Gaddafi's son blames Germany for supporting Israeli war crimes

Posted By Elizabeth Dickinson Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 5:04 PM Share

Earlier this week, Saif al-Islam Alqadhafi, the son of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, sent a letter (excerpted below) to German Chancellor Angela Merkel regarding a recent gift from her country to Israel:

We read with great surprise news reports indicating that the German Government will support the State of Israel by offering gifts in the form of a sophisticated submarine and two Missile botas to be added to the five submarines which have already been provided to Israel, the price of which was paid by the German tax-payers.

...I do not think that tht German people who have suffered dictatorship, supression and terrorism either during the Nazis era or the commnist reign, which are well known to Her Excellency Dr. Angela Merkel agree to the money of tax-payers being spent to purchase offensive non-defense weapons and submarines ...I do not think that the Greman tax-payers seek the enhancement of the offensive capacity of the world's greatest human rights violating State in the world.

...today you are thoughtful towards Israel to atone for the mistakes of the past, but I assure you that one day you will be thoughtful towards us to atone for today's mistakes."

The letter has been fairly widely distributed to journalists. Saif is thought to be increasingly influtential in shaping Libya's foreign policy, though interestingly, he writes the letter on behalf of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation rather than his father's government.

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KADHI

7:13 PM ET

January 28, 2010

The reason he wrote on behalf

The reason he wrote on behalf of the Foundation he heads is because he is currently not a member of the government. However, he has taken an increasingly high profile role in recent months fuelling speculation that he is at last ready to take a government position and begin formalising his succession plans. This, surprisingly, still hasn't happened but if and when he does assume the mantle of succession then I think there are legitimate prospects for political reform and liberalisation in the country.

Note, however, that today Gadhafi blocked his son's attempts to allow non-charity NGOs to form in the country by saying that Libya has no need for 'civil society'.

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