U.S. President Barack Obama has received a letter from his Libyan counterpart Muammar Qadhafi, the White House has confirmed and said this will not have any impact on America’s Libya policy as his words are different from actions.
“We can confirm that there was a letter, but obviously not the first. And the issue of a ceasefire is, as the President made clear when he announced his decision a number of weeks ago, the conditions laid out were clear, which is action, not words — cessation of violence, withdrawal from the cities and the menacing sort of positions that the Qadhafi forces had taken,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
“Words (of Qadhafi) are different from actions,” Mr. Carney told reporters travelling with President Obama on Air Force One to New York.
The letter from Mr. Qadhafi was received by State Department on Tuesday, which after authentication was transmitted to White House, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
“This is a letter to the President and we just don’t get into the business of revealing the contents of those kinds of letters,” Mr. Toner said when asked about the content of the letter.
In his letter, Mr. Qadhafi urged Mr. Obama to end the alliance’s air operations.
“It contained no offers to negotiate or step down, and the official said the administration isn’t taking the note seriously. Qadhafi asked Obama to stop the ‘unjust war against a small people of a developing country’ and said those in the opposition are terrorists and members of al Qaeda,” the official said.
“We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you,” he wrote, according to the official.
“Despite all this you will always remain our son. You are a man who has enough courage to annul a wrong and mistaken action,” Mr. Qadhafi wrote.
