[wvns] Gaddafi's first ever U.N. speech

Gaddafi blasts big powers in first ever U.N. speech
Wed Sep 23, 2009

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in his first ever address to the United Nations, on Wednesday accused the veto-wielding powers of the Security Council of betraying the principles of the U.N. charter.

"The preamble (of the charter) says all nations are equal whether they are small or big," Gaddafi said through an interpreter. He received a smattering of applause.

Reading from a copy of the U.N. charter, Gaddafi said: "The veto is against the charter, we do not accept it and we do not acknowledge it."

Clad in a copper-colored robe with an emblem of Africa pinned over his chest, the Libyan leader dropped his paperback copy of the charter on the podium several times before tossing it over his shoulder.

The United States, Britain, France, Russia and China are permanent veto wielding members of the Security Council, the most powerful body within the United Nations. Libya has a temporary council seat and will be on the 15-nation panel until the end of 2010.

"Veto power should be annulled," Gaddafi said.

"The Security Council did not provide us with security but with terror and sanctions," he told leaders gathered for the opening day of the 192-nation General Assembly.

Gaddafi, who spoke just after U.S. President Barack Obama, said the fact that "65 wars" have broken out since the U.N. was established more than 60 years ago proved its founding principles had been betrayed.

Gaddafi currently chairs the African Union.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Alan Elsner)

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Welcome to America: Gadhafi at United Nations
By Brian E. Muhammad
Sep 23, 2009
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/frontpageFeaturedArticle/article_6444.shtml

Farrakhan joins welcome efforts extended to Libyan leader, African Union President on U.S. visit

(FinalCall.com) - A longtime revolutionary and statesman, Muammar Gadhafi, leader of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Great Jamahiriya and chairman of the African Union, enjoys a valid reputation as a progressive supporter of just, but often unpopular causes in the eyes of the West. The Libyan leader and his small, but oil-rich North African nation have a history of clashing with Western powers—often over President Gadhafi's backing of movements that met with their disapproval.

But his first ever visit to the United States, slated for September 23, to address the United Nations marks a significant turn in history. It could herald a new era for relations with the United States, and by extension the Western world as well as a potentially major shift since the Libyan leader came to power on September 1, 1969.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Libyan Leader Muammar Gadhafi shake hands during the Group of Eight (G8) summit in L'Aquila, central Italy, on July 9, 2009. Group of Eight leaders grappled at a summit in Italy with reining in unprecedented government support for their economies as divergences emerged over whether their economies were ready. Photo: MICHAEL GOTTSCHALK/AFP/Getty Images

Ahead of the visit, there were mixed feelings and controversy reported in the media with support and opposition to his visit. Animosity was fueled by a combination of negative propaganda about Mr. Gadhafi and the recent release of the Libyan national convicted of the 1988 bombing of a passenger jet over Lockerbie Scotland, killing 270 people. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, 57, was granted an early reprieve from a Scotland prison on compassionate grounds because he has advanced prostate cancer.

The release added fodder for critics who wanted to block the visit. In Englewood, N.J., there was loud opposition to having the head of state utilize a compound there owned by the Libyan government as his place to stay. Opponents said the release of Mr. Meghrahi, who Libyans have insisted is innocent, was an insult and Mr. Gadhafi was unwelcome in New Jersey.

There were also debates about whether the Meghrahi release was made for political reasons and tied to British business interests. Britain oversees Scotland's international relations, but not its internal politics and decisions. British officials and Scottish authorities denied that the release was tied to any business deals or proposed deals. Not everyone, however, was convinced the official accounts were true.

Minister Farrakhan meets with Muammar Gadhafi during his World Friendship Tour in 1997. Photo: James G. Muhammad

In recent years, the British and American governments have been courting Libya to take advantage of business opportunities lost during years of international sanctions.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was placed in a difficult position, having to explain the course of meetings between various members of his government and Libyan officials—and talks between Libya and his predecessor Tony Blair. British opposition leaders accused the government of "double dealing" out of desperation for Libyan oil contracts.

On the other hand, a world AP report said Libyan-British relations are still tense after cooperation was suspended by Libya with British police over an unsolved killing of a policewoman outside the embassy in London. Tensions rose after reports surfaced about a British-led plot to assassinate Mr. Gadhafi. British officials, however, hope this can be reversed. Significant progress has been made on relations between the two countries since Libya renounced terrorism and abandoned its program to develop nuclear weapons.

The changes are not surprising, said Mark Fancher, an atttorney and member of the All African People's Revolutionary Party.

"The fact that this has happened with Gadhafi is neither unique nor surprising, it has depended entirely upon whether the West has perceived friendship with him to be advantageous or a detriment which really determines their relationship with him as head of state in Libya," said Mr. Fancher.

Though defined for years as a villain by American and British media and political figures, Mr. Gadhafi enjoys a different reputation among liberation movements and in much of Africa. Millions see Libya's leader as a powerful defender of the weak and oppressed and see his visit as a victory for those who fight for freedom, justice and equality.

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, right, salutes as he is greeted by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi upon his arrival at Rome's Ciampino military airport, June 10, 2009. Photo: AP/Wide World Photos
And on the international political stage where good men often die young, Mr. Gadhafi has withstood the test of time, becoming a major powerbroker in Europe and in Africa. In April 2009, Libya hosted the Tripoli Trade Fair that attracted companies from 35 nations, including a large number of African Union firms that were represented in three pavilions, according to the European Union Information Center.

"A high presence of African countries in this fair is very important and we worked hard to invite all the African countries to participate. We all know that the strategic market for Libyan products is Africa," said the fair's director.

"Brother Gadhafi" as he is known throughout the world is in a small group of leaders—which include Cuban leader Fidel Castro—who have the distinction of outlasting Western enemies. Mr. Gadhafi was formerly persona-non-grata for every U.S. administration from President Richard Nixon to President Bill Clinton—until the current warming of U.S. relations at the end of the George W. Bush administration.

When Mr. Gadhafi led the Al-Fateh revolution against King Idriss—a minion of Western imperialists—his first order of business was to nationalize the economy to benefit and develop the Libyan people. Then he evicted American and British forces by shutting down the Wheelus military base in Tripoli. He condemned the base as a remnant of European colonialism that had to be closed and its facilities turned over to the Libyan people.

As a visionary he transformed the oil rich country into a popular people's democracy, eradicating policies driven by the multinational corporations who exploited Libya's resources.

It was once inconceivable that the man President Reagan characterized as the "mad dog of the East" would be stepping off a plane on the soil of America. It was unbelievable that a man who was the target of the most expensive assassination attempt by the U.S. government, when U.S. planes bombed Benghazi and Tripoli in 1986, would be addressing the United Nations where Libya has a seat on the Security Council and chairs the General Assembly and be received by supporters and friends who have benefited from his generosity and the fruits of his struggle.

"Muammar Gadhafi is an example of how Western imperialism does not understand the word `permanent' when it comes to friends and allies. They change their friends and allies depending upon what is strategically advantageous to them from both a foreign policy standpoint and whether U.S. based corporations will have the ability and capacity to make profits," said Mr. Fancher

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi (R) greets Chadian President Idriss Deby upon his arrival for a meeting in Tripoli on August 8. Pres. Deby was on an official visit to Libya. Photo: MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP/Getty Images

Though Libya was strained under 17 years of international sanctions and isolation; it did not lose money during the current world economic downturn that hurt its historical adversaries England and America.

During the sanction years, Libya still supported causes around the world, including the Irish Republican Army, the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and the Palestinian liberation struggle.

Libya has also been a friend to the Nation of Islam. Mr. Gadhafi loaned the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad $3 million in 1972 to purchase a Greek orthodox church in Chicago. Mr. Muhammad converted the edifice into a mosque and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan repurchased the property and it remains the National Headquarters for the Nation of Islam.

During the 1980s, Mr. Gadhafi gave a $5 million loan to aid an N.O.I. initiative called P.O.W.E.R. (People Organized and Working for Economic Rebirth). At the height of U.S. aggression toward Libya, Min. Farrakhan was a major voice and force in a movement to demand the U.S. not attack Libya.

It was during the sanction years that Mr. Gadhafi turned more toward the rest of Africa, jumpstarting the transition of the former Organization of African Unity into the current African Union (AU). He financed, supported and helped give life to the vision of a United States of Africa—an idea birthed in the Diaspora by Pan African thinkers of the 19th and 20th century like Henry Sylvester Williams, from Trinidad, who called the first Pan-African Congress in London and George Charles, of the "African Emigration Association," who officially took the concept before the U.S. Congress in 1886. Later the Honorable Marcus Garvey, George Padmore and others took up the mantle of a United Africa, which inspired Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana who was educated in the United States.

The idea developed further through Africa's leaders and founding fathers of the OAU—Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea, Ahmed Ben Bella of Algeria and others. In February 2009, Mr. Gadhafi assumed the chairmanship of the African Union.

After all of the sanctions and isolation; eight U.S. presidents; a U.S. invasion; bogus propaganda and false accusations on terrorism, both Muammar Gadhafi and the Libyan people are still standing—and the freedom fighter's influence may be growing stronger.

===

The Nation of Islam Welcomes Muammar Gadhafi
By The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
Sep 22, 2009
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/featuredFarrakhanArticle/article_6445.shtml

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL.

It is a great honor and privilege for me, the Nation of Islam, and others to welcome Brother Leader Muammar al-Gadhafi, Leader of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and President of the African Union to his first visit to the United States of America to address the 64th Opening Session of the United Nations.

The greatest of his efforts, in my humble opinion, has been to foster the idea of Marcus Garvey, George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah and Gamal Abdel Nasser to move the independent states of Africa to form the United States of Africa, thus bringing Africa fully and powerfully into the 21st century as a major contributor on the World scene in all aspects of World Affairs.

You may ask why we feel honored and privileged to welcome him; it is because ever since we have known him, he has been a friend of the struggle of Black people all over the World for true liberation.

In Brother Gadhafi's Green Book, he mentions the rise of Black people to positions of prominence, eminence and power in World Leadership. He has not only written and said this, he has put the scholarship and oil wealth of Libya behind, not only raising the standard of living of the 6 million Libyan people, but also has used the scholarship and wealth of Libya to raise the condition of the poor masses throughout the earth. By his charity and the guidance he has given to so many, he has proved that what comes from his pen and his lips is deeply rooted in his heart.

In 1971, he loaned the Nation of Islam under the Leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad $3 million. That money allowed us to purchase the beautiful Greek Orthodox Church which became the National Headquarters of the Nation of Islam in Chicago.

In my effort to rebuild the Nation of Islam in accord with the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Brother Gadhafi loaned the Nation of Islam $5 million for our economic development then forgave the loan. Then through the Islamic Call Society, the religious arm of Libya, sponsored one the largest Islamic conferences in America bringing Islamic scholars from all over the world to Chicago. The Islamic Call Society also sponsored two of our World Friendship Tours, which allowed us to visit over 53 countries. Brother Gadhafi was and is a true revolutionary who is still evolving towards the destiny that Allah (God) has for him.

The greatest of his efforts, in my humble opinion, has been to foster the idea of Marcus Garvey, George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah and Gamal Abdel Nasser to move the independent states of Africa to form the United States of Africa, thus bringing Africa fully and powerfully into the 21st century as a major contributor on the World scene in all aspects of World affairs.

As you may know, in 1986 the most expensive assassination attempt in the history of the World was perpetrated against Muammar Gadhafi by the Government of the United States of America under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan. In that assassination attempt, he narrowly escaped, but his adopted daughter was killed and forty-one Libyans and other foreign nationals died in the bombing raids that took place in Tripoli and Benghazi.

There is no Nation that does not desire to have a friendly and meaningful relationship with the United States of America. A promise was made that if Brother Leader Gadhafi abandoned the idea of making Libya a nuclear power and agreed to pay reparations for the unfortunate loss of life of 270 persons in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that took place over Lockerbie, Scotland; the sanctions placed on Libya by the United States and the United Nations would be lifted. These negotiations took place under the administration of President George W. Bush.

Many of us that followed these events thought that Libya was made the "fall guy" for this unfortunate tragedy. America first said that the perpetrators of this act were from Iran, then they said Syria and lastly they focused on Libya. Two Libyan nationals were turned over to the World Court and were tried at the World Court in The Hague under Scottish law. One of the Libyan nationals was set free (Lamin Khalifah Fhimah) and, over the protest of many, Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi was found guilty and spent the past eight years of his life in prison for a crime that most Libyans never believed he was guilty of.

From what I have learned, there have never been any negotiations for business or oil deals between Libya and England or Scotland that did not involve the potential release of Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi.

A few years ago Bulgarian nurses were accused of injecting Libyan children with the HIV/AIDS virus. Over four hundred Libyan children were injected. These nurses were tried in a Libyan court, found guilty and sentenced to death. The cry came up from the West: America, England and the European Union, petitioning Muammar Gadhafi not to put these nurses to death. Then, a request was made and pressure was applied to release them to serve time in a prison in their own country.

Libya released these nurses and I understand that while the plane was carrying them from Libya to Bulgaria, a new arrangement was made by Bulgarian authorities and these nurses were received with a heroes' welcome in Bulgaria and were set free not spending one single day in jail.

Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi's life imprisonment was commuted for medical reasons by the Scottish Government and he was released and sent home to Libya to die. A great hue and cry came up from America and other places condemning the release of this Brother. The Obama administration joined in condemning the Scottish government's action apparently forgetting America's request under the Bush administration to release the Bulgarian nurses to their own country and release them from the penalty of death.

Brother Leader Muammar Gadhafi has shown that Libya is ready to take its place in the family of Nations as an equal and respected partner. The sanctions, to the best of my knowledge, have been lifted and a new era in the American-Libyan relationship is now emerging. There is much that America and Europe can offer to Libya and Africa, and there is much that Libya and Africa can offer to America and Europe in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

The emergence of Libya on the World stage is now a reality in that Libya is now serving on the United Nations Security Council and a Libyan diplomat is presiding over this year's General Assembly. Brother Gadhafi's insistence on Africa's becoming one great Nation with Africans in the Diaspora assisting in the development of Africa, is probably the greatest move that Brother Leader Gadhafi has made in his forty years of Leadership of Libya.

Libya is building anew. Libya is investing tremendous resources in the development of Africa and Libya is also seeking to invest in America. While Brother Gadhafi's visit to America may attract protestors, which is the right of any American to do, however, I hope it will also attract those of us who have honored and respected Brother Gadhafi over the years for his tireless efforts in Black liberation and the struggle of the masses.

On a personal note, years ago I told some revolutionary brothers in Africa that I too am a revolutionary but the revolution that I am concerned with is not fostered by the use of carnal weapons. The revolution that I was then involved in and am involved in now is fostered by the Divine Light found in the Bible and Holy Qur'an. There is no real revolution as long as we remain mentally enslaved by our former colonial and slave masters. We must be made new and that can only happen if the veil of ignorance is removed and replaced with that knowledge that will bring up a new idea and vision. This kind of revolution will change Africa and the World.

When Brother Gadhafi saw the work of the Nation of Islam in cooperation with other Black Leaders and organizations that produced the historic Million Man March, he offered to help our people with an infusion of capital to pursue those things that would be meaningful in the building of our communities.

In the book of Isaiah (61:4), it is written that we will rebuild the wasted cities. We the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Native Americans and the poor Whites live in the wasted parts of the American cities. Among us however, is the talent, energy, gifts, skills and will to rebuild the cities and make our neighborhoods decent places for all of us to live.

We hope that in the gathering of our best and brightest minds producing a workable and mutually agreeable plan that Libya will partner with us in rebuilding the wasted cities. This would create job opportunities for our young people and help us with international trade and commerce. This would allow us to build in the West and share the richness of the wisdom we have gained from our sojourn in America with our Brothers and Sisters on the African continent. Then, from both sides of the Atlantic, we might find ourselves through our noble work worthy to be respected among all the civilized societies on our planet.

Thank you for reading these words.

—The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

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