Colonels moment

This coming Tuesday will mark 40 years of Muammar Qaddafis rule in Libya and if his personality is an indication of what to expect,the international community will undoubtedly witness fanfare that would beggar most imaginations. However,what is known is that the Italian Air Force will mark this day with an extraordinary aerobatic performance by their best. One thus wonders how Muammar Qaddafi,previously ranking high in the bad books of most Western democracies,has managed to repair relations with his former adversaries. And now,the lens will be focused on the event furthermore,given that the Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi has returned to Tripoli to somewhat of a heros welcome.

This heros welcome has caused considerable disquiet in the West. That an American airline was blown up in the air with no survivors is unlikely to be forgotten and some are questioning why an accused stands free due to an independent Scottish decision on compassionate grounds. However,it is the

image of a jubilant Megrahi with his hands thrust up by none other than the Colonels son that is a brutish reminder of what transpired on the fateful day in 1988 and of Tripolis haphazard past. Tripoli has however worked hard in rehabilitating itself vis-à-vis the international community,especially the West. First came the compensation to the Pam

Am 103 victims,then Megrahis handover and finally in the wake of the Iraq War,the surrender of its

nuclear weapons arsenal in a game-changing deal.

The prospect of a fully re-integrated Libya was not going to be an easy task; the internal dynamics of the country dictate this. Rather than being the monolithic entity Tripoli wants to appear as,there is evident friction right at the top. Note how Qaddafi was conspicuously absent from welcoming Megrahi,thereby placing the deal clearly within the ambit of his son. What needs to be watched is how Qaddafi responds to this situation and the criticism which accompanies it.