My people will protect me

Dictator, who insisted on making his claims in sometimes faltering English, strongly denied his regime was falling, saying: “No demonstrations at all in the streets. No one is against us. Against me for what? Because I am not president. They love me, all my people with me. They love me all. They will die to protect me, my people.”

Asked if he could conceive of using chemical weapons, he said: "We got rid of all that. This is a thing of the past and we have already finished this.

"Is it reasonable that any sensible man would use such a weapon against even his own enemy, let alone his own people?"

He also accused the US of failing to protect his country against "terrorists", adding: "It is betrayal, they have no morals. I'm surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight al-Qaeda, and now that we are fighting terrorists they have abandoned us.

"Perhaps they want to occupy Libya?"

RELATED ARTICLES

West ready to use force against Gaddafi over mustard gas fears 28 Feb 2011

Libya: what is mustard gas? 01 Mar 2011

The Libyan leader, who repeatedly broke out in laughter during the interview, said he would "put two fingers in their eye" of anyone who suggested he had salted money away in foreign countries.

During the interview with the BBC, which took place in a restaurant in Tripoli, Gaddafi blamed outsiders for the civil turmoil, adding: "It's al-Qaeda. They went into military bases and siezed arms and terrorised the people.

"The people who had the weapons were youngsters and they're starting to put down their weapons now as the drugs that al-Qaeda gave them wear off."

He previously claimed that al-Qaeda had drugged demonstrators by spiking their "Nescafe".

Mr Bowen said Gaddafi had seemed relaxed throughout the interview.

He said: "He laughed quite a bit when asked various questions. He seemed very unconcerned about foreign pressure, saying the Libyan people were behind him, the Libyan people loved him.

Tags:National Front for the Salvation of Libya, National Transitional Council, National Conference for the Libyan Opposition, Battle of Misurata, International reactions to the 2011 Libyan uprisin, Muhammad as-Senussi, Libyan Airlines,‎ Benina International Airpor, Tripoli International Airport, Timeline of 2011 Libyan uprising, 2011 Libyan uprising, The Battle of Az Zawiyah, Az Zawiyah, Libyan Opposition Fights Pro-Gadhafi

(source:telegraph.co.uk)