Libya sets eyes on reform path

New York: Libya wants to open a new chapter in relations with the United States by tapping into a major government fund to invest in US companies and sending thousands of students to study in America, the son of Libya's leader said.

In an interview on Friday with The Associated Press, Saif Al Islam Gaddafi also outlined plans for Libya to move from the one-man rule of his father, Muammar Gaddafi, to a constitutional democracy as part of the country's modernisation process.

The younger Gaddafi said he expects a constitution providing for democratic elections to be adopted by September 2009 - the 40th anniversary of the 1969 revolution that brought his father to power. He said he also expects Libya to modify its central government to a model similar to the US federal government, with strong regional and local governments.

Overtones

Saif, who was a key figure in normalising Libya's relations with the US, left the political stage in August and is on a private visit to the US. But his visit had definite political overtones, including meetings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, other administration officials and federal legislators.

It also coincided with Friday's confirmation of Gene Cretz as the first US ambassador to Libya in 36 years. Gaddafi was in Washington on Thursday when the Senate approved the appointment after it was verified families had received full compensation from Libya for the loss of relatives in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The bombing killed 180 Americans.

Last week's events capped a five-year rapprochement between the two countries that began in 2003 when the Libyan leader renounced terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The process gained traction in August when the US and Libya agreed on the compensation deal.

The younger Gaddafi said his main message was: "We are good people, and nice. We'll make business. We'll invest. We have friends here in the States and we have a new chapter in the relations." He said Libya's sovereign wealth fund of almost $100 billion (Dh367 billion) "wants to invest here in America" despite the financial crisis.

Libya hopes that some of the American businesses it invests in will transfer technology to the North African country "like other countries are doing", he said.

Libya's other major focus is promoting education links with the US and it expects to sign a cultural and educational agreement with the American government next month, he said.

"We hope to send...thousands of our students to study here. And also, we are talking right now with many American schools and universities to come and operate in Libya," he said.

He said he also worked hard to win government approval to invest $100 billion in Libya's modernisation, which he called "a big struggle". "Now the companies start working on that package, which is going to take the country forward," he said. "We are going to modernise everything in the country."

The younger Gaddafi said his third battle is to have a constitution.

There is a draft constitution, he said, "and it's in the hands of the Libyans to fight for the constitution, to ratify the constitution, and then to have an efficient government with the people who are elected by the Libyans, and not appointed by us".