(
Social Justice South Africa ; c.f.
Reuters (Secular; Independent; British)
11 / 06 (June) / 2009 ; EuroNews (Secular; French; very Liberal/Leftist)
10 / 06 (June) / 2009 ;
BBC World news (British; Secular independent)
10 / 60 (June) / 2009;
11 / 06 (June) / 2009 )
Article by Marc Aupiais
Controversial, and
vocal billionaire:
Italy's Prime Minister:
Silvio Berlusconi, has been pulling out all the stops for the
infamous Libyan leader:
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, of whom
Reuters reported, on
Thursday, as having spoken to
Italian Senators, having been invited to speak to the
Italian Senate. In this speech, he seemingly compared the
Vatican to
North Korea, and further, to
Afghanistan under the
Taliban. He made
Saddam Hussein out to be a
hero, and
neglected some
facts in a
contentious speech.
Continuing his not
unexpected attack on the
Western World, the
Libyan military dictator, continued: comparing a
U.S. (United States of America) plane strike in the '80's, which killed his daughter: to an
Al Qaeda attack. Here, ignoring the
Libyan counterstrike, against an
Island, and not against
America, he treated
America as a
Terrorist.
A quotation of the first comparison, by
Reuters which notes of the
Dictator's speech: while quoting the dictator is:
"[The Libyan leader was] Arguing that the world should have room for "regimes of all kinds" including "revolutionary" Libya, he asked: "What's wrong with North Korea wanting to be communist? Or Afghanistan being in the hands of the mullahs? Is not the Vatican a respectable theocratic state with embassies all over the world?""
(Reuters (Secular; British; independent) 11 / 06 (June) / 2009)
A second quotation, of such a
question put forth by the
Dictator, from the same
source: on the speech is:
""What difference is there between the American attack on our homes in 1986 and [B]in Laden's terrorist actions?" he [the Libyan leader] asked. "If [Al Qaeda leader: Osama] [B]in Laden has no state and is an outlaw, America is a state with international rules.""
As the apparent
World Economic Crisis, has continued to unroll,
Europe, also has become increasingly aware of their needs of, and dependent on
Russian oil, and
gas.
Italy, seeing
gloom and doom on the
horizon, has increasingly attempted to attract
investment from
Libya in its
companies, and currently buys about
one quarter (1/4: 25% [
Twenty-Five Percent]) of their
oil and over 30% (
Thirty Percent) of their
gas, from the infamous
North African dictatorship/
nation (c.f. .
EuroNews (Secular; French; very Liberal/Leftist)
10 / 06 (June) / 2009 ).
Silvio Berlusconi's recent dealings with
Libya, including the turning away of
refugees (at least about 37 000 (Thirty-Seven Thousand) a year attempt the trip to Europe via Italy, while several thousand have already allegedly been
towed back to
Libya: c.f. . EuroNews (Secular; French; very Liberal/Leftist)
10 / 06 (June) / 2009 ): and their direct deportation back into the
military dictatorship:
Libya, without any consideration of
asylum, has gained
Italy: Vatican Criticism, as well as that of groupings purporting to promote the
Western Value of
Human Rights.
Berlusconi, is an important representative of the
Right Wing of
Italy's political spectrum, which generally gains the support of some church figures for anti-euthanasia etc stances, despite this
religious support for his side of Italian politics (Excluding aspects inter alia of his
Human Rights Record): he has been accused of multiple
sexual flings with
actresses, and (by left leaning
AFP) of only falling for the
woman he had
married, after
seeing her
upper half, as she
performed (as an "
actress") with a certain
lack of attire on stage. While his public
opposition to some extent against
Euthanasia, and other such positions he's taken, against
extremely left-wing incursions into
Italy, have gained much support from the
Vatican. Some other choices, including his
personal life choices, and his alleged
human rights ignoring
policies regarding
refugees, have gained strong
criticism from
Church, and
societal figures.
His dealings with
Refugees,
desperate to escape their
harsh, and
controlled lives in
Libya: have gained
Berlusconi a harsh reputation as regards some aspects of (
UN Defined version of)
Human Rights.
International sanctions against
Libya, were officially ended in 2003, when the
African dictatorship, decided to
officially end development of what
Reuters, in their article: has termed "
Weapons of Mass Destruction".
When comparing the
Vatican to
North Korea, and to previous
Afghanistan, the
Libyan military dictator, who came to power in a
coop, was attempting to
justify the practices of what are known
internationally as
pariah states. He particularly noted the
Vatican, a center of some notable moral and spiritual power in the
Western World as what he termed a "
theocracy": ignoring the fact that all citizens of the
Vatican, except the pope are
temporary, and that its laws, until recently, under recent
Italian governments: had been based, not on
theology, but on
Italian law, and that it still largely bases them on Italian Laws: but with mind to choose which new laws to adopt.
The fact, that
Berlusconi, has allowed the
infamous dictator, to visit
Italy, and that
Italy, last year had agreed to pay, and did pay: a vast sum of about
Five Billion US Dollars to
Libya in
reparation for alleged
Italian Human Rights abuses under the
equally infamous fascists, during colonialism (the current Italian government does so: ignoring
Libya's alleged ongoing
abuses of what are known as
Human Rights, despite such
government paying for previous alleged
ignoring, or
abusing of
Human Rights?), and that the
Libyan Dictator: wore a photograph, showing a
revolutionary (
Omar Al Mokhtar: so-called "
Lion of The Desert"), who the
Italians allegedly put to
death, during their
Fascist lead
occupation of
Libya, certainly seem to say that this move by
Italy's government, is due to the economic profits to be gained from the deal.
Italy's Left, which is often noted for disagreement with the
Church, and for the
Vatican's disagreements with
it: has taken a stance against the privileges given the
infamous dictator, with a
major leftest party, directly questioning the visit.
It must be noted, that
Italy's occupation of
Libya, under
Fascist rule, is very likely to have had an administrative purpose, which committed
atrocities, but further, that ignoring of current issues, seems to make
reparations only
symbolic.
Leftest students, had hurled
smoke bombs, as well as
red paint which
hit police shields, as the
Colonel in Charge of Libya, visited an
Italian university, and the
Left-Wing, had today prevented the
dictator from speaking in the
main Senate Chamber, even though the
Libyan leader, had been allowed, in any case: to speak to the
Italian Senate.
What has made most headlines, is the
Libyan's comparisons: connecting the West, with terrorism, and other such things. When speaking of a
U.S. air-strike on
Tripoli, he did not mention the
Lybian response, which was aimed at seeming
innocents also.
The
Libyan Dictator, is staying in a
tent erected at: "
Villa Pamphili" (
BBC World News (British; Secular independent)
10 / 60 (June) / 2009 ;), in
Italy's Capital City:
Rome, during his three day
visit.
The
Italian change of
Policy was, perhaps best put by
Italy's Prime Minister, on
Wednesday, while greeting the
Libyan leader:
""This event symbolises a great change in the relations between Italy and Libya after many difficult years...""
(BBC World news(British; Secular independent) 10 / 60 (June) / 2009 )
While
controversial, the new
trade ties between
Italy, and
Libya, follow a general
international trend, which has seen many
Western Nations, opening
trade relations inter alia with
China, with
Russia, and with many other
Nations, which still have
poor records in
Democracy, and as regards
Western beliefs about
Human Rights. While the opposition in
Italy, is certainly being sure to make a fuss about the visit, both the
Left Wing and
Right Wing of
global politics, have increasingly opted for
convenient economic
solutions, with
leaders such as the
Libyan one.
With the
Global Economic Crisis, taking a focus, as with
Global Warming: there are increasing fears that
Humanitarian Situations, and the
plight of
citizens who have
little say in their
conditions, will increasingly take a back road, to
convenient economic and
social policies.
Libya, currently hold the rotating chair of the
presidency of the
African Union (
AU), despite it's record on
human rights. Something not unusual in many
African States.
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