Qaddafi Urges Death for Foes on Anniversary of 1969 Coup
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/01/world/africa/01LIBYA.html
TRIPOLI, Libya, Aug. 31 (Reuters) — The Libyan leader,
Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, marked the 37th anniversary of
the coup d’état that brought him to power by urging his
supporters on Thursday to “kill enemies” if they asked for
political change.
The comment, made in a speech on state television,
runs counter to recent hopes expressed by opponents abroad
that Colonel Qaddafi might hint at political change in his remarks.
His influential son Saif al-Islam recently told Libyans that
their country was in a political impasse and that it needed
changes to free it from what he called the grip of the
“Libyan mafia” that monopolizes the country’s power and wealth.
But Colonel Qaddafi said those who hoped for political change
in Libya saw its people as “ignorant and immature.”
“Our revolution has won,” he said, adding that
“the whole world accepts our revolutionary project as
it benefits all peoples across the world.”
“Our enemies have been crushed inside Libya, and you have
to be ready to kill them if they emerge anew,” he said.
“Our political path is the correct one, as it grants freedom
to the whole people, sovereignty, power and wealth to the
whole people,” he said, referring to Libya’s Jamahiriya
direct democracy system, which opposes Western liberal democracy
and criminalizes the creation of opposition parties.
His comments appeared to be intended to energize his supporters
following a flurry of speeches in which he severely criticized Libya’s
economic and social performance.
“If the enemy shows up, you must finish it off because the
enemy appears to exterminate you,” he said in a clear reference
to political opponents, most of them based abroad.
“We cannot tolerate that the enemy undermines the power of
the people and the revolution.”
He also called on Libyans to make their country more prosperous.
“We have to set money aside to make the 1.1 million relatively poor
Libyans rich,” he said.
Colonel Qaddafi proposed that poor Libyans set up oil services
companies to replace foreign companies.
“Foreign services companies working in Libya earn millions,” he said.
“Why do we not earn these millions which currently go to foreigners?”
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Bush Drops Terror-related Sanctions Against Libya
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/defenseandsecurity/a/libyaoffhook.htm
President Bush has announced the termination of the
national emergency with respect to Libya, removing all
remaining economic sanctions that have been in place
against the country since 1986, under the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
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