Qaddafi opposes UNSC seat for India, favours ‘independent Kashmir’

September 24, 2009 06:02 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 06:51 am IST - United Nations

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi tosses a book toward General Assembly President Ali Treki from Libya, during his address to the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday.

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi tosses a book toward General Assembly President Ali Treki from Libya, during his address to the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday.

In a diplomatic embarrassment to India, maverick Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi says Kashmir should be an “independent state” and that countries like India should not be on board any expanded U.N. Security Council.

“Kashmir should be an independent state, not Indian, not Pakistani. We should end this conflict. It should be a Ba’athist state between India and Pakistan,” the Libyan leader said raising the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.

Instead of his allotted 15 minutes, Col. Qaddafi, donned in long brown robes and a black hat, spoke for nearly 100 minutes during which he slammed both the U.S. and the United Nations, and described the Security Council as the terrorist council.

Col. Qaddafi opposed the expansion of the U.N. Security Council by including countries like India which, he said, would spur a “competition” with nations like Pakistan wanting to get in.

In his first speech to the General Assembly, he said opening the doors of the UNSC for big powers would “add more poverty, more injustice, more tension at the world level“.

“There would be high competition between Italy, Germany, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Japan, Argentina, Brazil...,” Col. Qaddafi said.

Stressing that there must be equality among member states, he noted that since India and Pakistan were both nuclear powers, if India had a seat then Pakistan would want one as well.

“We reject having more seats,” said the Libyan leader since it would give “rise to more superpowers, crush the small people.”

He also called the Security Council a “council of terror,” and demanded a compensation of $7.77 trillion for African nations for centuries of colonisation.

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