Is Gaddafi In A Coma?
The Jerusalem Post reports from a single source that Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi has suddenly slipped into a coma caused by a brain embolism. His family has been called to the hospital, according to the Post, and his prognosis looks murky -- perhaps as murky as the source:
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was rushed to the hospital Sunday after a blood clot was discovered in his brain, and is now in a coma, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an claimed.According to the report, Gaddafi's children, who reside in Europe, were recalled to his bedside in Tripoli.
"The condition of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is very serious and he was brought unconscious to the hospital," the agency reported.
The report cites a European source and has yet to be confirmed.
Gaddafi gave the US its biggest foreign-relations victory of the Iraq War when he voluntarily disarmed his nuclear-weapons programs. The US and UK had held negotiations with Libya on this point for months, but Gaddafi suddenly acquiesced shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein. He told Silvio Berlusconi that he didn't want to end his days like Saddam Hussein -- hiding in a dirt hole only to be hauled out by American troops. His abandonment of nuclear weapons may have made the entire exercise worthwhile, although most have forgotten about the surprising level of sophistication that UN inspectors found during the disarmament process.
If he is as ill as the Post and Ma'an reports, it puts Libya in a precarious position. Gaddafi has had poor relations with the Arab League of late, and the Saudis have been the problem. It's not altogether sure that a Gaddafi exit would result in a reconciliation; indeed, no one has really considered what comes after Gaddafi. The entire North African situation, as bad as it is already, could rapidly deteriorate as long-oppressed factions fight for power if he dies, or even if he remains incapacitated.
On the other hand, without independent confirmation, this report should be taken with a major grain of salt. Palestinian newspapers are not reknowned for their accuracy or allegiance to truth, and some factions within the PA have a heavy reliance on Saudi support. Ma'an might have indulged some wish fulfillment.
If not, though, we may have a short opportunity to work with Libyans to move their nation even further away from terrorism and oppression. Hopefully the State Department has its fingers on the pulse.
UPDATE: Via Allahpundit, he must be a rather active coma patient:
Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi has denied a Palestinian news wire report that he is fatally ill, Italy's ANSA news agency said Monday.Gadhafi called Monday to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi saying he was in good health, the agency reported.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on May 14, 2007 7:51 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
Comments (4)
Posted by StargazerA5 | May 14, 2007 8:20 AM
Less then 5 years ago, the thought of Qadhafi staying alive and in power would have been seen as countrary to America's best interests. Now we have reasons why it might be preferable.
What a strange and ironic world we live in.
StargazerA5
Posted by Mr Lynn | May 14, 2007 8:39 AM
Captain Ed: "[Quadafi's] abandonment of nuclear weapons may have made the entire exercise worthwhile, although most have forgotten about the surprising level of sophistication that UN inspectors found during the disarmament process."
Indeed. The estimable John Batchelor, when he was on ABC-Radio (what's happened to him?), with his colleague John Loftus, an intelligence specialist, reported that Quadafi's nuclear program was really 'the Arab bomb' in the making, sponsored by several countries (including Egypt and Iraq) and using Saddam's nuclear scientists. The technology came from North Korea and China via the A.Q. Khan ring in Pakistan.
If so, then Saddam really did have an active nuclear program, and the Iraq war stopped it in its tracks. Why the Administration has not touted this magnificent success from Day One has always mystified me. Unless it simply isn't true, I have to attribute the failure to capitalize on this propaganda coup to sheer and simple incompetence.
/Mr Lynn
Posted by Paul A'Barge | May 14, 2007 10:14 AM
Good. May his body rot in the sun.
Posted by NahnCee | May 14, 2007 11:59 AM
Doesn't Gaddafi have a hell-rake son who crashes and bribes his way through a bloody and illegal jet-set life? What are the chances that Baby Gaddafi will take over while Pappa Gaddafi does his Sharon impersonation?
Who *is* next in the succession line in Libya? Can we look forward to internecine civil wars and blood shed, a la the Palestinians and Iraqi's?