Muammar Qadaffy... dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics
Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyaor
Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule...
remaining in a symbolic position, with power being transferred to his son Saif al-Islam Qadaffy, who would rule the country for a transitional period to be decided on by the parties concerned. Asharq Al-Awsat was unable to confirm whether this proposal was part of the African Union's
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
ceasefire or not.
Sources within the National Transitional Council told Asharq Al-Awsat that they have received confirmation that Qadaffy is prepared to step down so long as this is done in a dignified and secure manner. However the sources said that the messages they received from Tripoli did not clarify the kind of figurative or symbolic position that Colonel Qadaffy intends to hold in the future.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, sources said that the National Transitional Council -- which is led by former Libyan Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil -- could accept Saif al-Islam Qadaffy as leader for an agreed upon transitional period, so long as Colonel Muammar Qadaffy is not present in any shape or form in the management of the executive affairs of the Libyan state. The source said that despite the public reservations expressed over Saif al-Islam Qadaffy as a leadership candidate -- with him being viewed by some as nothing more than an extension of his father -- it would be far easier to deal with him than Colonel Qadaffy, who is completely rejected by the majority of the Libyan population.
However the source within the National Transitional Council also acknowledged the difficulty of convincing the Libyan public, particularly those in eastern Libya which has been under rebel control for more than a month, to accept this proposal, especially in light of the controversial and combative statements issued by Saif al-Islam Qadaffy during the early weeks of the popular uprising.
With the military confrontation between the Libyan army and the anti-Qadaffy rebels stagnating, both sides appear willing to reach a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiations.
A source within the anti-Qadaffy rebel forces told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the situation on the ground is not good, we need weapons and fighters and money. Whilst it is true that we are fighting for a cause, namely freedom, enthusiasm alone is not enough." He added "if there is a political and peaceful solution, why not?"
However the anti-Qadaffy rebel stressed that any proposal must, at the very least, include Qadaffy stepping down from power. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that "if Qadaffy leaves power, and if Libya transforms into a modern and democratic state, then there is nothing to fight about...we are not bearing arms to fight the Qadaffy forces, but rather to protect the unarmed civilians."
It seems that Saif al-Islam Qadaffy is trying to revive his old project [of reforms], which includes implementing wide-spread political and economic reforms upon the Jamahiriya
... An Arabic neologism coined by Muammar al-Qadaffy. The word jamahiriya was derived from jumhuriya, which is the usual Arabic translation of republic. It was coined by changing the component jumhur ‐
public‐ to its plural form, jamahir --
the masses. Thus, it is similar to the term People's Republic, only more denigrating to the actual inhabitants of the country...
political system imposed upon Libya by his father following the 1969 revolution. Saif al-Islam Qadaffy has also spoken about drawing up a new constitution for the country, and transforming Libya into a democratic state, widening public freedoms, as well as media freedoms. However many Libyan opposition figures have expressed their reservation about the figure of Saif al-Islam Qadaffy, saying that he would be nothing more than a puppet of his father.
A high level Libyan official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, has said that Qadaffy seems now more than ever, accepting of a political solution to the crisis. The official, speaking from Tripoli, said that "yes, he is prepared for this [political solution], we just have to take into account his history and what he contributed to the country."
The official added "Qadaffy previously stated that he is not a president or a ruler, but rather the leader of the revolution that he implemented in 1969 to overthrow the monarchy, this means that we can elect a president according to an agreed upon framework. [Muammar] Qadaffy will not nominate himself, but perhaps Saif al-Islam will."
Many Libyans have said that they do not want Colonel Qadaffy, or indeed any member of the Qadaffy family, to determine the political future of Libya; however aides close to Saif al-Islam Qadaffy have stressed that he is not like his father, and that he will be more open with the opposition.
Sources close to Saif al-Islam Qadaffy have said that he is prepared to stand for election, in internationally monitored presidential elections. This proposal would also see the formation of a new parliament that does not include members of the hard-line Revolutionary Committees that are known to be fanatical loyal to Colonel Qadaffy.
Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim previously informed journalists during a presser in Tripoli that a new constitution would be adopted by Libya in the near future, whilst Libyan parliamentary speaker Mohammed Abul-Qassim al-Zwai has said that a draft constitution has already been prepared, and will be considered soon.
