Former Libyan king heir: Qeddafi threw my grand father’s bones in the desert

In wide- ranging interview made to Echououk the heir of the former Libyan king Mohammed Sennoussi dwelt on the historic ties between Algeria and its neighboring country Libya amidst the developing events on the international level.

• The 48 year old man, who was exiled along with his family in 1988, by the beleaguered leader Moammar El – Qeddafi, talks about his political ambitions and his family’s ordeal during the ousted president’s reign over Libya.

   

  Echourouk: The king Sennoussi has played a major role during the Algerian revolution and provided it with arms, can his majesty talk about this period on the basis of your family’s recollections?

   

  Sennoussi: My grand father’s stand stemmed from his Arab and Islamic background, his position translated the Libyan people’s one toward the Algerian revolution… The king Idriss and the Libyan people were supportive to the Algerian cause. The king gave shelter to many Algerian orphans during the revolution and adopted a girl called “ Salima” who lived with him and accompanied him in his exile till she graduated. She’s now a grand mother and lives in Cairo.

   

  Echourouk:What about your family’s ordeal during the tyrannical reign of Al Qeddafi?

   

  Sennoussi: similarly to the Libyan people my family has suffered from the regime’s oppression including imprisonment, exile and spoliation. The Libyan people will never forget the storming of the shrine and the mosque at “ Al Djeghboub” in 1984, when the regime has desecrated Mohammed Ben Sennoussi’s  tomb and exhumed his bones thrown in the desert.

   

  Echourouk: How do you compare the end of the monarchical system with that of the republic in Libya?

   

  Sennoussi: There is no room for comparison, the difference is big between a military coup carried out by a group of military officers in the dead of the night to overthrow a legitimate king and what’s happening now with the popular uprising hat’s swept through the country in a bid to retrieve its sovereignty.

   

  Echourouk: What do you think about the unity of the political system in the great Maghreb and your opinion about the pending issues in that region, like the Western Sahara issue and the problem of the frontiers?

   

  Sennoussi: During the monarchy days and more specifically the government led by Abdelhamid El Bekkouche in 1976, Libya played a key role for the promotion of the idea of the great Maghreb, we are looking forward to reigniting the idea on sound basis.

   

  Echourouk: How do you evaluate the threat of the proliferation of weapons once owned by Qedaffi’s regime and the possibility of their seizure by extremist groups?

   

  Sennoussi: As you know the revolution broke out on peaceful basis but the regime has diverted it, don’t forget that prior to March 19, Benghazi and most probably the eastern parts of the country would have been exterminated by the regime. I’m quite confident that the arms will be collected back and handed over to their places right after the defeat of the remnants of the old regime.

  Moreover, I don’t think the so called extremist groups really exist in Libya, because the Libyan people are a peaceful one. Unfortunately, the regime played the card of terrorism in order gain the western support in his conflict against the Libyan people.

    

  Echourouk: You have declared that you were ready serve the Libyan people in the future, do you intend to do it as a plain citizen or as a future leader?

   

  Sennoussi: I don’t see any difference, what really matters for me, is to serve my country and see Libya among the developed countries living in dignity and cherishing freedom and stability.