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Gadhafi: U.S. made bin Laden a saintLibyan leader urges Washington to 'leave Iraq for the Iraqis'
(CNN) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said in a rare interview with American television Sunday that the United States made Osama bin Laden a saint and prophet, and that the fugitive al Qaeda leader "has become a symbol for defending the Islamic world." The comments came during an interview with George Stephanopoulos recorded Wednesday for broadcast on ABC's "This Week." "America is not doing that intentionally or on purpose," Gadhafi said through an interpreter. "America actually is fighting him, but fighting bin Laden led us to this reality." Gadhafi said in southern Africa, there are "pictures of bin Laden everywhere." And he has seen children wearing T-shirts with pictures of bin Laden. "They are not Muslims," Gadhafi added. "We say bin Laden is a criminal. We say bin Laden is a terrorist. But they say, 'bin Laden, may God protect and save him.' " ABC News said the interview was Gadhafi's first with an American news network since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Despite his belief that the United States' hunt for bin Laden has raised the terrorist leader's stature, Gadhafi appeared to make efforts to reach out to the West. He said he has exchanged information with U.S. authorities in an effort to thwart al Qaeda. Gadhafi said U.S. officials have given their Libyan counterparts information about Libyans held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that the Libyans have arrested terrorists who came to Libya from Afghanistan. A State Department spokesman played down Gadhafi's claim of cooperation against al Qaeda, rating its value a three on a scale of one to 10, and added that the Libyans, "didn't really tell us anything we didn't know or suspect," ABC reported. Gadhafi acknowledged that fighting al Qaeda is difficult. "Al Qaeda is like the cancer or tuberculosis; it cannot be detected in the early stages," he said. "Only at a later stage, you find out that you are affected." But he said that, by allying so closely with Israel, the United States has created "an environment for the growth of al Qaeda." History of conflict with WestGadhafi has been isolated from the West in recent years. In 1986, President Reagan ordered his compound bombed in retaliation for the bombing of a West German discotheque in which an American was killed. In 1992, the United States and United Nations imposed sanctions against Libya after concluding that Libyan agents were responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, in which 259 passengers and 11 people on the ground were killed. U.S. officials have demanded two conditions for lifting the sanctions: Gadhafi must accept responsibility for the bombing, and he must persuade U.S. officials that he is not pursuing weapons of mass destruction. About the latter, Gadhafi said he might allow international biological and chemical weapons inspectors into his country. "This is my proposal, yes. And I think this is the correct approach," he told ABC. Gadhafi said the file on that issue is "about to be closed." He refused to accept personal responsibility for the bombing. The wide-ranging interview was carried out in a tent outside Ben-Gazi in eastern Libya. Gadhafi was dressed in a silk shirt stenciled with the faces of African leaders, including Nelson Mandela. Gadhafi: Iraq 'will be like Vietnam'The Libyan leader also had advice for the United States on its involvement in Iraq. He said the best course of action would be "to leave Iraq for the Iraqis." Gadhafi predicted that the United States will find it difficult to end the Iraqi operation. "Fighting will continue," he said. "It will be like Vietnam." Despite U.S. claims, he said, the fighting would not become easier were deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to be captured or killed. "It is not a matter of Saddam Hussein," Gadhafi told ABC. "People would fight for their own independence. They say they will kill 365 Americans a year, and they will kill them." Gadhafi also disputed Bush administration claims that most Iraqis have welcomed the U.S.-led occupation force. "The opposite is correct. The president -- the American president -- should know the truth so that he knows how to act accordingly," Gadhafi said. Gadhafi predicts failure of Middle East 'road map'On the topic of the "road map" for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Gadhafi laughed and predicted it would fail. All similar initiatives dating back to the administration of President Eisenhower have failed, Gadhafi noted. "Even this 'road map' will be put in the dustbin, because some of these initiatives were just for propaganda, for elections," he said. The conflict-torn region is too small for Palestinians and Israelis to coexist in harmony, he said. "It cannot support two states," he said. Gadhafi urged the United States to be even-handed in its approach. Gadhafi also discussed his health in the interview. Western news media have reported that he might have cancer, but Gadhafi dismissed those reports. "I'll be lucky to have or suffer such illnesses so that I leave this bad world," he said. "But unfortunately, I'm OK." Gadhafi offered hope for international relations, noting that it is possible for the United States and Libya to become allies. "Russia and America, they were enemies, now they're friends," he said. "We hope that one day we'll be friends also."
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