John Dalli and Gaddafi: Le Figaro picks up the story
LE FIGARO
LIBYE/UE: UN COMMISSAIRE SE DEMARQUE
(AFP)
05/03/2011
Le commissaire européen maltais John Dalli a défendu aujourd’hui ses propos tenus la veille dans son pays, où il a refusé de demander le départ du pouvoir de Mouammar Kadhafi, se démarquant ainsi de la position officielle de l’UE.
Dalli, 62 ans, qui dans le passé a étroitement travaillé avec la Libye pendant de nombreuses années en tant qu’homme d’affaires, avait déclaré vendredi au cours d’un forum économique maltais qu’il ne pensait “pas avoir le droit, pas plus que quiconque, de se prononcer sur le fait de savoir si Kadhafi doit démissionner”.
“Je pense qu’il appartient à Kadhafi de prendre ses propres décisions”, a déclaré M. Dalli, commissaire chargé de la Santé et de la protection des consommateurs, se voulant conciliant à l’égard de celui qui depuis près de 42 ans dirige d’une main de fer la Libye: “je pense que Kadhafi a fait une première tentative de conciliation” en proposant de négocier avec les insurgés.
John Dalli a également apporté du grain à moudre à la thèse du colonel Kadhafi selon laquelle des forces extérieures à la Libye ont manipulé et exagéré l’importance des manifestations de protestation dans son pays, à l’intention des médias étrangers.
“Il y a des fois où le doute s’installe lorsqu’on voit des gens parlant parfaitement l’anglais être portés par un groupe de personnes pour leur donner l’allure d’une foule”, a dit le commissaire. “Je me demande s’il n’y a pas des images qui sont créées pour les journalistes”, a-t-il ajouté, cité par par des médias maltais.
Ses propos sont largement en contradiction avec la position adoptée par l’UE et en particulier par le président de la Commission européenne, José Manuel Barroso.
Ce dernier a clairement appelé cette semaine le colonel Kadhafi à quitter le pouvoir.
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For non French speakers – my humble attempt at translation:
Maltese EU Commissioner John Dalli today defended his remarks made yesterday in his country, in which he refused to request the departure of the power of Muammar Gaddafi, thus standing against as the official position of the EU.
Dalli, 62, who for many years had close business ties with Libya, had said Friday during an economic forum in Malta, that he did “not have the right, not more than anyone else, to decide on whether Gaddafi should resign. ”
“I think it is up to Gaddafi to make his own decisions,” said Mr Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, wanting a conciliatory approach towards he who for nearly 42 years led with an iron fist in Libya: “I think that Gaddafi has made a first attempt at conciliation” by offering to negotiate with insurgents.
John Dalli also provided grist to Colonel Gaddafi’s argument that external forces have manipulated and exaggerated the importance of protests in his country for the foreign media.
“Sometimes doubt creeps into one’s head when seeing people speaking perfect English and hoisted up by a group of people made to look like a crowd. I wonder if they might be shots ‘created’ for journalists.” said the Commissioner as quoted by the Maltese media.
His remarks are widely at odds with the position adopted by the EU and especially by the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The latter has clearly called this week for Colonel Qaddafi to leave power.
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”Abraham Lincoln.
At this particularly difficult moment for the tyrant, any favourable ‘grain a moudre’ would certainly be most handsomely and generously reciprocated.
It will not be long for all news agencies pick up this story and Dalli’s position as EU Commissioner will become untenable.
It will not be long for all news agencies to pick up this story and Dalli’s position as EU Commissioner will become untenable and an embarrassment for the College of Commissioners and Mr Barroso.
Maltese EU Commissioner John Dalli today defended his remarks yesterday in his country, where he refused to request the departure of the power of Muammar Qaddafi, standing out as the official position of the EU.
Dalli, 62, who once worked closely with Libya for many years as a businessman, had said Friday during an economic forum in Malta that he did “not have the right, not more than anyone else, to decide on whether Gaddafi should resign. ”
“I think it belongs to Gaddafi to make their own decisions,” said Mr Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, wanting conciliatory towards those who for nearly 42 years leading an iron fist Libya: “I think that Gaddafi has made a first attempt at reconciliation” by offering to negotiate with insurgents.
John Dalli also provided grist to the argument that Colonel Gaddafi of Libya to external forces have manipulated and exaggerated the importance of protests in his country for foreign media.
“There are times when doubt sets when you see people speaking perfect English to be carried by a group of people to give them the appearance of a crowd,” said the Commissioner. “I wonder if there are not images that are created for journalists,” he added, quoted by the Maltese media.
His remarks are widely at odds with the position adopted by the EU and especially by the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
The latter has clearly called for this week Colonel Qaddafi from power.
John Dalli is shaming us all with his oblique support for our tyrannical neighbour. Maybe his exile to Brussels was not such a good idea for still one more reason and for an unbelievable reason that no one could have been anticipated.
Les temps faites mal pour notre Johnny.
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2011/02/23/why-labour-keeps-mum-about-libya-2/
There is a photo of AST leading the way, and we can also see the convert sitting with the audience. This was in September 2009.
http://www.il-pjazza.com/forum/index.php?topic=9562.105;wap2
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:681TPGE21vgJ:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php%3Fnote_id%3D122924818751+40+sena+malta+libja+konferenza+relazzjonijiet+bilaterali&cd=7&hl=mt&ct=clnk&gl=mt&source=www.google.com.mt
“Min-naha tieghu, Suleiman Al Shahoumi qal li l-istedina tal-Partit Laburista tikkonferma r-relazzjoni tajba hafna li tezisti bejn il-Libja u l-Partit Laburista Malti.”
John Dalli and Mr Sharia Farrugia Borg both come from Qormi: Irgiel sa nofs-in-nhar .