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Wed, March 09, 2011 | The Jerusalem Post | Reuters | TRT-world

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi talks to TRT-Turk TV channel, Wed, March 09, 2011. (TRT-Turk website)

Gaddafi: The Libyan People ‘will take up Arms against Western Powers’ if Attacked

Gaddafi says Western powers want to control Libyan oil; official lands in Egypt with message from Gaddafi; tanks close in on rebel stronghold city Zawiyah; Pentagon says US is considering military options on Libya.

The Libyan people will take up arms against Western powers if they seek to enforce a no-fly zone in their country’s airspace, Muammar Gaddafi said in an interview with Turkish state-run television.

“If they take such a decision it will be useful for Libya, because the Libyan people will see the truth, that what they want is to take control of Libya and to steal their oil,” Gaddafi said in the interview by broadcast by TRT news channel on Wednesday.

“Then the Libyan people will take up arms against them,” Gaddafi said.

The interview with Gaddafi was conducted in Arabic and aired on TRT news channel with Turkish subtitles, Jerusalem Post reported.

[…]

Also on Wednesday, the Pentagon said the US is still looking at a full range of military options on Libya, a day before NATO defense ministers gather for a meeting likely to expand on Western nations’ deliberations about a no-fly zone.

“We are preparing, as we’ve made clear for days and days now, a range of military options for the president, including a no-fly zone and each of those options will also spell out the potential consequences of each course of action,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected to discuss Libya with counterparts from other NATO nations during the regular ministerial meeting beginning on Thursday.

Read full article in the Jerusalem Post here.

Gaddafi talks to TRT-Turk

Gaddafi blamed the foreign media for distorting the truth about the incidents in Libya, and said the Turkish and World public opinion would change in favor of his administration in near future.

Pointing the finger at Al Qaeda, Gaddafi said:

“They are trying to pull certain people to their side to fight along with them. First, they released the inmates in prisons. And they paid the youth to fight with them. Although there are other groups involved, I can’t see any other responsible than Al Qaeda. They are the real responsbile force.”

Also touching upon recently raised claims in the media that he was going to leave the office Gaddafi said

“What am I supposed to leave to who? I don’t have any authority. I am not a president nor government leader to render my resignation. I am just a member of the Libyan population,” he said.

Gaddafi said the foreign media was being mislead by Al Qaeda.

“When the police and military residences were attacked, Al Qaeda organization sent the news in text messages to foreign media. At that time, foreign correspondents were not in Libya. They sold a simple peaceful protest as if Libyan soldiers opened fire on the protesters and killed many people. This is how it was covered in the foreign media,” he said.

Read more here.