MONTREAL — The elder son of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi, viewed by many as his father's possible successor, says he hopes his country's political and economic opening to the U.S. will soon lead to the normalization of relations.
Seif Islam Kadafi, 33, has served as an unofficial emissary to the West, consulting with foreign officials, issuing calls for political and economic reforms at home and defending Libya's human rights record. In Canada in September to open an exhibit of Libyan art that included his own paintings, he held unofficial meetings with political leaders, including Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"I'm not saying we are a democratic state 100%," he said in an interview. "But we have made Libya a model for the Middle East."
Critics remain doubtful. They say Libya's overtures to the West are an attempt to end its political isolation and attract foreign investment to stabilize the economy. Political opposition is prohibited, and international human rights groups have reported that Libyan security forces arbitrarily arrest regime critics and detain them without charge.
"If Seif was a true reformer, he wouldn't defend the existing anti-democratic political structures," said Mohammed Ali Abdalla, U.S. spokesman for an exile group known as the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. "His goal is to gain power and continue his father's legacy."
With his shaved head and fashionable dark business suit, Kadafi resembles a Wall Street yuppie. He speaks heavily accented but fluent English. After graduating from university in Libya, he received an MBA in Vienna and a doctorate in global governance in London.
In Tripoli, the Libyan capital, he heads a charity that funds overseas development projects and has negotiated the release of hostages seized by Islamic radicals in countries such as the Philippines.
The Libyan leader, who is a colonel, has six other children. Several also have been mentioned as possible successors, including Saadi Kadafi, who runs the Libyan Soccer Federation and briefly played on an Italian team. The colonel's only daughter, Ayesha, is a lawyer who volunteered to join Saddam Hussein's defense team. Seif Kadafi downplays, but doesn't deny, political aspirations.
"I'm not a pure political person, nor a pure philanthropist, nor a pure painter," he said. "I am a multilayered citizen."
