Gaddafi drew various plans when we talked. For example, conrerning his "resignation": "They tell me that I have to leave. Where from? Which post? This is the first question." He put mark on a sheet of paper. "The second one is: which country should I go to? The third is: why should I leave? And the fourth is: how much did Libya lose because of this war? And not only Libya. How many contracts did Russia lose?"He added: "They know in Russia that I do not hold any posts. Your officials were here! Top leaders of your country visited us and we have the Russian embassy here. They know that I do not hold any post, I am a public leader. Therefore, officially I cannot sign any document".
He took a piece of paper and said: "I cannot write a statement that I'm leaving a particular post ..." Gadhafi reasoned very logically. I simply repeat what he told me. After I said that some "claim" that "he should leave," he said holding that clean sheet of paper: "Please write where I should go? Which post shall I leave and where to go? What kind of application shall I make? Shall I do it at my own wish?"
He stressed several times that "Libya is for peace talks with all interested parties." However, he made sure that there shouldn’t be any preconditions. We must start from scratch! But with one exception: it is impossible to negotiate when they are bombing our country nonstop." His message to Western politicians was: "Stop bombing! After that, we start talks immediately, even today."
I couldn’t see any malice towards those who killed his son and grandchildren. Was he in pain? Yes! I remember his question: "Why did they kill my son?" Yes, there was bitterness in his words. As the leader of his people, he understood that private grief is always personal. After all, other people are dying! Therefore, he said: "The leadership of Libya is ready for immediate talks, for the cessation of hostilities, bombing and fire!"
Gaddafi added that "now the problem lies not so much in relations between the Tripoli authorities and the people in Benghazi, who had been sent from different countries to guide this province. The problem lies in the relationship between the leadership of Libya, legally elected parliament, the government of Libya and NATO alliance countries.
Gaddafi said: "500 million people are fighting against one small country with a population of six million. How would they explain what they need form us? Is it 160 billion dollars? The gold and foreign currency reserves of the Libyan Jamahiriya frozen on foreign accounts? For some reason, everyone says that this is Gaddafi's money. This is not Gaddafi’s money; it's the money of Central National Bank, state corporations and citizens of Libya!"
And he added: "We cannot even pay salaries now! If this money, 160 billion, is needed to strengthen the euro and solve their problems, let them say so! If they need our land, let the NATO countries say that they need to seize Benghazi or some other part of Libya! Until now, I heard them say only: "Leave your post!" I did not get any other suggestions from them!"
I pass on what he said to me. Word for word!
(to be continued)
N. Sologubovsky, correspondent of MK, Tripoli - Moscow, June 14, 2011
