Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, who returned to Canada from Libya in September, was interviewed by Life Week, a major Chinese magazine based in Beijing, regarding the murder of Muammar Al-Gaddafi in Sirte.
The interview between Xu Jinjing and Nazemroaya discusses the broad implications of the murder of Muammar Gaddafi including the role played by the Transitional National Council and NATO in his murder.
What follows is the English transcript of the interview with the Chinese Magazine on October 22, 2011
XU JINGJING: In your opinion, what does Gaddafi’s death mean to the NTC? Does it mean the forces of Gaddafi will be split and never be a major threat to the NTC?
NAZEMROAYA: Members of the US Senate have pointed out that NATO was involved in the capture of Colonel Gaddafi. The British, French, and Americans had roles to play. NATO had bombed Gaddafi’s convoy. I also read a private letter demanding for NATO to confirm if it knew who was in the convoy, which was leaving Sirte. NATO refused to answer if it knew who was in the convoy, but cited them as threats to civilians.
The murder of Colonel Gaddafi opens the door for internal rivalries to create splinter groups amongst the Libyan loyalists or resistance groups. With Qaddafi gone there will be a contest for leadership and it will result in negotiations between some elements in the Libyan resistance and the Transitional Council government.
The aim of murdering Colonel Gaddafi was not a mere act of revenge as is being portrayed by the media. It also is a means of hiding the crimes of NATO. The Obama Administration and NATO had him killed to also hide their own crimes before and during the NATO attacks on Libya. For example, the Libyans had a lot of evidence that proved President Nicolas Sarkozy was taking bribery money and was involved in election fraud.
XU JINGJING: Some of Gaddafi’s family is still on the run. Will anyone of them remain a threat to the NTC? Will they be put on trial by the International Criminal Court?
NAZEMROAYA: First of all I want to say that the International Criminal Court is a political tool. It is only used against weak countries. The case that the ICC presented was based on media reports and lies. You can see the annexes to verify. One of its key pieces of evidence was from the Libyan League for Human Rights, which told a colleague of mine on the record that they had no evidence about 6000 people being massacred.
International legal experts made it very clear to me that Washington and NATO would never let Colonel Gaddafi and several of his family members live, because of the legal threat they imposed. Some even suggested that the message be passed to him to surrender so as to guarantee that Gaddafi would get into a court to expose the lies and systematic breaches of international law by Washington and NATO.
Be certain that the murders will not stop with Colonel Gaddafi. The Transional Council also murdered one of his sons, Moutasim, who was being held and tortured as a prisoner for a week. The Transitional Council also murdered the leader of the tribal council of Libya, Sheikh Ali. Sheikh Ali was working tirelessly for peace and some sort of a compromise between both sides. They went into his house and murdered him.
XU JINGJING: Some analysts said the fall of Sirte is more significant for the effect it will have on the future stability of Libya. What do you think?
NAZEMROAYA: The events in Sirte now guarantee the disintegration of Libyan society on the basis of tribalism, regionalism, and political orientation. Chaos will grip the country. In Darnah there is a so-called Islamic Emirate. In Misarata there is the Misarata Military Council. In Benghazi and parts of Tripoli there is the Transitional Council. There are even now figures that could emerge as warlords in Tripoli and Benghazi.
I was just informed that US troops have landed in Tripoli and Benghazi. They are getting ready for something. The country will eventually formally or informally balkanize. This will spill out into other parts of Africa. This is also one of the reasons that the Americans are sending combat troops into Uganda, which will also be posted and active in South Sudan and Kenya. The Kenyan invasion of Somalia is even linked to this project.
XU JINGJING: What are the priorities for the NTC now?
NAZEMROAYA: Speaking to people on the ground in Libya, I can tell you that the priorities of the Transitional Council are to take control of Libya and for each fraction to secure its own interests and secure its own power. They are more concentrated on weapons contracts and securing favor from Washington and NATO. They are not interested in even importing food and medical supplies to the degree that they really need to be. There own inner rivalries will also paralyze them to a degree.
XU JINGJING: What are the major power divisions in the NTC now? Do you see anyone capable of uniting and leading the country from the NTC?
NAZEMROAYA: We have more than one government in Libya now. We have the Transitional Council, the Misrata Military Council, the Emirate of Darnah, and also the remnants of the legitimate Jamahiriya government. I seriously see civil strife and chaos sweeping parts of the country. Lawlessness has now become a reality in large parts of Tripoli and the rest of Libya. Armed gangs are involved in robberies, torture, rape, and extortion.
This is all very negative, because it will equate to the involvement of foreign arbitrators. This is exactly what Washington and the European Union want, because they will be able to keep these groups in line and have checks and balances over them. Each time one group gets out of control or refuses to listen, the American government and its allies will funnel their support to a rival group.
XU JINGJING: How much will the United States, EU and Qatar be involved in state building in a post-Gaddafi Libya? Why?
NAZEMROAYA: They will be involved in the reconstruction contracts and management of the country. Members of the Transitional Council, even before they came into power, already negotiated with them in February and March for oil contracts. I do not know what type of guarantees the Russian Federation and China received, but they are likely to become marginalized in Libya on the basis of the edicts of the American government and its EU allies.
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is a Sociologist and Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). He specializes on the Middle East and Central Asia. His articles have been translated into more than ten languages and he is also an award-winning writer. While on the ground in Libya during the NATO bombing campaign he was Special Correspondent for the syndicated investigative KPFA program Flashpoints, which is aired from Berkeley, California.
