International Diplomacy
Gaddafi was instrumental in negotiations that led to Libya's abandoning a weapons of mass destruction programme in 2002–2003. He arranged several important business deals on behalf of the Libyan regime in the period of rapprochement that followed. He was viewed as a reformer, and openly criticised the regime:
congressional aide asked him what Libya needed most. His one-word answer: democracy."You mean Libya needs more democracy?" the aide asked.
"No. 'More democracy’ would imply that we had some," Gaddafi said.In 2003, he published a report critical of Libya's record on human rights.
On 10 December 2004, shortly before a trip by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to Tripoli, in an interview with The Globe and Mail Gaddafi requested a formal apology from the Canadian government, for joining U.S.-led sanctions against Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, and for denying him a student visa to study in Canada in 1997. His request was met with incredulity in Canada, and the Canadian government announced that no apology would be forthcoming.
Read more about this topic: Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi
Famous quotes containing the word diplomacy:
“There are few ironclad rules of diplomacy but to one there is no exception. When an official reports that talks were useful, it can safely be concluded that nothing was accomplished.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)