In an interview this afternoon with Al Jazeera Arabic, Abdel Rahman Shalgham, the Libyan ambassador to the UN, says he is representing the rebel National Libyan Council, not Gaddafi. Here’s a translation of what Shalgham said:
Gaddafi, you are over. Go away. There is no more room for you here. Libyans are not in a revolution. They are in a liberation war. Libyans in the Gaddafi battalions are constantly joining the protesters every time they meet with them. I confirm that 80% of those with Gaddafi now are mercenaries. There won’t be a Rwanda massacre. I call on all Libyans to announce their alliegance to Mustafa AbdulJalil. I ask the people who are fighting for Gaddafi: who are you fighting for? Gaddafi’s family? Gaddafi who calls you rats and sandals? Why are you still with Gaddafi?
Saif was right in saying that we are not like Egypt and Tunisia. We are not protesting and demonstrating and sitting-in. We are engaged in a total war of liberation. You cannot give up now. If you do, you will most certainly be treated as rats and shoes for the rest of your lives.
Is it true that you are being bought with 500 Libyan Dinars? I urge the world to watch the Libyan State TV channel. What they are broadcasting is embarrassing. They claim that they are showing the reality of the situation, but it only embarrassing.
I am now with the Interim Council of Libya. I have been contacted by ambassadors and international ministers. We want legitimacy for the interim council, for them to be able to deal and handle all aspects of Libya. We want our embassies to only be dealing with the interim council.
We have passed the stage of negotiations, and I say that he needs to step down. And I call out to anyone who is still raising arms against Libyans, I tell you to drop them down, and if you do you will be guaranteed a trial in Libya.
We are now preparing armies in Benghazi, Az Zawiya and Nalut. When I say that only mercenaries are with Gaddafi now I know what I mean. And I know the countries that are part of this, and I tell them that we will chase them and hold them to account in the international courts.
I repeat, I tell Mu’ammar: I do not want to believe that you are contacting nations that are enemies to us, and hearing that you are seeking their support in how to oppress and destroy the protests. This is not you, so please don’t do this.
The above translation is from http://www.libyafeb17.com/
And here’s a BBC piece today about some of the mercenaries that Gaddafi is hiring to kill his own people…
Tuaregs ‘join Gaddafi’s mercenaries’
Finally, a 22 minute interview that Saif al-Islam (one of Gaddafi’s sons) gave to Al Jazeera today…
WOW thanks for potisng.WOnderful stuff, just wish the translation was clearer. It is time that people understood this is a war for oil and water. If they gave a rat’s ass about the Libyan people they would pull out the thugs of NATO and al Qaeda. The atrocities these ones have been doing, horrible. Last week I posted some films that even I could hardly watch, and my tummy is pretty tough after all these years. And within 24 hours both films and site were poofios. The CIA does not want the truth out there at all!Meanwhile I still root for Qadaffi… he may not be an angel but he does what he must for the people he loves… and unlike the Americans he protects his own.Rah rah