Abu Dhabi // A top Libyan official and long-time English translator for Col Muammar Qaddafi said the government would remain defiant in the face of "foreign intervention" on behalf of an uprising in the east of the country.
Fuad Zlitny, who was described recently in confidential US government cables as "Qaddafi's translator and personal aide", said in an interview from Tripoli yesterday that Nato forces were "driving the country towards a civil war, rather than sending observers for mediation".
"The feel here is that there is a foreign intervention. There is injustice. There is cowboy business," Mr Zlitny said. "It's a plot by the Arab League, by the secretary general of the Arab League, by Al Jazeera."
The government, he said, would continue to "resist" foreign intervention in Libya.
Mr Zlitny's defiant comments came as a team from United Nations was in Tripoli to investigate allegations of human-rights violations since a crackdown on protesters began in February and armed conflict with rebels took place across the country.
The three investigators are charged with probing alleged abuses from all parties: the Libyan regime of Col Qaddafi, the rebels and Nato forces. There have been of reports over the last two months of disappearances, torture and murder at the hands of Col Qaddafi's forces, but his aides deny they have committed violations of human rights.
Mr Zlitny said that Western forces and their allies across the Middle East and North Africa were in violation of the UN-sanctioned military assault on the Libyan regime after a bombing earlier this week of Col Qaddafi's official residence in Tripoli, and other attempts on his life.
"The whole compound was destroyed," said Mr Zlitny, whose office was inside the compound. "It has been there for almost 50 years. It has nothing to do with military operations. Everybody knows it; all the ministers, all of the heads of state, they know this. (Former British prime minister) Tony Blair came and had a cup of tea here."
The attack on the offices, located in the Bab al-Aziziya compound, amounted to an assassination attempt on Col Qaddafi, he said, echoing concerns raised by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
The countries enforcing a no-fly zone and pressuring Col Qaddafi to step down as leader of Libya have "no morals, no ethics, no Security Council resolutions", Mr Zlitny said.
"For them, might is right and underline it 10 times," he said. "What I am saying reflects the feeling of the normal Libyan citizen. Any Libyan would say that. It's a plot from day one."
"Give me one reason why Qatar goes to war with Libya?" he said. "Why are the Emirates going to fight Libya?"
bhope@thenational.ae
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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Number of tracks: 10
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The%20US%20Congress%2C%20explained
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MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Company%20Profile
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Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
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Current number of staff: 47