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ROME - Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, in Rome for a U.N. food summit, spent several hours in the company of 200 Italian women recruited by an agency and tried to convert them to Islam, Italian media reported Monday."Seeking 500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years old, at least 1.70 meters (5 foot, 7 inches) tall, well-dressed but not in mini-skirts or low cut dresses," read the ad by the Hostessweb agency and quoted in Italy's Corriere dell Sera newspaper in its story.Some 200 women showed up at a Rome villa, having been told they would receive 60 euros ($90)...

Jpost thelastcrusade.orgLibyan President Col. Muammar Gaddafi told Sky News in an interview aired Monday that Palestinians, Egyptians, Syrians and Saudis all have the right to nuclear weapons. "Even the Palestinians should have [nuclear weapons] because their counterparts, or their opponents, have nuclear capabilities," Gaddafi said in the interview. "If we don't want this situation...we'll have to disarm the Israelis from their nuclear weapons capabilities." Israel neither confirms nor denies the existence of a nuclear arsenal.

RABAT (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will discuss domestic policy on Tuesday in what he termed a "secret" speech to high-ranking supporters that will not be broadcast. Gaddafi has been uncharacteristically quiet on domestic issues in recent months and Tuesday's speech will be the first time he has discussed internal policy since February. "We will meet tomorrow and the talk and the speech will be secret," he told thousands of supporters, including government officials, military and policy commanders, gathered to mark the 50th anniversary of his Free Unionists Movement on Monday. "Our meeting tomorrow will focus on our own...

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the feisty ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee has written to the Secretary of State calling on her to cancel $2.5 million in State Department Economic Support Funds for Libya, of which $400,000 is earmarked for foundations run by the Gaddafi family. Ros-Lehtinen’s memo to Clinton follows a letter last week by Congressman Mark Steven Kirk (a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee) to the White House urging the president to intervene. Here is her statement in full: “Although this money was provided by Congress to promote democracy and human rights in Libya, the Administration has...

So the circus has come to town again. The unspeakable Gaddafi is given a reasonable 15 minutes to speak, and goes on for an hour and three quarters of clowning, tearing up the UN charter and talking complete nonsense about swine flu. Well, you might say, that’s what Gaddafi does. But why do they let him? OK, manhandling him from the room might have been a bit much to expect, but they could at least have switched his mike off. But naturally everyone simply submitted to having their schedule thrown out and their time wasted. And then, naturally, Mugabe with...

Gaddafi interpreter 'collapsed during UN speech' After 75 minutes Gaddafi's interpreter shouted: 'I just can't take it any more' Philippe Naughton A Libyan interpreter brought over by Muammar Gaddafi to translate his speech at the United Nations General Assembly collapsed 75 minutes into the rambling diatribe, it has emerged. Visiting dignitaries usually rely on the UN's highly professional team of interpreters but the Libyan leader brought his own expert linguists to translate his speech into English and French, saying that the UN's Arabic language interpreters would not be able to understand his Libyan dialect. In the event, according to the...

It was no accident that terrorist President Gaddafi of Libya referred incessantly to Obama as his son or "our son". On June 11, 2008, Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, in a speech broadcast on Al-Jazeera, spoke glowingly of Obama. According to a translation provided by MEMRI, Gaddafi said, "His name is Obama. All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency."

Andy McCarthy posts over in the Corner how President Obama has donated $200,000 to the charities of Quaddafi's children, daughter Aisha and son Saif. Here's how Aisha's charity spends its cash: The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush was given a bravery award on Monday by a Libyan charity group chaired by leader Muammar Gaddafi's daughter.The charity group Wa Attassimou also urged the Iraqi government to release television reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi after he was detained on Sunday for hurling footwear at Bush and calling the president a "dog" — both severe insults in the...

It has been a good week for President Obama — apart from the moment when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi called him “my son”. He has won the support of Russia, and maybe China, on pressing Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. The remarks by President Medvedev were conditional, to be sure, but solid enough that Obama could stand smiling by his side and announce his success to the world. In opening the UN Security Council session yesterday he called for “the day when nuclear weapons have been banned”. He put this theme, toxically eccentric a few years ago, right at the...

Pop quiz: Who is the President of Indonesia? If you knew the answer was Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, award yourself a gold sticker in the shape of the Wikipedia logo. But if you’re among the 99% of readers who didn’t, don’t worry: You’re in good company. Virtually no one could pick the leader of the world’s most populous Muslim state out of a lineup for one simple reason: because Indonesia is a stable democracy, with a responsible government that quietly focuses its attention on domestic issues, and which fights terrorism, rather than sponsoring it. If Mr. Yudhoyono instead followed the example...

In 2003, Gaddafi agreed to cooperate with the President of the United States. So how nice it was of Barack Obama to return the favor and now agree so wholeheartedly with Gaddafi. Moral relativism equates killers and mass murderers like Stalin with those who oppose such brutalities. It equates the burglar with the homeowner trying to defend his family and totalitarianism with those who patriotically resist it. The end result is one of cowardice in the face of evil and the development of a hazy world outlook where fact and fiction are mixed in a way that makes Alice’s Wonderland...

Every circus must have a clown and Gaddafi did not disappoint. He rumbled on six times longer than his allotted time and as expected, the pearls of idiocy pouring forth from his mouth were priceless examples of the dictator’s deluded mind. The colonel hailed Obama's speech but chastised him for leaving before Gaddafi's himself spoke. He also referred to the American President as, "my son." Was that a hint to the birthers that there may be a new angle for them to look into? My good friend Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, over on his Flashpoint blog, asks: Jack Ruby was an...

12:35 Mr Gaddafi has just wrapped up his unscripted 94-minute rant, having thrown the General Assembly session into confusion. He got absolutely no applause. Delegates just sat stunned. ... 12:21 Mr Gaddafi has thrown the UN session into disarray. He has now been speaking for 100-odd minutes and seems just to be warming up. He was supposed to speak only 15 minutes. Some UN journalists are now betting he will run on for a Fidel Castro-like seven hours. Of course, the General Assembly president has not got the heart to stop him. Perhaps because the General Assembly president is Ali...

"Ah need room. Motel 6 doan wann me."

President Obama will get his much-sought photo opportunity with two Middle Eastern leaders when he makes his UN debut this week — but he will spend the rest of the time avoiding two others. The White House has announced that Mr Obama will host a meeting of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, tomorrow as he makes his first appearance at the annual UN General Assembly session. Mr Obama is performing a carefully choreographed diplomatic dance. American diplomats have been busy behind the scenes trying to ensure that his star turn...

Welcome Awaits Iraq Shoe Thrower Dargham al-Zaidi is helping to prepare the family home for his brother's party The Iraqi journalist jailed for hurling his shoes at former US President George W Bush is to be freed on Monday - to an uncertain future. Muntadar al-Zaidi's release after nine months in prison will be celebrated by many across the Arab world to whom he has become a hero. He is reported to have been offered money, lucrative jobs, marriages and even a career in politics. His brother says an official boycott may stop Zaidi's return to journalism. Zaidi, a reporter...

Billions for Britain’s Conversion Effort Meets with UK’s Approval ByPaul L. Williams, Ph.D. thelastcrusade.org Libyan President Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi has mounted a multi-billion campaign to transform England and Wales into Islamic nations. Eleven Islamic missionaries will launch the campaign this week in Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leicester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Swansea.The effort is being sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), an organization that was established by the Libyan leader.The Islamic crusade comes just a month after the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset Ali Al Megrahi caused a storm between Britain and the US when he returned...

A GROUP of controversial Muslim clerics funded by Colonel Gaddafi are set to make appearances at three Midland Mosques. Eleven preachers sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society (Wics), which was founded, led and paid for by the Libyan leader, will be holding events in Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham during Ramadan. The speeches come just a month after the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset Ali Al Megrahi caused a storm between Britain and the US when he returned to a hero’s welcome in Tripoli. And in a recent speech, Colonel Gaddafi said that the aim of Wics was to...

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Relations between Switzerland and Libya remain strained, with Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi repeating a call he made at the G8 summit in Italy in July 2009, for Switzerland to be considered a non-country and its linguistic districts to be shared among its neighbours. The rhetoric itself has ruffled few feathers, given Qadaffi’s widespread reputation for stepping outside the usual boundaries of diplomatic talk, but Libya’s upcoming turn as president of the United Nations General Assembly, which opens its new session 15 September, gives him a platform. It will be the first time he has joined a...

Got to love The Nuge: Keep Gaddafi Out Of NYC 84rules September 3, 2009

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has invented a sleek James Bond-style car, which Libya says is the safest vehicle on earth. The car was unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the revolution which propelled the Libyan leader to power. The Saroukh el-Jamahiriya (Libyan rocket) a five-passenger saloon in a metallic Libyan revolutionary green with tinted windows, was launched at a special summit of the Organisation of African Unity organised by Colonel Gaddafi. The car has the aerodynamic lines of conventional models but the front and rear ends are rocket-shaped. The interior is replete with air bags, an inbuilt electronic defence...

Officials in the US state of New Jersey have reacted angrily to the possibility that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may pitch his tent there next month. Col Gaddafi is expected to set up his Bedouin-style tent on Libyan Embassy-owned land in the town of Englewood as he attends the UN General Assembly. The town mayor, state governor and legislators said he was not welcome. They were angered by the "hero's welcome" home given to Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi last week.

Gaddafi: Terrorism Is Justified By Western Arrogance Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi sure was quiet during the Bush years. But, that's all changed. Yesterday, Gaddafi said terrorism was justified by Western arrogance. ANSAmed reported, via RIP: The scheduled visit by Italy's prime minister to Libya on August 30 is "most opportune" and will go ahead. Any rumours of second thoughts on the part of Silvio Berlusconi were thoroughly quashed yesterday by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, and his visit to Tripoli, scheduled for the end of this month to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Cooperation and Friendship Treaty...

Prince Andrew is set to pull out of Libya visit for the anniversary of military coup, as claims grow louder that Westminster 'cut a business deal' with Tripoli over the release from a life prison sentence for the Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds. If Gordon Brown is hoping that the furore over Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release will die down now that the only man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 is back in Libya, he will be disappointed. According to reports in the Arabic press, Megrahi will be at the centre of next month's celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary...

Gordon Brown faced fresh questions tonight after it emerged that he discussed with Colonel Gaddafi detailed conditions for the Lockerbie bomber's return nearly six weeks ago, while senior Labour figures warned of an economic backlash from angry Americans "costing our country dear". Downing Street released the text of a cordial letter sent to the Libyan leader on the day that Abdulbaset al-Megrahi was released, asking that the event be kept low key because a "high-profile" ceremony would distress his victims and their families.

Lord Mandelson has dismissed claims that the release of Lockerbie bomber is linked to a trade deal - as the head of the FBI slams the Scottish government. The claim was made by Seif al Islam, the son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, in a television interview filmed as Abdelbaset al Megrahi was flown home. "In all commercial contracts, for oil and gas with Britain, (Megrahi) was always on the negotiating table," he said. "All British interests were linked to the release of Abdelbaset al Megrahi." He said he had met Colonel Gaddafi twice in the past year, and on...

Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi has defied strong criticism from the UK and the US by meeting Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi on Libyan TV. The Scottish Government freed the terminally-ill 57-year-old on compassionate grounds on Thursday. Col Gaddafi said he hoped the move would improve relations between Libya and Britain, state media reported. But the UK Foreign Office has strongly denied claims Megrahi was released to ensure trade deals with Libya. Col Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, told Libyan TV Megrahi's case was raised during talks over oil and gas. 'Humane decision' His father also praised the "courageous" Scottish Government during...

The international furore over the release of the Lockerbie bomber deepened today after he was seen embracing Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. In scenes that will provoke outrage among victims' families and the U.S. government, TV footage showed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi meeting Gaddafi in Tripoli. It came as Gordon Brown faced fresh pressure after shocking claims by Libya that the release of the bomber was linked explicity to trade deals benefiting Britain. Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said Megrahi's case was discussed at every meeting between the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Libyan leader. But the Foreign Office...

Lord Mandelson faced fresh questions over his links to Libya last night following the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber.The Business Secretary denied that the Government had done a deal to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, who was convicted of the 1988 terrorist atrocity that claimed 270 lives. However, his claims were contradicted by Saif Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, in a conversation with Megrahi as the pair flew home from Glasgow. In a transcript obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Gaddafi tells Megrahi: “You were on the table in all commercial, oil and gas agreements that...

My friends tell me that I'm the Jewish Forrest Gump, a man who unexpectedly finds himself in strange and surprising situations. But the place I find myself in now surprises even me. I've just discovered that Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi is going to be my neighbor. Quite literally. In about a month. In New Jersey. I knew when I moved into our home ten years ago that the property adjoining ours was the residence of the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations. But for many years the large estate was derelict and neglected. Overgrown with grass and shrubbery, it was...

TRIPOLI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John McCain praised Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi for his peacemaking role in Africa and said Congress would support expanding ties, Libyan state news agency Jana said on Friday. U.S.-Libyan relations have dramatically improved since Tripoli's decision in December 2003 to give up its weapons of mass destruction programmes, with diplomatic ties resuming in June 2004 after a break of more than two decades. "McCain and the delegation accompanying him confirmed the importance of expanding further the relations between Libya and the United States. The Congress would back the measures to be taken...

L'AQUILA: US President Barack Obama has shaken hands warmly with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, long reviled in Washington. The landmark handshake took place yesterday as leaders from major economic powers and emerging nations prepared to take a group photograph at a summit in L'Aquila, Italy. Relations between Libya and the US have see-sawed for 30 years. Diplomatic relations were broken in 1981 and only restored in 2004. However, relations remained strained, mainly over compensation for terrorism victims. Mr Obama has triggered a raging debate in the US by saying Washington should be prepared to speak with its enemies. A handshake...

Italy: Gaddafi fails to show up at top-level meeting in Rome Rome, 12 June (AKI) - The speaker of Italy's lower house cancelled a top-level conference in honour of Muammar Gaddafi in Rome on Friday after the Libyan leader failed to arrive. "The conference with Gaddafi has not been held due to the delay by Libyan (leader) Gaddafi," said Gianfranco Fini, a senior ally of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. "The two-hour delay is not justified." Gaddafi was scheduled to meet Fini late Friday and take part in a conference with the speaker and former Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema....

He has embarrassed his hosts by likening America to terrorism and suggesting that Italy abolish all its political parties, but yesterday Colonel Muammar Gaddafi won praise from hundreds of leading Italian women by condemning the Arab and Muslim world for treating their sex “like pieces of furniture”. Addressing women at the Auditorium concert hall, Colonel Gaddafi called for a 'world female revolution' Addressing women drawn from politics, culture and the economy at the Auditorium concert hall, Colonel Gaddafi called for a “world female revolution”. Too often, he said, Muslim men treated women as “piece of furniture which you can change...

Wild man Gaddafi provokes Italy on first visit to Rome in 40 years Richard Owen, Rome Colonel Gaddafi has arrived in Rome at the start of an historic visit to Libya's former colonial masters with an archive photograph provocatively pinned to his chest showing the arrest of an anti-Italy guerilla fighter dubbed "The Lion of the Desert". The photograph shows the arrest in 1931 by colonial Italian troops of the Libyan guerilla leader Omar al Mukhtar. Al Mukhtar's frail elderly son, who descended the aircraft steps with difficulty just behind Gaddafi in traditional white Arab robes, is part of the...

Former pariah and now Europe’s cautious partner, Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi seems determined to flex new-found diplomatic muscles on issues ranging from trade to regional security, North Africa observers say. Elected to a one-year term to lead the 53-nation African Union (AU) in February, Gaddafi has been acting energetically in that role and in his capacity as the guiding force behind the Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens (Community of Sahel-Saharan States, or CEN-SAD). Promoting an idiosyncratic brand of pan-continental leadership, Gaddafi has been welcomed back into the European Union’s (EU) good books after Libya announced in 2003 that it was abandoning...

When the African Union summit elected Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as its chairman at the beginning of February, many delegates predicted a bumpy year ahead. To start with all went well. But now he finds himself at odds with the AU's Peace and Security Council over its policy on Mauritania, which has been suspended since a coup d'etat last August.

Gaddafi, addressing a meeting on ways to expand cooperation between the United Nations and African Union, urged the Court to stop its proceedings against Bashir: "Why do we have to hold President Bashir or the Sudanese government responsible when the Darfur problem was caused by outside parties, and Tel Aviv [Israel], for example, is behind the Darfur crisis?"

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vowed to create a 'United States of Africa' after his election as head of the African Union. Colonel Gaddafi, 66, was elected to lead the 53-nation AU for a year in a closed-door vote during a summit in Addis Ababa. Dressed in a gold robe and cap, he made clear his intention to push for an alternative "USA" - a plan he has outlined before and that has met with resistance among fellow African leaders. "I hope my term will be a time of serious work and not just words," he said in his inaugural speech....

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been elected as chairman of the 53-nation African Union. ... A BBC correspondent at the summit says Col Gaddafi was seen to be the obvious choice, but some delegates are uneasy about his nomination. AU spokeswoman Habiba Mejri-Sheikh said Col Gaddafi was elected "by the heads of state in a closed-door session, for a one-year period". ... On Sunday, the summit debated a Libyan-backed proposal to set up a single government - the United States of Africa. In a compromise, the summit agreed to transform the African Union Commission, which oversees the body, into an...

In recent days, Washington has experienced a media blitz by the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, including an op-ed in the New York Times and his first US videoconference in months. In the wake of the Obama transition, the "Guide of the Revolution" is reaching out to the new administration, using his stance towards Israel as the bait. Libyan, Israeli and American relations form a fateful mix, with Libyan-Israeli relations seeing an improvement as a result of US-Libyan rapprochement. Despite some positive developments, the nature of Libya's moves towards Israel suggests the limits of the transformative power of engagement. Libyan-Israeli relations...

Cuba, Jan 22: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi advised President Barack Obama to give Osama bin Laden a chance to reform, telling the new president that America's most wanted man was looking for "dialogue". Gaddafi hailed what he called "positive signals" so far from the new Obama administration, including plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Speaking to students at Georgetown University via a satellite link-up from Libya, Gaddafi said Washington must review its approach to bin Laden, who is blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and tops the U.S. Most Wanted List. "Terrorism is a dwarf...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Wednesday his country and other oil exporters were looking into nationalizing foreign firms due to low oil prices and suggested Tripoli might not stick to OPEC production quotas. Speaking via a satellite link from Libya to students at Georgetown University in Washington, he called the current price of oil "unbearable." Oil was around $44 a barrel on Wednesday, less than a third of the price in July of $147. "We would not adhere to OPEC's regulations because our livelihood depends on oil," Gaddafi said, without providing any details of how Libya...

SNIPPET: "The fundamental truth is that Hamas' road to Iran runs through the international Muslim Brotherhood, and has for two decades. What is often missing in the discussion of the Muslim Brotherhood is that Hamas, according to its own founding charter, is an integral and armed part of the Ikwhan, not separate from it."

KIEV, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, newly on good terms with Washington, on Thursday hailed the election of Barack Obama as the next U.S. president as "the beginning of victory for black people". But Gaddafi said he feared for Obama's safety, and said he hoped the United States' first black president would not be assassinated like John F. Kennedy or black civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Gaddafi, dressed in a white safari suit emblazoned with a map of Africa, said recent events, including Obama's victory, were "set down 30 years ago in the Green Book," a...

What do Iran's ayatollahs, Hamas terrorists, Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi have in common? They are all pulling for Barack Obama to win the US presidential election. When Israel's disparate foes manage to rally behind a single candidate, it should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about the Jewish state. If you think this is just Republican scaremongering, consider the following. Last week, Ali Larijani, the hard-line speaker of the Iranian parliament, told a press conference in Bahrain that "we are leaning more in favor of Barack Obama because he is more flexible and...

Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion as compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country during the 20th century. The money will be invested by Italy over a 25-year period. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday signed a "friendship pact" with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. Under the pact, Italy agreed to compensate Libya for abuses it committed during its colonial rule of the North African country. Italy will invest $5 billion in Libya in a deal that effectively turns the page on colonial-era disputes that have long...

Russia’s military intervention in Georgia in the face of Western protests is being viewed by some in the Arab world as evidence of American weakness, with media commentators voicing barely-disguised delight at what they see as a defeat for Washington. At the same time, some voices are cautioning the Islamic Middle East not to throw its lot behind Moscow as many of the region’s leading countries did at times during the Cold War. Russia on Aug. 8 sent troops and tanks across its southern border after Georgia’s pro-Western government mounted an offensive against separatists in the Russian-backed breakaway region of...

Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi on Tuesday warned "arrogant" Iran that it faces military humiliation on the scale of Iraq for its refusal to respond to western powers over a nuclear impasse. "What Iran is doing stems simply from arrogance," Gaddafi said during a visit to Tunisia after Tehran ignored another western deadline to accept an incentives package in exchange for full transparency on its nuclear drive. "In the event of a decision against Iran, this country will suffer the same outcome as Iraq... Iran is not any stronger than Iraq and won't have the means to resist (a military attack)...

Which deluded imperialist American Zionist neoconservative Likudnik had the following advice for Iran? "What Iran is doing stems simply from arrogance … In the event of a decision against Iran, this country will suffer the same outcome as Iraq … Iran is not any stronger than Iraq and won’t have the means to resist (a military attack) on its own … The challenges are greater and exceed Iran’s ability to reply."