A Libyan summit without Libya

What an odd thing Libya is. In all the warring adventures of the last two interventionist decades, Libya must rate the oddest. And what a strange event today in London – a full-blown international summit – 35 nations attending in one form or another, discussing an entity which will not itself be present – Libya.

I first went there in 1978, lured by the Colonel’s already rich reputation for eccentricity; he was courting the odious Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin. Yet in those days we were also slightly taken with his Little Green Book – given that Mao’s Little Red one was causing so much stir further East. Given the exploitation and inequality of other regimes in the region, Gaddafi’s Green option appeared at the time to spread Libya’s wealth more equitably. The average per capita income ranged around $7,000. Even today its up around $15,000 a year – twice that of Tunisia to the West, three times that of Egypt to the East. Hence, so many knuckled down beneath his absurd regime.

Gaddafi has never changed. In those early days he balanced the spread of wealth with the spread of fear. Both were eased by his abolition of national institutions and empowerment of local village committees. Gaddafi as an individual was weird to encounter. He didn’t make eye contact. He mooched about whilst he talked and about 55 per cent of what he said, sort of stacked up, the other 45 per cent was, how can I put it? Extraterrestrial?

Read more in the Channel 4 News Special Report on Libya

He had oil – has less after the last few days. He had isolation too, and grubby expatriate hangers-on. It was easy to be taken in by him. Exotic in a way. But I never imagined that sustaining relations could be made with him. Libya has wondrous visual treasures – one of the most complete and beautiful Roman amphitheatres in the world amongst them.
About seven or eight years ago, I became aware of the son in London, Saif. I was invited one late night to his modernist black marble-laden no-expenses-spared London home. Relations were stony cold. I got nothing from him – he seemed a refined chip off the old ruffian’s block.

I find it hard to believe anyone has a comprehensive idea of who the ‘rebels’ are. A good number were Gaddafi loyalists – but that was an easier thing to be, than not. The coalition of nations meeting today have a problem. They could have a very odd entity indeed on their hands, even if it is not present at their table. I wouldn’t want to trade places with them as they try to work out what they have already done and where it takes them. Nowhere simple…Gaddafi has already seen to that.