cullinane
3rd November 2001, 17:48
"If the United States wants seriously to eradicate terrorism, the first
capital
that should be pounded with cruise missiles is London,"
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has entered the debate on terrorism -
telling a TV interviewer that the US might just as well bomb London if it is
serious about fighting terrorism.
"If the United States wants seriously to eradicate terrorism, the first
capital that should be pounded with cruise missiles is London," Colonel Gaddafi
said on the Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera.
If the United States knows who attacked it, then it would have the right to
retaliate against him
Colonel Gaddafi
"It is the shelter of terrorism," he added, referring to charges that
Islamic militants suspected of violence are protected by Britain's policies on
political asylum.
Colonel Gaddafi, who said that the US had the right to respond to the 11
September terrorist attacks, called for an international conference to
define terrorism and then fight it.
Right to respond
He said that while no one had claimed responsibility for the attacks, the
United States could attack Osama bin Laden if it were sure he was
responsible.
"If the United States knows who attacked it, and if he admits to attacking
the United States, then it would have the right to retaliate against him,"
the Libyan leader said.
Despite the confrontation, struggle, and disagreement with the United
States, we must show solidarity with the American people
Colonel Gaddafi
"It would have the right to do whatever necessary without consulting the
UN Security Council."
Sticking to that "principle", Colonel Gaddafi said that he would have
attacked the White House after the US raids on Tripoli in 1986, had he
had missiles.
But he put the two countries' longstanding dispute aside, as he did in the
days after the attacks in the US, in offering his sympathy to Americans.
"Despite the confrontation, struggle, and disagreement with the United
States, we must show solidarity with the US people," he said.
Defining terrorism
It is unreasonable for a responsible UN member state not to fight terrorism
Colonel Gaddafi
However, he said that the international community needed to agree on a
definition of terrorism before the world could join together in fighting it.
"We also disagree with one another on what happened in the United
States, what is happening in Afghanistan, and what is even happening in
Iraq," he said. "This is because we have not so far defined terrorism."
"If we know what terrorism is, we will all resist it," he added.
"It is unreasonable for a responsible UN member state not to fight
terrorism."
Again, this statement had a typical twist in the tail.
Colonel Gaddafi said that for him, terrorism is "the threat of fleets,
sanctions, embargoes".
"The largest terrorist organization now is the UN Security Council," he
said.
capital
that should be pounded with cruise missiles is London,"
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has entered the debate on terrorism -
telling a TV interviewer that the US might just as well bomb London if it is
serious about fighting terrorism.
"If the United States wants seriously to eradicate terrorism, the first
capital that should be pounded with cruise missiles is London," Colonel Gaddafi
said on the Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera.
If the United States knows who attacked it, then it would have the right to
retaliate against him
Colonel Gaddafi
"It is the shelter of terrorism," he added, referring to charges that
Islamic militants suspected of violence are protected by Britain's policies on
political asylum.
Colonel Gaddafi, who said that the US had the right to respond to the 11
September terrorist attacks, called for an international conference to
define terrorism and then fight it.
Right to respond
He said that while no one had claimed responsibility for the attacks, the
United States could attack Osama bin Laden if it were sure he was
responsible.
"If the United States knows who attacked it, and if he admits to attacking
the United States, then it would have the right to retaliate against him,"
the Libyan leader said.
Despite the confrontation, struggle, and disagreement with the United
States, we must show solidarity with the American people
Colonel Gaddafi
"It would have the right to do whatever necessary without consulting the
UN Security Council."
Sticking to that "principle", Colonel Gaddafi said that he would have
attacked the White House after the US raids on Tripoli in 1986, had he
had missiles.
But he put the two countries' longstanding dispute aside, as he did in the
days after the attacks in the US, in offering his sympathy to Americans.
"Despite the confrontation, struggle, and disagreement with the United
States, we must show solidarity with the US people," he said.
Defining terrorism
It is unreasonable for a responsible UN member state not to fight terrorism
Colonel Gaddafi
However, he said that the international community needed to agree on a
definition of terrorism before the world could join together in fighting it.
"We also disagree with one another on what happened in the United
States, what is happening in Afghanistan, and what is even happening in
Iraq," he said. "This is because we have not so far defined terrorism."
"If we know what terrorism is, we will all resist it," he added.
"It is unreasonable for a responsible UN member state not to fight
terrorism."
Again, this statement had a typical twist in the tail.
Colonel Gaddafi said that for him, terrorism is "the threat of fleets,
sanctions, embargoes".
"The largest terrorist organization now is the UN Security Council," he
said.