'Urges Obama to rebrand America'

UNLESS African leaders get their acts together and forge a formidable Union Government, the hapless peoples of the continent will continue to suffer in the hands of foreign interests.

The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who made the submission, warned that without unity, Africans would have no independence, no sovereignty or dignity and they would not be able to make any progress, despite the existence of material and human potentialities, as well as natural social cohesion. In fact, he added, "Africa will be re-colonised and some major powers in the world will self-proclaim themselves as the guardians of the African continent and we will now find ourselves under trusteeship."

"Africa will be re-colonised and some major powers in the world will self-proclaim themselves as the guardians of the African continent and we will now find ourselves under trusteeship," he warned.

In a chat with the Pan-African News Agency (PANA) in Sirte, Libya, at the 14th African Union summit in Addis Ababa, the Libyan strongman declared: "Africa will have no chance and will achieve nothing as long as it does not have a single minister for external trade, who speaks with genuine commitment and conviction when talking about issues concerning the 53 African countries before the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European market, the American market, the Chinese market and the Japanese market," Gaddafi said.

According to him, the consequences of the absence of unity will also be felt in international negotiations and international competitions, with the result that the continent's maritime and fish resources, for instance, will constantly be plundered, not only in the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but also in its own territorial waters.

"The EEZ of the African continent and its fish resources will remain in the hands of other countries as long as Africa does not have a single defence structure that protects its territorial waters and coasts," the Libyan leader said, citing the example of Somalia and its people, whom he described as victims of the plundering of their riches, violation of the country's sovereignty and the pollution of its waters.

He denounced the widespread tag of "Somali piracy", instead of "international piracy", which is widely used to describe the persistent hijacking of ships off the Somali coast, warning that the same situation in which Somalia has found itself could be experienced by other African countries in the absence of a united African with a single defence minister, a single African army and a single African Navy.

Gaddafi, who recently relinquished the AU chairmanship to Malawi President, Bingu Wa Mutharika, also advocated more powers for the post of the African Union (AU) chairman so that the office holder can more effectively represent the Assembly of Heads of States and Government.

"The United States of Africa will not see the light of day in a vacuum, but must be backed with the establishment of mechanisms that will hasten its realisation," he explained.

Such mechanisms, according to him, include the establishment of a federal government with ministers in charge of foreign affairs, defence, external trade, communications and transport.

To these, he said, should be added other ministerial portfolios which "would be working day and night to make the dream of the United States of Africa come true."

African nations are divided on the issue of Union Government, with some pushing for an immediate implementation while others are canvassing a gradual approach.

But the Libyan leader said he could not rule out the possibility that the delay in setting up the Union Government could be due to the fear for change, progress and unity among Africans themselves, a situation he warned could give victory to the enemy.

What is lacking indeed is political courage, or political awareness, or both, he submitted.

Gaddafi said in addressing the ongoing war against climate change, the quest for an African environmental policy likely to protect the continent against Greenhouse gas emissions, or any other question related to the development and welfare of the African continent, only the creation of the union's specific mechanisms could help Africa to find a just solution.

He also cautioned that the delay in implementing such an important project for the continent as the Union Government could lead to a new round of military takeovers in Africa, adding: "The Military are looking for opportunities such as the failures of governments to deliver the goods to take over power."

Gaddafi also urged the United States (U.S.) President, Barack Obama, to "free the United States from the label as gendarme of the world".

The Libyan leader, who lamented the wars and other conflicts "fuelled" by the U.S., expressed the will to back Obama in his "misfortune to rule an America involved in serious problems engendered by the former Republican administration".

He said that Obama, "despite the progressive projects he proposed and the action taken to free America from the label as guardian and gendarme of the world, has unfortunately inherited battles which were not necessary neither for the interest of American people nor the world."

The Libyan leader described those battles as unjust, lost in advance and failures, citing the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.

"The war against Iraq and Afghanistan was not profitable for America and as a matter of fact, they were lost since they began. America is today involved in the Iraqi quagmire and is also lost in the Afghan mountains and has achieved none of its objectives and this represents very complicated situations inherited by Obama, " said the Libyan leader who several times described Obama as "his son" when making these comments.

Gaddafi said the U.S. war strategy against Iraq and the Middle-East region was to counter Russia by surrounding the country in the South.

"Therefore, that strategy does not differ from Hitler's objectives during World War II during which he had planned his strategy to surround the former Soviet Union from the South in parallel to its blockade from the North through progress via Scandinavian countries," he added.

The Libyan leader expressed the hope that Obama should implement his plan to withdraw the American army from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gaddafi also criticised what he called "the double standard policy carried out by the U.S. on human rights, democracy and liberties."

Source: The Guardian:

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news