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probe the unrest rocking the North African country, promising investigators free access.
This came amid reports that eight British Special Air Services troops had been arrested in Libya, raising questions on whether or not the UK and other countries had already deployed military personnel without UN or AU approval or supervision or whether they were behind the armed rebels.
Gaddafi, making his first such demand since the outbreak of violent protests against his rule and the ensuing counter-offensive, also warned that the unrest would spell disaster for Europe.
“First of all, I would like that an investigatory commission of the United Nations or the African Union comes here to Libya,” he told the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche yesterday.
“We will let this panel work unhampered,” he said, adding that he would be in favour of France “co-ordinating and leading” the probe body.
Shortly after the unrest broke out, Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, long seen as a possible successor, said he wanted an independent domestic probe into the unrest.
On February 22, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Navi Pillay also called for an independent international inve-stigation.
Gaddafi underscored that the violence would have serious repercussions for Europe, which has been facing an uphill battle to stem clandestine immigration – especially from North Africa and Asia.
“Thousands of people from Libya will invade Europe,” he said, “and there will be no one to stop them.”
Gaddafi repeated that he believed the revolt against his government was being spearheaded by al-Qaeda.
“There is an Islamic jihad facing you from the Mediterranean,” he said. “(Osama) Bin Laden will install himself in North Africa . . . You will have Bin Laden at your gates.
“They will attack the US Sixth Fleet. There will be acts of piracy here at your gates, about 50km from your borders. Bin Laden’s men will demand ransom from land and sea. This will really become an international crisis.”
Gaddafi said three Dutch soldiers captured during an unauthorised rescue mission were being held prisoner and underlined that this was “normal” under such circumstances.
The three were taken captive in Sirte in the north of Libya yesterday in a botched attempt to evacuate two civilians, a Dutch engineer and one other European, by navy helicopter.
Britain said it had a small diplomatic team in Benghazi but refused to confirm reports that a diplomat and SAS soldiers were being held in Libya’s second city.
The Sunday Times newspaper said the SAS unit was captured along with the junior diplomat they were escorting through the rebel-held east and who was seeking contact with Gaddafi’s opponents.
“We can neither confirm nor deny the report,” a Foreign Office spokesperson told AFP.
A BBC correspondent in Benghazi said he had been infor-med that a helicopter carrying six people dressed in black and carrying weapons had landed in the region in the early hours of Friday.
“These six people who came off the plane were in black clothing which make them sound like they were SAS forces,” he told BBC television.
“The problem was to arrive on a helicopter, in the middle of the night, carrying weapons. You can understand the sort of fear that provoked here,” the correspondent added.
Mustafa Gheriani, spokesperson for the rebels’ self-declared national council in Libya’s second city of Benghazi, refused to comment.
“I have absolutely nothing to say,” he told AFP.
The Sunday Times claimed that the uninvited appearance of the SAS alongside the diplomat angered Libya, and they were ordered to be locked up in a military base by the rebels.
The paper reported that the diplomat the rebels had arre-sted wanted to make contact with them to prepare for a visit by a senior colleague.
On Saturday, the British Defence Ministry said troops had been placed on standby to help with evacuation and humanitarian operations in Libya. – AFP.