Our eccentric neighbour Gaddafi: what US embassy cables say about Libyan leader

The leak of thousands of American embassy cables by Wikileaks this week has revealed an insightful portrait into the eccentricities of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The cable, prepared by US Ambassador to Tripoli Gene Cretz, says recent first-hand experiences in preparation for a trip to the United Nations’ general assembly “provided rare insights into Qadhafi’s inner circle and personal proclivities.”

His blonde Ukranian nurse Galyna Kolotnytska, and more importantly her reported “voluptuousness” are by now no big secret.

“Qadhafi cannot travel without Kolotnytska, as she alone ‘knows his routine.’

“Some embassy contacts have claimed that Qadhafi and the 38 year-old Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship. While he did not comment on such rumors, a Ukrainian political officer recently confirmed that the Ukrainian nurses ‘travel everywhere with the Leader’.”

But the man behind the migration blackmail and threats to Europe that it would turn into a new Africa displays particular traits and phobias, according to Cretz’s cable.

According to his report, Gaddafi demanded that he stays only on the first floor of any facility that was rented for him, because he “could not climb more than 35 steps.”

This was the primary reason that the Libyan residence in New Jersey was selected as the preferred accommodation site rather than the Libyan Permanent Representative’s residence in New York City.

Gaddafi’s dislike of long flights and apparent fear of flying over water also caused logistical headaches for his staff. Gaddafi refuses to fly over water and “cannot fly more than eight hours.” “Presumably for similar reasons, Qadhafi’s staff also requested a stop in Newfoundland to break his travel from Venezuela to Libya on September 29.”

Perhaps even more revealing of the Libyan psyche was their apparent reluctance to provide US staff with a passport photo for Gaddafi’s visa.

“When applying for Qadhafi’s visa, XXXXXXX asked whether it was necessary for the Leader to submit a portrait of himself that fit consular application regulations, noting that his photo was displayed throughout the city and that anyone of hundreds of billboards could be photographed and shrunken to fit the application’s criteria.”

Ambassador Cretz says Gaddafi, unsurprisingly, appears “almost obsessively dependent” on a small core of trusted personnel.

“Long-time Qadhafi Chief of Staff Bashir Salah appears to play an equally important role in Qadhafi’s personal retinue…

“We constantly hear that National Security Adviser and son, Muatassim, also plays a key role as his father’s confidante and handler during travel abroad. Muatassim also seems to have been tasked with insuring that the Leader’s image is well-preserved through the full array of carefully-planned media events.”

Cretz’s evaluation of Gaddafi’s quirks does not however undermine his evaluation of Gaddafi’s staying power, who has been leader of Libya for the past 40 tears.

“Continued engagement with Qadhafi and his inner circle is important not only to learn the motives and interests that drive the world’s longest serving dictator, but also to help overcome the misperceptions that inevitably accumulated during Qadhafi’s decades of isolation. As XXXXXXX told us, pointing to a larger-than-life portrait of Qadhafi, “When you have been isolated for so long, it is important to communicate.” End comment. CRETZ”