Libyan diplomts' main job was to take care of Gadhafi's son

Otman Daouki, the charge d’affaires of the Libyan Embassy

By Kim Se-jeong

Under Moammar Gadhafi’s rule, the main role of Libyan diplomats was to take care of his family members traveling abroad, according to a staffer at the Libyan Embassy in Seoul.

“When I was in Russia, I just made programs for his son. I made everything comfortable for the son when he was visiting,” Otman Daouki, the charge d’affaires of the Libyan Embassy in Seoul, said in an interview with The Korea Times on March 13.

He was referring to Khamis, the youngest of the late Gadhafi’s seven sons. Khamis, 28, was killed in October last year in a battle in Libya.

Daouki was posted to Moscow between 2006 and 2009.

The diplomat didn’t elaborate on details of the youngest son’s visits to Russia.

He was also posted to Kenya and Ghana, but there he didn’t receive any of the family members, as that was when sanctions against Libya were in place restricting Gadhafi and his family from traveling abroad.

Two years have passed since the revolt erupted in Libya, which led to regime change and the death of Col. Gadhafi. To mark the second anniversary, the embassy in Seoul is hosting a reception today.

“We now have freedom,” Daouki said through an interpreter as to what is the biggest change in the post-Gadhafi time. “Now, I can talk to the local media.”

An interpreter who has been working at the Libyan mission in Seoul for a decade echoed him. “I’ve been here 10 years. Before, diplomats could not talk to the media.”

Last July, the first popular election was held in Libya, to select 200 parliamentarians. The following month, the National Transitional Council officially handed over power to the newly-elected General National Congress, which is currently drafting the country’s Constitution.

Daouki said the first free election was, to him, a reminiscence of King Idris’ time. The king held power until 1969 when Gadhafi staged a coup d’état.

The diplomat called on the South Korean private sector to resume their business in Libya. Korea is one of the biggest investors in Libya, following China and Turkey.

Hyundai and Daewoo have kept a strong presence building hospitals and power plants.

skimAccording to the foreign ministry in Seoul, the companies are back in Libya, yet it will be a while until they resume their business.