Seif Al-Islam Al-Qadhafi, Son of Libyan Leader: The State of War with Israel Is Practically Over; We Regained Most of the Money We Paid Lockerbie Victims

The following are excerpts from an interview with the son of Libyan leader Mu'ammar Qadhafi, Seif Al-Islam Qadafhi, which aired on LBC TV on August 22, 2005.

Interviewer: You say that Libya has gained a lot from opening up to the West, but it also had to pay a high price, didn't it?

Qadhafi: True and false. It is true that we have paid a heavy price, but it is also false because this money has been almost entirely regained.

Regarding the Lockerbie affair, Libya paid some two billion dollars in compensation, and the American companies have so far restored to Libya 80% of that sum. I'm speaking about today, which means that within a year we will regain all this money and more. This, of course, does not include the frozen Libyan funds that were given back to us, or other financial profits and investments. The opposite is true. Purely financially, we have certainly profited.

Interviewer: The Leader stated that Libya has become a country with no enemies - that Libya has no enemies. Have you officially ended the state of war with the Israeli enemy?

Qadhafi: Answering this question would be pointless. Even if you declare a war against Israel, you cannot wage it. You have no common border with it, and the countries that do have a border with Israel have made peace with it. Whether or not you declare a war is meaningless. Practically, you cannot do anything. Theoretically, you can say whatever you want, but in practice, you cannot do anything. Therefore, this question... How can I answer this? Whether or not we declare war, whether or not they are enemies - they are very far away.

Interviewer: In the past, Libya used to participate in battles that took place on fronts with the Israeli enemy, and, officially, it is in a state of war. Is the war with Israel over, even if indirectly?

Qadhafi: We participated in the war when Egypt fought, and when the Palestinian factions fought. But if the Palestinian factions are negotiating today, and sitting at the same table as the Israelis, and Egypt, Jordan, and all the Arab countries are having direct ties and negotiations with Israel, and they have embassies - the story is over. When Egypt, Syria, and the PLO were in a state of war, we supported them against Israel, but they have changed their policy.