The following interview with Libyan businessman Hassan Tatanaki was conducted a few days before the sudden events took
place in Libya. The General National Congress (GNC) was surprised by
the military deployment led by retired Maj. Gen. Khalifa Hifter in
Benghazi, Tripoli and other areas. This operation was supported by
sectors of the army and has pushed the GNC to announce, in a shocking
step, the election of a new parliament on June 25 to replace the GNC,
whose term has expired.
The elections may not be held on schedule because the events on the
ground keep changing around the clock. Meanwhile, neighboring countries
are closing their borders to people, the Arab League is taking action
and the Maghreb countries are calling for a meeting to discuss the
developments in Libya. For their part, the United Nations, the United
States and Europe are watching with a great level of suspense.
Tatanaki said that Islamic political parties were controlling the GNC
after they had received the consent of Western circles and became
powerful. However, he considers Libya’s problem to extend beyond this,
as developments reveal a desire to turn this country into a hotbed of
terrorism.
Tatanaki said he is optimistic about the ability of the Libyan
people, with all their revolutionaries, armed forces and tribes, to
overcome chaos and deter extremist leaders that are striving to spread
discord between the tribes and across the cities. He suggested the
creation of an emergency government monitored by an elected
parliament to enhance the army, the police and the judiciary, and
respect the responsibilities of the tribes as per their customs, for
deterrence. This leads to getting rid of illegal weapons and makes
people trust the state security institutions and the judiciary.
As a political activist, Tatanaki said in all transparency that he
helped close associates of the regime in solving the problem of the
blockade resulting from the Lockerbie problem. Back then, the regime of
former President Moammar Gadhafi considered him a close associate of the
United States and some European countries. Some Gadhafi supporters even
accused him of collaborating with these countries.
Tatanaki accompanied the Libyan revolution from the very beginning.
He offered social and media assistance and served as an assistant to the
first administration of the revolution, which was headed by Mustafa
Abdul Jalil. He helped the administration in its relations with the
United States and some European countries. Tatanaki always prefers to be
referred to merely as a Libyan “citizen.”
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