Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has agreed not to pitch his tent in a New York suburb during an upcoming UN visit after heated opposition from the community, US officials said on Friday.
Englewood, New Jersey, a town of some 30,000 people across the Hudson River, is home to dozens of families who lost loved ones in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, whose sole convicted culprit was welcomed home by Qaddafi last week.
“In keeping with prior arrangements, the Englewood, New Jersey, property is not available for any use in connection with the upcoming visit,” US State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement.
Lawmaker Steve Rothman, who represents the area in the US Congress, said he was “very pleased that Muammar Qaddafi will apparently not be coming to Englewood.”
The Libyan leader’s “appearance would have presented unnecessary safety and security issues for the residents of Englewood and the Libyan diplomats,” he said.
Rothman thanked US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the administration had worked to address the community’s concerns.
But he also voiced gratitude to the Libyan government for its “consideration in resolving this matter in such a positive fashion.”
The State Department had hinted earlier that Qaddafi agreed not to pitch the tent in Englewood, where the Libyan ambassador to the UN maintains a residence.
And State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley had voiced confidence that the Libyans “will have suitable accommodations and that they will respect the earnest wishes of the people of the region.”
Qaddafi is heading to New York for next month’s opening of the UN General Assembly, where Libya will preside, marking the first time in his 40 years in power that he has come to the annual event.
The trip comes after a Scottish court last week released the Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds, angering many of the families of the 270 people killed when the Pan Am jetliner blew up over the Scottish town.
The Libyan leader, saying he wants to stay true to his Bedouin roots, camps in a tent when he travels, setting up his sleeping quarters everywhere from Rome’s main park to a garden across from the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Under an accord with the UN, the US allows in all world leaders heading to the world body, but restricts the movement of some to the New York area.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS