The Libyan Leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi has described the methods being used by al-Qaeda as "a storm in a teacup", while repeating his denouncement of their terrorist activities.
He was speaking to George Negus from SBS's Dateline program in a rare interview in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
“I think that the method these people [al-Qaeda] are using is a storm in a teacup. They don't have any justifications for existence," he said.
He also tells Negus that Afghanistan should have been handed over to the Taliban, and that the West should never have linked the Taliban with al-Qaeda.
“The Taliban are not a threat and should not have been fought… they want to rule their country in a religious manner, they're free to do that. Look at the Vatican - same thing.”
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Despite his criticism of America, Gaddafi also tells George Negus of his respect for Barack Obama. He describes him as an "exceptional case", who should stay in power forever.
"He has even Arab and Islamic roots and thus his mentality is different to that of the Yankees,” Gaddafi said.
Gaddafi has been seen by the West to soften his approach in recent years. But while he has offered compensation to the victims of the Lockerbie disaster, he tells George Negus that he never ordered the attack, and the bomber - released from a Scottish prison last year - is not guilty.
Colonel Gaddafi also tells Dateline that anyone who thinks he's a dictator is stupid and ignorant.
Watch the interview on the Dateline website.
