Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
Following are excerpts from an interview with former Libyan interior minister Abd Al-Fattah Yunis, who joined the rebels. The interview aired on Al-Arabiya TV on March 13, 2011.
Interviewer: Are you in need of military aid in the form of equipment and weapons?
Abd Al-Fattah Yunis: There have been offers from many friendly countries, and what we need, we take. We get significant aid from friendly countries and from Arab countries. The aid has begun to arrive.
[...]
Interviewer: What is your view on the Arab response – is it somewhat belated, compared to the international response?
Abd Al-Fattah Yunis: Absolutely. Where are you, Arab brothers?! Where are you when Arab blood is being shed in North Africa, in Libya? Where are you when your kin, when Libya itself, is being slaughtered daily and crushed by aerial bombardments? Where are you, oh Arabs, when France, which is not an Arab or Muslim country, is the first country to recognize the free, popular, revolutionary regime in Libya? Where are you, oh Arabs?! But at the same time, I salute the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, because they were magnificent. [UAE Foreign Minister] Prince Abdallah bin Zayid called me over five days ago and said: "Ask for anything. We are with you."
[...]
With regard to Algeria and Syria – I'm sad to say that they reject the no-fly zone. I don't know why. As you know, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." If they consider themselves to be friends of the Libyan people, they must take a real stand. If they are friends of Al-Qadhafi, let them declare so, and be done with it. That way, we will know who our friends are and who our enemies are.
France plays an unbelievable role. I have talked to French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé three times, and he was [so friendly] that you'd think he was about to jump out of the phone, and come to sit with me. Just imagine – this is a Frenchman. True, he is an experienced politician, a former prime minister, a Gaullist, an outstanding person.
The same goes for Mr. William Hague, the British foreign minister, who talked with me three times. We will never forget the positions taken by Britain and France.
The position of Germany is regrettable. Merkel says that in order to impose a no-fly zone, certain conditions have to exist, or that it is not necessary. Some countries have not risen to the occasion. As a matter of fact, I have a problem with the US. Clinton's statements make you think that she is working with Al-Qadhafi, as his secretary or something. Obama makes declarations, but the secretary of state, who is the one calling the shots, says different thing. It's really strange.
[...]
Interviewer: With regard to your demand to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, do you think the international community is very late in imposing it?
Abd Al-Fattah Yunis: Absolutely. The foreign reporters are all over Libya, and they can see the massacres, and the hospitals, which are full of the wounded and the dead. Are these people not human beings? They are outstanding human beings, of the most honorable kind – rebels.
Generally speaking, the position of the international community has been weak, up to now. The UN and the Security Council remain hesitant. In contrast, Britain and France have declared today that they prepare to carry out the necessary strikes, without waiting for the UN. Either NATO [will strike] or they will themselves. That is what is necessary.
They should prevent these hostile planes from killing the Libyan people. That's it. We want them to come between our forces and the forces of the regime.
Interviewer: Why do you think the international community is so late?
Abd Al-Fattah Yunis: It's about interests, brother, I've told them in more than one interview that he would burn the oil and would strike the oil wells. He has already started to bomb the oil reservoirs. Who benefits from this oil? Our European neighbors. Our European neighbors need to take a resolute stand. They should follow the lead of France and Britain.
[...]
This is very painful for me. I was [Al-Qadhafi's] colleague for 43 years, and I know all his children. I pray that Allah will save his children, no matter what. They are the children of the Libyan people, and the Libyan people is a benevolent people. He will be judged by history, as well as by the international community. We Libyans will be the ones to judge him. The whole world awaits him.
[...]
Latest Clips
