's method in his seeming madness."
  196. ^ "Libya: Gaddafi Rails Against 'No Fly' Attacks and Berbers". allAfrica.com. 20 March 2011.
  197. ^ "Gaddafi defends Somali pirates", Daily Nation, 5 February 2009
  198. ^ a b c Charkow, Ryab (22 February 2011). "Moammar Gadhafi and his family". CBC News. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  199. ^ "CNN – Mandela hails South Africa election results – June 6, 1999". CNN. 6 June 1999. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  200. ^ "Safia Farkash , Ask.com Encyclopedia". Ask.com. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  201. ^ Bremner, Charles (4 February 2005). "Hannibal gives Gaddafi a bad name". The Times (London). Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  202. ^ "Libya 'halts Swiss oil shipments'". London: BBC News. 24 July 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  203. ^ Bachmann, Helena (25 September 2009). "Libyan Leader Gaddafi's Oddest Idea: Abolish Switzerland". TIME. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  204. ^ Tages Anzeiger, 17 August 2009; The Australian, 17 August 2009.
  205. ^ "Qaddafi Is Said to Survive NATO Airstrike That Kills Son" "New York Times" 30 Apr 2011 [3]
  206. ^ "Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi v. The Daily Telegraph". 21 August 2002. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  207. ^ The Gaddafi family tree, BBC News, 21 February 2011
  208. ^ See Accuracy in Media article here
  209. ^ Ian Black Middle East editor (22 February 2011). "Gaddafi's confidant is Abdullah Senussi, a brutal right-hand man". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  210. ^ "Impostor Defends Bulgarian Nurses before Gaddafi". Standart News (Bulgarian). 3 March 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  211. ^ "WikiLeaks cables: Muammar Gaddafi and the 'voluptuous blonde'". The Guardian . 7 December 2010
  212. ^ "Segognya, 30 Nov. 2010". Segodnya.ua. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  213. ^ a b Exposed: Gaddafi Inc. by Michael Burleigh, The Daily Telegraph, 26 Feb 2011.
  214. ^ Lafico
  215. ^ "Muammar Gaddafi: the wise investor". Business Today. 7 November 2001. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  216. ^ "Gaddafi in Moscow for arms talks". Al-Jazeera English. 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  217. ^ Jesse Lee. "President Obama on Libya: "These Sanctions Therefore Target the Qaddafi Government, While Protecting the Assets that Belong to the People of Libya" , The White House". Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  218. ^ "Xinhuanet.com". News.xinhuanet.com. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  219. ^ Zucchino, David (20 February 2011). "Libya: Kadafi loses another city to Libya opposition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  220. ^ Bennett, Brian (19 March 2011). "U.S. warships launch airstrikes on Libya". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  221. ^ "Second-Graders Get Letter From Khadafy." The Associated Press 16 May 1986: Domestic News.
  222. ^ "Gaddafi's personal website". Algathafi.org. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  223. ^ "How are you supposed to spell Muammar Gaddafi/Khadafy/Qadhafi?". The Straight Dope. 1986. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
  224. ^ "How many different ways can you spell 'Gaddafi'". ABC News. 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  225. ^ "SNL Transcripts: Bill Murray: 12/12/81: SNL Newsbreak with Brian Doyle-Murray". Snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved 28 February 2011.

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US admiral says NATO aiming to kill Gaddafi


Sydney Morning Herald - Molly Peterson, David Kirkpatrick - ‎37 minutes ago‎
US NAVY Admiral Samuel Locklear III told House Armed Services Committee member Mike Turner last month that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Foreign Policy magazine has reported, citing Mr Turner. Admiral Locklear heads the ...

Top footballers score a goal for rebels by defecting

Sydney Morning Herald - Nick Meo - ‎23 minutes ago‎
The game is up ... footballers Owsma Abdul Salam and Juma Gtat pose with rebel weapons in the city of Zintan. Photo: Reuters/Anis Mili TRIPOLI: For 40 years Libya's footballers have been the pride of Muammar Gaddafi's repressive regime, ...

Libya unrest: Football stars defect to rebels

BBC News - Mark Doyle - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
They include the nation's goalkeeper, Juma Gtat, three other national team members, and the coach of Tripoli's top club al-Ahly, Adel bin Issa. Mr Gtat and Mr bin Issa announced the group's ...

Beating Gaddafi

BBC News - Jonathan Beale - ‎3 hours ago‎
He is the other man at the centre of the war against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The military commander who ultimately selects and authorises strikes by Nato warplanes. Outside the alliance few may know his name. ...

Libyan rebels held by Gaddafi returned to Benghazi

Times of India - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
AP | Jun 25, 2011, 02.25am IST BENGHAZI (Libya): Dozens of detained rebels returned Friday on a Red Cross ship to their eastern stronghold, detailing how they were tortured at the hands of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces. ...

Gaddafi may abandon Tripoli, rebels seek arms

Economic Times - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
TRIPOLI: Muammar Gaddafi is considering leaving the Capital Tripoli following blistering NATO air raids, a report said, as Libya's rebels hinted they may allow him to remain in the country if he stands down. The Wall Street Journal on Friday quoted a ...

Libya rebels expect Gaddafi proposal 'very soon'

Times of India - ‎19 hours ago‎
BENGHAZI, LIBYA: Libya's rebels expect to receive an offer from Muammar Gaddafi "very soon" that could end the four-month-old war, a senior official told AFP said on Saturday. Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the National Transitional Council, ...

Gaddafi in talks with Libya's rebels: Envoy

Zee News - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
Tripoli: Muammar Gaddafi's regime is in direct talks with Libya's rebels, a Russian envoy was told on Thursday as the strongman's son said the way out of a months-long conflict is the staging of elections. Russia's Mikhail Margelov, in Tripoli for one...

Gaddafi revives offer of vote to end Libya conflict

Reuters Africa - Nick Carey - ‎56 minutes ago‎
TRIPOLI, June 26 (Reuters) - The Libyan government on Sunday renewed its offer to hold a vote on whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay in power, a proposal unlikely to interest Gaddafi's opponents but which could widen differences inside ...












Muammar al-Gaddafi

US admiral says NATO aiming to kill Gaddafi 

Sydney Morning Herald - Molly Peterson, David Kirkpatrick -‎38 minutes ago‎
US NAVY Admiral Samuel Locklear III told House Armed Services Committee member Mike Turner last month that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Foreign Policy magazine has reported, citing Mr Turner. Admiral Locklear heads the ...
Beating Gaddafi BBC News

Fear in the streets as Gaddafi uses an iron fist to keep Tripoli tame 

The Australian - Martin Fletcher - ‎22 minutes ago‎
THE epicentre of February's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli was a roundabout near the main mosque in the eastern district of Tajoura.
GADDAFI DENIES HE INTENDS TO STEP DOWN Agenzia Giornalistica Italia

Red Cross brings 100 Libyans back to capital 

Seattle Post Intelligencer - Adam Schreck - ‎5 hours ago‎
A former Libyan prisoner, center, kisses his daughter after disembarking a ferry following his evacuation from Tripoli by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Benghazi, Libya, Friday, June 24, 2011.

WA student murdered by Gaddafi marksman 

The West Australian - ‎13 hours ago‎
A Perth student has been murdered by soldiers loyal to dictatorMuammar Gaddafi's regime after returning home to Libya because he was worried about his family's welfare.

Libya: Colombian Women Among Gaddafi Fighters, Rebels Say 

Eurasia Review - ‎7 hours ago‎
By Asmaa Elourfi Moamer Kadhafi's government is using Colombian mercenaries to fight revolutionary forces, according to Misrata residents.

Fox: 'Our Resolve To Complete Libya Mission' 

Sky News - ‎3 hours ago‎
Liam Fox has told Sky News that the Government has the "moral and political resolve" to complete the UN mission in Libya which began 100 days ago.

Turkey complains to Qatar over Al Jazeera reporting

Today's Zaman - ‎1 hour ago‎
... by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar, has been critical of Turkey's policies in Libya, questioning its failure to offer help to Libyan opposition groups fighting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Good News From Libya – OpEd 

Eurasia Review - Daniel Greenfield - ‎10 hours ago‎
The good news is that victory is all but assured in Libya. Just don't ask for whom, or how or why. Or any other questions for that matter.

Syria, Libya and Middle East unrest - live updates 

The Guardian - ‎5 hours ago‎
South African President Jacob Zuma said the UN resolution used by NATO to justify its bombing in Libya doesn't allow "regime change or political assassination" of Muammar Gaddafi. There has never been a legal challenge to the blockade in any ...

The paperwork of a man at war 

New Zealand Herald - Chris Stephen - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
Muammar Gaddafi. Photo / AP The dark green box files are packed in rows that stretch up to the ceiling - as dull as dull could be.

War Powers Resolution is not optional 

Daily Kos - Mark Sumner - ‎1 hour ago‎
Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi is a despot. A violent, egotistical, sociopath who under the guise of creating a democracy instead fashioned a surveillance state where one Libyan in five is charged by the government to keep tabs on his neighbors.

ICC judges to rule on Gadhafi arrest warrant 

Montreal Gazette - ‎Jun 25, 2011‎
Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi poses after an interview with TRT Turkish television in this March 8, 2011 file photo. Judges at the International Criminal Court will decide Monday whether to issue an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for ...

Algeria 'contacting' Libyan rebel's council: paper 

Xinhua - ‎2 hours ago‎
Muammar Gaddafi's regime, so they are not strangers to us," he said. Belkhadem made his comments when he was asked what reports claiming there were secret contacts between Algeria and the NTC.

Acquitted Lockerbie bomber could be retried 

Malta Independent Online - ‎6 hours ago‎
Just when Malta thought it may have been seeing the infamy attached to it by way of the Lockerbie disaster subsiding, Scottish prosecutors are looking into the prospect of retrying acquitted Lockerbie bomber Al-Amin Khalifa Fhimah.

Turkey denies supplying Gaddafi troop rations 

Aljazeera.net - ‎Jun 23, 2011‎
Turkey has dismissed a suggestion that it may be breaching United Nations sanctions on Libya after Al Jazeera reported that Turkish food rations were feeding forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Thursday ...

NATO 'murderers' incur Gaddafi's TV wrath 

New Zealand Herald - ‎Jun 23, 2011‎
Photo / AP Supporters of Muammar Gaddafi rallied in Tripoli overnight after the Libyan leader lashed out at NATO over civilian casualties, calling the alliance "murderers" following an airstrike on the family home of a close associate.

Sarkozy defends Libya mission as House keeps funding 

AngolaPress - ‎Jun 25, 2011‎
Brussels/Tripoli - France rejected on Friday US criticism of Europe's performance in the NATO operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while the US administration survived Congressional anger in a funding vote. Gaddafi has managed to stay in ...

Gaddaffi seeks Nigeria's support, sends envoy to 

Nigeria Daily Independent - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
By Chesa Chesa, State House, Abuja President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday at the State House, Abuja, received a special message from embattled Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi's Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdullahi Oubaidi, brought the message to ...

NATO destroys four military compounds of Gaddafi regime in Brega 

Kuwait News Agency - ‎3 hours ago‎
BRUSSELS, June 26 (KUNA) -- NATO warplanes in the last 24 hours hit and destroyed two tanks, one logistic truck, six technical vehicles, three military shelters, four military compounds, and one antenna belonging to the pro-Gaddafi forces around the ...

Libya

AU Panel Discusses Libya Peace, Aid Efforts 

Voice of America - ‎2 hours ago‎
The African Union panel on Libya is meeting to discuss peace and humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn country. South African President Jacob Zuma is hosting heads of state from Mauritania, Uganda and Mali at Sunday's meeting in Pretoria.

Recalling the Libyan atura 

The Express Tribune - Jehan Naseem - ‎4 hours ago‎
When my parents arrived in Tripoli, in early 1969, Libya's economy was thriving. The kingdom was known for its riches, particularly oil.

In Battered Libya Town, Kids Get A Taste Of Normal 

NPR - ‎3 hours ago‎
by AP Enlarge AP In this Tuesday, June 14, 2011 photo, a Libyan student sings the national anthem at the Ras Mouftah school in Misrata, Libya. Libyan teachers opened the school last week in an attempt to return to normal life. Associated Press In this ...

Syria, Libya and Middle East unrest - live updates 

The Guardian - ‎5 hours ago‎
South African President Jacob Zuma said the UN resolution used by NATO to justify its bombing in Libya doesn't allow "regime change or political assassination" of Muammar Gaddafi.

Wesley Clark: NATO will not lose in Libya 

Washington Post - ‎31 minutes ago‎
spoke about the battle in Libya after the House rejected a resolution giving President Obama the authority to use US troops in Libya, but a vote to stop funding the military operation failed. (June 25) (/CBS News) Correction: Clarification: Comments ...

Q&A with Tom Malinowski: Rights abuses in Egypt and Libya 

Al-Masry Al-Youm - Max Strasser - ‎4 hours ago‎
In May, Al-Masry Al-Youm met with Tom Malinowski, Human Rights Watch Washington director, who visited Egypt last month briefly after spending some days in Libya. Drawing on his foreign affairs expertise and his organization's advocacy work in US ...

Good News From Libya – OpEd 

Eurasia Review - Daniel Greenfield - ‎10 hours ago‎
The good news is that victory is all but assured in Libya. Just don't ask for whom, or how or why. Or any other questions for that matter.

Libya guns for the right sort of gold 

Financial Times - John Dizard - ‎4 hours ago‎
The Central Bank of Libya was reported to have accumulated more than 140 tonnes of gold reserves by the time the civil war/ Nato kinetic action started this year.

Libya soccer heroes transfer to rebels 

The Province - ‎6 hours ago‎
For 40 years, Libya's soccer team has been the pride of Col. Moammar Gadhafi's repressive regime, hailed as heroes for every victory against a foreign team.

Western Libya Earns a Taste of Freedom as Rebels Loosen Qaddafi's Grip 

New York Times - David D. Kirkpatrick - ‎22 hours ago‎
ROGEBAN, Libya —Until a few weeks ago, the rebellious towns in the Nafusah Mountains were struggling to survive on dwindling supplies of barley, water and gas during a long siege by Col.

Red Cross brings 100 Libyans back to capital 

Seattle Post Intelligencer - Adam Schreck - ‎5 hours ago‎
A former Libyan prisoner, center, kisses his daughter after disembarking a ferry following his evacuation from Tripoli by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Benghazi, Libya, Friday, June 24, 2011.

How Libya push tripped the GOP 

Seattle Post Intelligencer - ‎17 hours ago‎
Republicans had a chance to issue a ringing rebuke of President Barack Obama's intervention in Libya on Friday, but instead mixed their message because they couldn't quite agree on what it was they were voting for - or against.

Lesson learned: What apartheid taught UN's Navi Pillay 

Mail & Guardian Online - ‎4 hours ago‎
Today, the woman who has been described as the voice of victims around the world, has gained prominence for her outspoken condemnation of government repression in the Arab world, including Libya and Syria. And it is her experience in the apartheid era ...

Libya's western front joins the battle 

Los Angeles Times - Borzou Daragahi - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
But the streets of this largely Berber mountain city of western Libya are nearly empty, except for a few passing pickups mounted with guns and loaded with steely eyed fighters.
'Forgotten war' BBC News

Does Barack Obama Deserve the Black... 

Eurweb.com - Sarah Culberson - ‎9 hours ago‎
Dr. Boyce Watkins wrote: "What's interesting is that not all African Americans are concerned about (Obama's military attack on) Libya. In fact, there is a group within the black American population that loves President Obama no matter what he does.

China adopts pragmatic, constructive approach on Libya 

Xinhua - Wu Xia, Yu Zhixiao - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China is taking a practical and constructive approach to theLibya issue by mediating between the two conflicting sides to help the country return to normal as soon as possible.

Laments on Libya 

Los Angeles Daily News - Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Jonathan Dobrer -‎6 hours ago‎

Travelling Alone: Unaccompanied Children Flee Libya 

SOS Children's Villages Canada - ‎11 hours ago‎
Several unaccompanied minors have been stranded trying to flee Libya upon reaching the border crossing in the town of Sallum, in north-west Egypt.

CAF in a fix over Nations Cup 

East African - ‎6 hours ago‎
By Odindo Ayieko (email the author) The troubles in Libya have left the Confederation of African Football in a crisis over the venue of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Libya seeks Nigeria''s help to end NATO bombardments 

MSN India - Paul Ohia - ‎21 hours ago‎
Abuja, Jun 25 (PTI) Libya has sought Nigeria''s help to halt the air attacks by NATO forces which seeks to force the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit.

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NATO

US admiral says NATO aiming to kill Gaddafi 

Sydney Morning Herald - Molly Peterson, David Kirkpatrick -‎39 minutes ago‎
US NAVY Admiral Samuel Locklear III told House Armed Services Committee member Mike Turner last month that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Foreign Policy magazine has reported, citing Mr Turner.
Beating Gaddafi BBC News

NATO in panic following US pullout plan 

Pakistan Observer - Jassim Taqui - ‎10 hours ago‎
Islamabad—viewing the US plan to pullout 33000 troops from Afghanistan as acknowledgement of defeat, the NATO states seem to be in a state of panic and deep concern.

Wesley Clark: NATO will not lose in Libya 

Washington Post - ‎31 minutes ago‎
Former NATO supreme commander General Wesley Clark (Ret.) spoke about the battle in Libya after the House rejected a resolution giving President Obama the authority to use US troops in Libya, but a vote to stop funding the military operation failed.

NATO: Heading Towards A North Atlantic Cyber Security Organisation? 

Eurasia Review - Menekse Tokyay - ‎7 hours ago‎
As a consequence of cyber attacks in Estonia and in Georgia in 2007 and 2008 respectively, NATO recognised that cyber security had to be placed at the forefront of new security challenges to be dealt with in the years ahead.

Syrian Forces Reported to Kill Five; Libyan Civilian Deaths Denied by NATO 

Bloomberg - Molly Peterson - ‎16 hours ago‎
Qaddafi has been fighting a pro-democracy insurgency supported by NATO since February and his regime is also under United Nations, US and European Union sanctions designed to starve him of cash and fuel for his army.

Gaddafi is a target despite assurances, admits US admiral 

Sydney Morning Herald - Molly Peterson - ‎3 minutes ago‎
Photo: Reuters WASHINGTON: The US admiral in charge of the Allied Joint Force command in Naples has told a Republican congressman that NATO forces are trying to kill the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Admiral Samuel Locklear III told the House of ...

Libya: NATO Strikes Key Command And Control Nodes In Brega

Eurasia Review - ‎7 hours ago‎
NATO said that Saturday it struck several key command and control nodes in the vicinity of Brega. Brega has been the scene of significant Qadhafi regime military activity.

Libya seeks Nigeria''s help to end NATO bombardments 

MSN India - Paul Ohia - ‎21 hours ago‎
Abuja, Jun 25 (PTI) Libya has sought Nigeria''s help to halt the air attacks by NATO forces which seeks to force the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit.

US night raids on homes anger Afghans 

The Tennessean - Heidi Vogt, Amir Shah - ‎5 hours ago‎
NATO has a different account of the raid: A force led by Afghans was searching for a Taliban leader and got a tip from residents that three insurgents were living in the compound.

Souris nears crest ... Taliban denies attack ... Libya accusesNATO of causing ... 

9&10 News - ‎17 hours ago‎
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - Libya is accusing NATO of killing 15 civilians in an airstrike that hit a restaurant and bakery in the eastern oil town of Brega.

The surreal world of Nato 

Times of Oman - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
In the real world, the war in Afghanistan isn't Nato-led; it is led by the United States, which would never let its forces in Afghanistan be run byNato. That would be a disaster. Just look at the Nato-led war in Libya in which only six out of the 28 ...

15 civilians dead in Nato raid: Libyan TV 

Times of India - ‎13 hours ago‎
TRIPOLI: Libyan state television said a Nato air strike on "civilian sites" in the eastern town of Brega killed 15 people and wounded more than 20, a claim promptly denied by the alliance.

Fear in the streets as Gaddafi uses an iron fist to keep Tripoli tame 

The Australian - Martin Fletcher - ‎23 minutes ago‎
He has removed his tanks and other heavy weaponry to prevent NATO bombing them, but he has replaced that cumbersome arsenal with a far more effective army of young, ill-educated thugs empowered by AK-47s.

Waging war on a timetable 

Malaysia Star - Bunn Nagara - ‎14 hours ago‎
NATO forces attack Afghan villages, civilians are killed, and the Afghan president's anger flares. Nothing changes, and the cycle is repeated.

Comment: The Libyan Crisis: Italy Humiliates NATO(Part I) 

Myjoyonline.com - ‎Jun 23, 2011‎
At long last, the reality check that the war-mongers orchestrating NATO'sdevastation of Libya need to do is here. Something is beginning to happen within NATO circles to confirm our claim that NATO's military campaign is not the solution for the ...

Belgium to cut in half its Afghan contingent 

The Associated Press - ‎2 hours ago‎
Belgium joins a growing number of NATO nations intending to recall large numbers of troops from Afghanistan. America's NATO European allies and several partner countries contribute about 40000 troops to the NATO force. Half of the Belgian troops ...

Guest columnist Departing Defense Secretary Robert Gate's candor puts NATO on ... 

The Seattle Times - Martin Schram - ‎Jun 24, 2011‎
Gates is particularly harsh in his assessment of NATO's performance in Afghanistan and Libya. By Martin Schram The US spends three times more than necessary on "defence", and this stupidit... (June 24, 2011, by Garvagh) Read more .

An encounter with a paratrooper at Kabul airport 

Reuters Blogs (blog) - ‎8 hours ago‎
It's hard to say if this is because NATO-led forces feel they need to step up security after a bloody shooting at the airport and Taliban threats of more attacks, or just the vagaries of NATO staffing. But the reception they gave me - and some Afghans ...

LulzSec Says Goodbye, Dumping NATO, AT&T, Gamer Data 

Forbes (blog) - Andy Greenberg - ‎11 hours ago‎
The names, usernames, and passwords of 12000 registered users ofNATO's online book shop. The usernames and encrypted passwords of more than half a million players of the online game Battlefield Heroes.

NATO in Libya: Confused Coalition of the Unwilling and Unable 

Huffington Post (blog) - ‎Jun 23, 2011‎
Muammar Gaddafi, NATO has flown over 12000 missions over Libya including 4000 strike sorties by attack helicopters, missile firing drones, and jet fighters -- most of which against Gaddafi's military redoubts in Tripoli, which have been obliterated and ...

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Libya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the country. For other uses, see Libya (disambiguation).
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Libya
ليبيا
Lībiyā   (Arabic)
Capital
(and largest city)		 Tripoli

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