Gaddafi defends Somali pirates

AU chairman says groups are fighting against greedy and capitalist West

Addis Ababa, Thursday

AU chairman Muammar Gaddafi has said that his priority will be to claim colonial compensation and to limit the power of Western nations

The Libyan leader further said he believed that piracy was a way of counter defence against the greedy Western nations.

Col Gaddafi expressed the sentiments Thursday morning when he paid his first day official visit to African Union head quarter in Addis Ababa. He addressed AU officials and staff.

Col Gaddafi wore a colourful shirt decorated with Africa Union founding fathers portraits including Tanzanian Julius Nyerere, Ethiopian Haile Selassie, Kenyan Jomo Kenyatta, and Ghanaian Kwame Nkrumah.

During the inaugural tour, Col Gaddafi revealed his plan for the next seasons, saying he doesn’t believe that Somalia piracy was a crime.

“It is a response to greedy Western nations, who invade and exploit Somalia’s water resources illegally,’’ he said.

“It is not a piracy, it is self defence. It is defending the Somalia children’s food,” Col Gaddafi argued.

He pointed out that some countries, particularly Western nations, were penetrating into a Somalia’s sovereign water territory, against the international law .

European, the US and China fleets are entering in the sovereign Somalia territory, because Africa doesn’t have strong and modern defence to push them back, Col Gaddafi said.

Nowadays, Somalis are reacting for justice and trying to defend their country against the unfair exploitation of resources, but Western countries have labelled it as piracy, Gaddafi explained.

The long-serving Libyan leader said he planned to convince other African leaders to claim compensation from colonial masters for their crimes and exploitation during the colonial era.

He disclosed that Libya will this week be claiming quarter billion dollars per year for the next 20 years compensation from Italy.

He said it was a time to ask Western world to pay for Africa’s past suffering and exploitation.

Italian parliament has agreed to pay the money to Libya, he said

Col Gaddafi has refused any invitation from Italy for official visit for the past 40 years as part of his protest and claim.

During my term in AU, I will initiate an organised compensation claim for Africa and I will fight for a greater voice for Africa in the United Nations Security Council.

“If they (Western nations) do not want to live with us fairly, it is our planet and they can go to other planet,” Gaddafi added.