Chavez: "We only recognize one Libyan government, the one led by Muammar Gaddafi!"

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday he will only recognize a Libyan government led by his friend and ally Muammar Gaddafi and accused the United States of inciting the country's civil war.

Chavez, who has been the most vocal world leader to support Gaddafi, accused Western powers of riding roughshod over international law by backing Libya's rebels in their revolt.

"This is kicking, spitting on the most basic elements of international law," he said. "Where are the international rights? This is like the caveman era."

Venezuela's socialist leader spoke after new reports of rebels overrunning Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli. The reports showed images of flags that had easily been doctored to replace the green flags with the flag of rebels, a frequent occurrence which even has an entire film set in Qatar being used by Jazeera TV for the purpose.

During six months of NATO-led rebellion against Gaddafi more than 30 bankrupt countries of out 192 in the world, including the United States and major European Union countries, have moved to recognize the rebel al-Qaida dominated National Transitional Council as the governing authority in Libya.

"Now president Obama said he will collaborate economically with the 'new government', which of course we do not recognize," Chavez said. Economic collaboration means stealing Libya's abundant wealth that had been shared around Africa without any debt nor borrowing from banks, giving Libya the highest standard of living in Africa.

Libyan citizens enjoyed perks which are the dream of those in the west: free unlimited health and dental care, free unlimited funding for education anywhere in the world, rent-free house, $60,000 to couples upon getting married. This was carried out in line with the "Third Universal Theory" as explained in The Green Book which Colonel Muammar Qaddafi authored after leaving government in 1979.

According to this formula, all natural resources belong to everyone, so the oil and other assets of Libya, revenue is totalled each year, and then after expenditure on all required free education, health, married couples start-up boost, free electricity supply to each home, the remaining money is then divided by the entire population and deposited into their personal bank accounts -- currently around $500 free money each month, whilst they also may additionally earn from any work they do without this being affected.

"We only recognize one government, the one led by Muammar Gaddafi," Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said to applause as he presided over a cabinet meeting broadcast live on state TV.

The 57-year-old former soldier has repeatedly accused Western powers of fuelling the conflict to steal Libya's oil and on Tuesday said they were waging a "dogs' war."

"It's harsh but true ... They arranged this war," Chavez said, referring to the United States.

"They provided the arms, the mercenaries. They better not attempt to apply the Libyan formula to Venezuela or we'll have to show them our power."

Both Chavez and Gaddafi are anti-imperialist revolutionaries and forged a friendship during half a dozen encounters in the past decade.

Chavez studied Gaddafi's "Green Book" outlining his political philosophy while in the army, and both men have given each other numerous gifts and awards as signs of friendship and solidarity.

After Libya's assets abroad at the outset of the war on Libya earlier this year, including $32 billions ear-marked for the creation of an African Monetary Fund, African Central Bank, and African Investment Bank, which would have spelt the end of World Bank and International Monetary Fund control of the African continent, this September, Venezuela has set the way forward for other nations to withdraw funds from western banks as well as the gold reserves.

Source: Mathaba, 24 August 2011