Photo: The Leader of the Revolution Muammar Al-Qathafi speaks at a press conference on Wednesday in Tripoli.

This Project is Frightening, It is Dangerous

Tripoli-- Speaking at a press conference in Tripoli on Wednesday, the Leader of the Revolution Muammar Al-Qathafi said the "Union for the Mediterranean" will be "a complete Failure."

He said this "union" was imposed on us and it would not represent the interests of the Arab or African peoples. "We shall have another Roman empire and imperialist design… There are imperialist maps and designs that we have already rolled up. We should not have them again."

This union, Al-Qathafi said, cannot survive because it carries within it contradicting forces which would lead to its downfall.

Al-Qathafi said he told the French President Sarkozy that the union should exclude states that have complicated problems so that the project would not fail. These are the Middle East states, the Asian states.

"I told him if this project is to be extended it needs to include - in addition to 5 + 5 - [Five southern Mediterranean states: Mauritania, Morocco, Algerian, Tunisia and Libya, and five southern European states: Malta, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal] 6 + 6 by adding Greece and Egypt. Others have problems and would not benefit this union. They will bring with them their problems and then this region will become a scene of conflict and waste of time," Al-Qathafi added.

"The Palestinian problem has not been solved and there is a conflict over land. Some call it Palestine and others call it Israel. They have not even agreed to settle the issue of land. Some say this is our land and others say that is ours. These are people who are now speaking to each other through missiles, bullets and massacres. This is the ongoing dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Therefore, these are not qualified to be associated with us on cooperation, peace and stability and they are not qualified to join this project [Mediterranean union]. They must be excluded until the issue of the Middle East is solved," Al-Qathafi said.

The Union for the Mediterranean is suspicious. I would not get my people involved in such a murky affair of this kind. After all we are on good bilateral relations with France, Italy and the EU and we do not need a "union".

"We cannot be a part of a union when we are different. Culturally we are different. In Scandinavia they walk naked and we do not do that in Libya, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia. If we do so, we would be put in the hospital of the mentally retarded people.

Religiously we differ, while we believe in Jesus, they do not believe in Mohammad and make mockery of him and publish insulting cartoons about him. Politically we also differ."

"I believe this project would increase illegal migration and terrorism and give a justification to Islamist extremists to step up Jihad attacks. These extremists would explain it as crusade against Islam and European colonisation," he said.

"They will talk about jihad in Europe. This project is frightening. This project is dangerous. "They will interpret it as a new crusade to contain Muslim forces. They will see it as a new colonialism and they will accuse the Arabs that they are traitors, who have abandoned principles and sold out their countries."

Al-Qadhafi said Germany had opposed President Sarkozy's initial Mediterranean project by refusing to "allow the division of Europe".

He quoted German official as saying that they would not allow southern Europe to join a Mediterranean union while it was part of the EU: "In return, we will not accept North Africa to join a Mediterranean union while it is part of the African Union. This is clear. This is logical. I cannot join a body which divides Africa into Sub-Saharan Africa, White Africa, Black Africa, Arab and non- Arab Africa. This is a racist partition and we do not wish go back to it again. This project [Mediterranean union] revives this idea and this is a racist division."

Al-Qadhafi said African states which are members of the African Union were not allowed to join other union outside Africa.

He said Libya adheres to and respects the African Union resolutions: "The states which join the Mediterranean union will be questioned by the African Union over their actions".

He said "Germany had opposed the division of the EU and in return we oppose the division of the African Union. The European states have forced my friend Sarkozy to abandon his initial project and to adopt a new project called a union for the Mediterranean. What is the meaning of the union for the Mediterranean? Perhaps it means that Europe will unite in order to own the Mediterranean. It is not a Mediterranean union".

The Union for the Mediterranean will be full of unaccountable problems and landmines. Europe has so many contradictions within it and between it and the rest of the world such as Russia, Iran and the Palestinian Hamas. Why should we get involved through the Union of the Mediterranean in these problems and landmines.

Al-Qathafi said "some of my Arab brethren said they would determine their position regarding these issues and which we like and which we don't like of these issues, but I say why we would enter a union full of traps and landmines in the first place."

"I want friendly relations with Europe but I do not enter through the Barcelona gate or the Union for the Mediterranean gate. They enforce us, we who do not recognize 'Israel' to set down with the Israelis, to debate the Israeli and possibly be chaired by the Israeli, or you may be even invited to attend the meeting in Tel Aviv or in occupied Al-Quds… why such an insult."

"Why do not we also put conditions in return? Will it be acceptable to tell Europe that we do not cooperate with you on immigration, terrorism, or give oil and gas unless you deal with Ben Laden, Hamas, Hezbollah and to stop pressuring Iran on its nuclear project? Will this be acceptable?"

"But they made it acceptable to us and said if you wanted to cooperate with us, you must accept what is called Israel which must be part in it."

"Well, we also say we won't cooperate with you immigration, terrorism and supply you with oil and gas unless you, Europe, accepted Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda who are Muslims…"

Then, Al-Qathafi said, "they would say these were impossible conditions. However, they put forward to us these kind of conditions.
Therefore, do not enforce me to recognize Israel."

Al-Qathafi said Israel a problem of international law and that why we should not recognize it. It is same as when Turkey declared northern Cyprus independent.

The Europeans still do not recognize North Cyprus because they said they declared a state by one side. Israel also was declared a state by one-side and was not a result of agreement between them and the Palestinians.

When Israel returns the occupied territories to the Palestinians, allow the exiled millions to go back to their homes and dismantle its nuclear weapons then we can look into recognizing it, Al-Qathafi insisted.