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| Africa: North | |
| Qaddafi Was Stunned When He Saw US Medic Examine Captured Saddam | |
| 2004-03-16 | |
| "He was shocked, he was dazed, he was truly amazed!" Four events were critical to convincing Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi to get rid of his previously secret nuclear-weapons program, according to U.S. and British officials, Western diplomats in Tripoli and a key adviser to Col. Qaddafi.... It was a combination of implied threats and U.S. and British actions on the high seas and in Iraq that convinced Qaddafi he had not a moment to lose before his government became the next Axis of Evil regime in U.S. gun sights. .... "Until Sept. 11, Qaddafi was hoping he could carry on with a clandestine nuclear-weapons program and get away with it," a Western diplomat in Tripoli tells Insight. But when he saw the response of the Bush administration in Afghanistan, "he realized he couldn’t keep going as before." .... It wasn’t until U.S. and British troops crossed into Iraq on March 19, 2003, that Qaddafi detailed Foreign Minister Mohammed Abderrahmane Chalgam to begin talks with British and U.S. officials in London. .... Behind the scenes, advisers to Qaddafi were arguing that Libya’s security would be enhanced, not reduced, by giving up the nuclear program. "We had no delivery system," a top Qaddafi adviser tells Insight [magazine] at the Libyan leader’s office outside of Sirte. "I told the guide [Qaddafi], ’If Libya were to start a nuclear war, our missiles won’t even reach Malta. If the U.S. starts it, Libya will be erased from the map.’" He said he told Qaddafi as the meetings with the United States and the United Kingdom got under way in London last spring that it was better to get rid of the weapons and redirect the resources toward improving the economy than to risk an American attack.
Qaddafi now sought counsel from an unusual source, which Insight can reveal here for the first time. One month before Qaddafi’s historic announcement on Dec. 19, 2003, he met in Tripoli with visiting Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. "During their private meeting, Qaddafi asked Kuchma how America had treated him when he gave up his nuclear weapons after the fall of the Soviet Union," says Weldon, who heard the story directly from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko. Kuchma suggested that Qaddafi broaden his ties beyond the administration and work with members of the U.S. Congress, as well. The final event that sealed the fate of Qaddafi’s nuclear-weapons program took place in early December 2003 along the borders of the Tigris River near Tikrit, when U.S. soldiers pulled former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein out of a spider hole."When Qaddafi watched a U.S. medic probe Saddam’s hair for lice and poke around his mouth, he was stunned," several sources tell Insight. Western diplomats in Tripoli agree that Saddam’s capture "traumatized" the Libyan leader. ... Just 10 days later, Qaddafi made his official announcement that Libya was giving up its WMD programs and had invited U.S. and British experts into the country to verify the dismantling of his weapons plants. .... | |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #14 Let's see, deal was done in 1999, Bubba had at least 18 months for his legacy, what am I missing? |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-3-16 5:41:17 PM |
| #13 But Howard Dean told us that... Oops. |
| Posted by: someone 2004-3-16 1:56:21 PM |
| #12 Chuck, They sent him the really special film, with the biopsy. |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-3-16 1:51:10 PM |
| #11 Did they send him the special film, the one with the body cavity search? No, but I'll be willing to make a LARGE wager that we sent him copies of the Mukbarrat file marked "LIBYA". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-3-16 12:51:42 PM |
| #10 This kinda blows a hole in the left's "argument" that Qaddafi had been trying to do this for years, doesn't it? Not that it was a strong argument to begin with, of course... |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-3-16 12:18:47 PM |
| #9 ..but when countries like Spain start withdrawing from the Coalition you won't see many more dominoes toppling. Not necessarily. Khadafy's actions were likely motivated by the prospect of U.S. military action exclusively. The presence of others as members of a coalition probably didn't even register with him. This also means that the U.S. needs to maintain the pressure and stay the course, and not fret just because Spain chickened out. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-3-16 11:40:30 AM |
| #8 Did they send him the special film, the one with the body cavity search? |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-3-16 10:54:17 AM |
| #7 You know what I also find interesting is Qadaffi's conversation with the Ukranian president. It seems like Qadaffi was genuinly concerned that the US would either invade if he declared his program or still treat him as a pariah. If this is the case then it's probably true of other leaders out there who might want to walk away from their programs but are afraid of the US reaction. It's important that we verify Libya's disarmament but that they are welcomed back into the world community, including trade. This will send a message to other nations that might want to come into the fold that it is indeed possible and if they walk away from their WMD programs we will welcome them into the family of nations. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-16 10:50:16 AM |
| #6 Perhaps we should have a proctologist on standby for Osama's check up. Kimmy might take notice. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-3-16 10:49:59 AM |
| #5 "I told the guide [Qaddafi], ’If Libya were to start a nuclear war, our missiles won’t even reach Malta. If the U.S. starts it, Libya will be erased from the map.’ Sounds like the Guide was getting better than Arab advice. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-16 10:36:03 AM |
| #4 This story was certainly a better "good morning" than yesterday's news from Spain! Over the years I've noticed that the bad guy Arabs understand ONLY one thing, and that is power--the application of deadly force. If another country has the ability to wipe them off the map, along with the guts to follow through, then they'll deal. When Qaddafi rolls over and plays dead, somebody's doing somethin' right! Go team!! On the down side, I can't believe the western media's continuuing betrayal of our world. It's sickening. The business men that run our media sources have become nothing more than clandestine politicians (more like miniature dictators), and have all but given up the call to provide information to the public as objectively as possible, so that we the people (of all things) can decide and act. Also, things have changed significantly in the media culture in a very short amount of time. If this had happened twenty years ago it would have been front page in every major newspaper. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-3-16 8:55:07 AM |
| #3 Thats alright about the BBC JS, our lefty presidential candidate is running around saying that we sat on this deal until it was politcally expedient to reveal it. Whata maroon. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2004-3-16 8:19:26 AM |
| #2 Dammit--this shows what a little resolve and hard action can accomplish beyond its initial scope, but when countries like Spain start withdrawing from the Coalition you won't see many more dominoes toppling. They are not only missing out on the chance to improve the world but--worse--they're sabotaging the effort. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-3-16 8:08:01 AM |
| #1 It was a combination of implied threats and U.S. and British actions on the high seas and in Iraq that convinced Qaddafi he had not a moment to lose before his government became the next Axis of Evil regime in U.S. gun sights. HA Ha, must have been scared witless. Shame the Lefty media like the BBC won't report this |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-16 7:35:30 AM |