| Al Qathafi Family Not Afraid of UN Resolution, Seif al Islam Says 18/03/2011 11:54:00 | ||
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| Seif al Islam gave his reaction by telephone to ABC While the Rebel forces in the main opposition stronghold of Benghazi reacted with joy to the passing of the UN resolution for a ‘No-fly zone over Libya, in a reaction to the vote, the Libyan leader’s son Seif al Islam Al Qathafi, said the resolution was “unfair” as the regime had “proved to everybody that there have been no air strikes against civilians”. After the United Nations approved air strikes against forces loyal to his father’s regime, Seif al-Islam said Friday that his family was “not afraid”. “We are in our country and with our people. And we are not afraid,” Seif al-Islam told ABC News Nightline in an interview with Christiane Amanpour from the Libyan capital Tripoli after the resolution. “We will not be afraid. Come on! We will not be afraid. I mean, you are not helping the people if you are going to bomb Libya, to kill Libyans. You destroy our country. Nobody is happy with that.” The following is ta transcript of the interview that was transmitted by i>ABC News Christiane Amanpour: Seif Al Qathafi is joining me from Tripoli. Can you tell me where you are? Seif Al Qathafi: I’m in Tripoli right now. CA: Are you hiding? Are you worried? Seif: Hiding from whom? CA: Well, as you know, the U.N. has taken a resolution that would potentially involve air strikes against your father’s air defences and various military emplacements. Seif: I think we are in our country and with our people. As I said before, we live here so we are in our country with our people. And we are not afraid. CA: What is your father’s reaction, your reaction to this resolution that’s just been taken? Seif: First of all, it was unfair because, as you know, as you know, from the beginning we told to everybody there were no air strikes against civilians, no bombing of civilian districts or demonstrations. And thousands of those reports showed they were false. And this is No. 1. No. 2, even if you see last week what happened. The army and Libyan volunteers did fight the armoured militia and liberated five Libyan cities from them. Have we seen a single civilian casualty? Even the terrorists or the armed people, they just surrender. So there was no bloodshed in Libya. CA: Let me ask you this. What are you going to do with Benghazi? People in Benghazi are cheering this U.N. resolution because they’re afraid of your father’s forces. Seif: Listen, this is a big mistake. In Benghazi, we have 1.5 million people. If you are listening to 1,000 or 2,000, that’s a different story. But believe me, the people there are living in misery and it is a big mess. You know, the armoured militia yesterday, they killed four young boys in Benghazi. Why? Because they were against them. Everybody is terrified because of the armed militia. They live in terror. Nightmare. Armed people are everywhere. They have their own courts. They execute the people who are against them. No school. No hospital. No money. No banks. Do you think the people are happy? Of course not. We are receiving every day on TV, every day, hundreds of calls from Benghazi. Every day people are crying saying, “Please come and liberate us from this nightmare.” Those terrorists. The people are not happy there. Are you happy if you’re in a city which is controlled by gangsters and armed people and armed militia? Benghazi Celebrates Meanwhile, as news of the Security Council vote broke, a large crowd in the central square of the eastern city of Benghazi watching the UN vote on an outdoor TV projection burst into celebration. The streets crackled with gunfire, green and red fireworks,chanting and waving the rebels’ black-red-green flags. Many in the crowd fell into each others’ arms, embracing and some crying with delight at the news that opposition fighters have pleaded for in recent weeks. It was reported by Al Jazeera, that preachers across Benghazi used mosque loudspeakers to chant “God is greatest, God is greatest.” The crowd of a few hundred swelled to several thousand in a few minutes as people converged from across the city to celebrate. Many of those flooding into the square carried French flags and expressed gratitude for Paris’s strong support for a no-fly zone and its decision to recognise the rebel government. The United Nations resolution came hours after the Libyan leader had threatened to storm the opposition bastion of Benghazi overnight, showing “no mercy, no pity”. He had said in a radio address: “We will come. House by house, room by room.” Col AL Qathafi had earlier also warned the rebels there that his troops were coming and to expect “no mercy”. |
Al Qathafi Family Not Afraid of UN Resolution, Seif al Islam Says
Abdullah Al Asadi is a Libyan journalist and writer at TripoliPost, covering politics, society, and culture across Libya and the wider region. With a passion for independent storytelling and a commitment to accuracy, he brings readers in-depth reporting and thoughtful analysis on the issues shaping his country. He can be reached at abdullah.asadi@tripolipost.com
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