Posted on 10/15/2004 6:30:49 PM PDT by rdl6989
President Muammar Gadafy yesterday embarrassed his latest high-profile western visitor, the German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, by demanding compensation for thousands of landmines left in the Libyan desert during the second world war. During talks in Tripoli, Mr Gadafy complained that dozens of Libyans were still being injured and killed by the anti-tank mines, which were buried by Erwin Rommel and his retreating army more than 60 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
I think that is a perfectly reasonable and appropriate request. The Germans should clean up behind them.
Our friend?
Whose "mess" is this to clean up? Was Rommel there on vacation or delivering food-for-oil? If Rommel made a mess "retreating" I'd say it was the Germans mess to clean up along with any Allies that had to chase Rommel out of North Africa.
The Europeans don't like to be reminded of their past "sins" against the Arabs (and others). I don't remember any American colonies in those lands in the 19th & 20th century.
It came after Libya agreed in August to pay $35m (about £19m) in compensation to the non-US victims of a 1986 disco bombing in west Berlin, which killed three people and injured 230. The bombing was widely blamed on Libyan agents.
Whats good for the goose .... Gadafy called him on the hypocrisy.
Libyans were still dying from mines left by the Germany army, he said /
I'm sure the Germans will do the "right" thing.
Mr Schröder replied that it was in the interests of both countries to put the past behind them.
That's the "right" thing
But the visit is as much about economics as politics. Twenty German executives have travel-led to Tripoli with Mr Schröder, who yesterday flew to an oasis south of the capital to open a German-run oil well.
The chancellor suggested that one motive for his visit was to ensure that Germany got ahead in the surge of western economic interest in Libya.
The country's "enormous resources" mattered to German industry, he said.
I am shocked! It is about oil after all!
I think we should send a bill to Germany and France for all the bombs we dropped on them.
Libya didn't win their war. We did. We captured all of the Nazi maps of their mine fields in Europe, cleared them or roped them off, but Libya over in Africa hardly had that option at that time.
I mean, did Rommel even have time to map where he laid his mines as we were beating the crap out of him across Africa??
Besides, this sort of thing is *precisely* what we need to throw at the European leftists everytime they call for 3rd world debt relief.
It's a thing of beauty. The leftist Eurotrash calls for debt relief and we counter by telling them to clean up the dreaded mines that they left all over Africa.
We can do the same thing in regards to Cuba and their forces when they were in Angola.
Why didn't I think of this idea first?! I've been one-upped by Ghadafy!
Ahhhhh Wacky Gadafy.
Did he go senile? I am glad he is no longer Mr. Jihad but he is so crazy it is almost amusing.
I'm with you. Make that Baader Meinhoff linked helmethead pay.
Course he could ask Momar to pay for the disco bombings etc..
not quite a wash.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.