Africa
Gaddafi defends Somali pirates
Libya's President Muammar Gaddafi (left) shakes hands with delegates during the opening session of the 12th African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa February 2, 2009. Photo/REUTERS
Posted Thursday, February 5 2009 at 19:35
In Summary
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
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Sea Blue, if you have been reading the Nation frequently (which is Kenyan Media, not Western), the Somalis themselves have admitted to piracy and its good fortunes. Are you saying that piracy in Somali waters by Somalis does not exist? You want a united Africa? Why doesn't Gadaffi start by uniting Somalia first before uniting the rest of Africa? Read Gadaffi's history, and his lenghty stay in power reeks of 'non-democracy'. He is a populist leader, pure and simple!
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African can not ask to be compensated by their former colonialists when we know that our African leaders have also colonized their fellow Africans. Look for example what is hapening in Zibambwe.Some of our greedy leaders have rocked our economies and taken our resources to build palaces in these countries that gadddafi is telling african countries to claim compensation.
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STOP STOP blaming Africa for it's current problems. The root of Africa's problems began with a seed sowed by the whites specifically the british, and continues today through neocolonialism that capitalism. Though Gadaffi may not be perfect he has a point. Africa does not need aid or loans with 300% interest rates, Africa needs compensation.
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