KIRSAN Ilyumzhinov, president of the World Chess Federation, has spoken about his recent meeting with Colonel Gadaffi in Tripoli.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, head of the FIDE spent the weekend in Tripoli.
In the Libyan capital he met Mu’ammar al-Gadaffi and played chess with him.
When asked how did the meeting with Gadaffi go, he replied: ‘It had not been planned in advance.
‘I was in Libya at the invitation of that country’s Chess Federation and Olympic Committee, which are headed by al-Gadaffi’s eldest son, Muhammad.
‘He and I have long been acquainted. I met him on the morning of 12 June, and we discussed matters of cooperation.
‘I asked him to support the FIDE in the International Olympic Committee, so that chess will be recognised as an Olympic type of sport.
‘I expressed my condolences to him over the death of his brother and nephews and said that I wished to repeat the same thing to Mu’ammar al-Gadaffi.
‘Then a meeting took place with the minister of education.
‘Next Muhammad telephoned and reported that his father was prepared to meet me.
‘I went along and expressed my condolences. We sat for a long time and talked, drank tea, and played chess.
‘The meeting took place in one of Tripoli’s administrative buildings.
‘I drove up, and there was no fuss and practically no guards.
‘Admittedly, when we were talking, he did ask: “Are you not afraid?” I replied: “Of what?” “They are hunting me,” al-Gadaffi continued. There really was an unmanned air vehicle circling constantly over the city.
‘Incidentally, when his son and grandchildren died, he had left this building literally five minutes before the tragedy.
‘I can say right away that his handshake is strong.
‘He himself ran easily up to the second floor, meaning that he is not injured or sick.
‘He is normal and adequate. I have known him a long time, and there is no change.
‘As a chess player, as a professional, I can say that al-Gadaffi played the Spanish gambit excellently.
‘It was uncomfortable for me, since I was a guest. Of course, I could have won, for he sacrificed his knight to me.
‘But I did not take it, and I myself proposed a draw. He tried to struggle, to fight. He has a warrior’s spirit.
‘His son and I played all the time. We played from morning. I presented him with a Kalmyk chess set, made of felt. He at once suggested trying it out.
‘When we were playing chess, the colonel said: “Everyone is demanding that I leave. Kirsan, I am not president, not king, not a minister.”
‘He really is no one there – just the leader of the Jamahiriya. He has neither signature nor seal.
‘Municipal self-government is strongly developed there. When I visited him while I was president of Kalmykia, I studied their system of government.’
He was asked whether there would be a chess tournament in Tripoli and replied: ‘Journalists distorted things a little.
‘I simply spoke with the minister of education about introducing chess in school.
‘This already happens in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Thailand. The possibility of holding tournaments, seminars, and so forth was discussed precisely within the framework of my Libyan trip.
‘I informed Russian emissary Margelov about my trip. I am in contact with many people. I have not broken with Russia, although I live abroad. I notified Margelov that I was travelling to this region.
‘I have already flown to 31 countries. I will now fly to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
‘I will meet the leadership there too.
‘My conversation with al-Gadaffi was an ordinary working moment. I do not understand why such a fuss is made.
‘In October the FIDE General Assembly proclaimed 2011 the year of Africa.
‘This means support for chess, support for chess schools, the holding of seminars and international tournaments.
‘Within the framework of this programme I have already visited several countries – the Republic of South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria.
‘I meet with the leaders of the ministries of education and sport and the heads of these countries’ Olympic committees.
‘In Libya, I had working meetings with the foreign minister, the minister of education, and the leadership of the Chess Federation and the Olympic Committee.
‘The agenda included the prospects for the development of this game and particularly the introduction of chess into the school programme.
When asked, ‘Why al-Gadaffi has disappeared from TV screens recently, Ilyumzhinov said: ‘Because a hunt was launched for him.
‘NATO troops decided to physically eliminate him and his family.
‘As you know, a month ago he had a supper with his family. At eight o’clock, he left for home.
‘Literally minutes later, several bombs hit the house of his son, and his two-month-old granddaughter, his two-year-old twin grandsons, his 29-year-old son and about 10 other relatives died under the ruins.
‘After that, he did not want to put his closest circle and his relatives under threat.’
Answering a question about the location of his meeting with al-Gadaffi, Ilyumzhinov said that the head of Libya’s National Olympic Committee, al-Gadaffi’s son Muhammad, had called him and told him that al-Gadaffi wanted to meet him. ‘At the time, I was at the embassy of the Russian Federation. Calmly, in a car, without bodyguards, I travelled to the building of the Olympic Committee.
‘He met me on the ground floor and we went upstairs to the first floor. For about two and a half hours, we were playing chess, talking, drinking tea.’
Asked whether al-Gadaffi was ready to hold talks with NATO, Ilyumzhinov said: ‘Well, Colonel al-Gadaffi said that he was ready for immediate talks, without preconditions, with NATO and rebels from Benghazi.
‘He also noted that this was an internal problem, an internal issue, with residents of his home country, and the problem was that NATO still did not explain why he should leave his country.
‘Therefore, he said that he was ready for talks any time. He, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his representatives are ready to hold talks with representatives of NATO, about 48 countries, and with the rebels, and to cease hostilities immediately.’
He added: ‘Al-Gadaffithinks that his physical elimination, or a ground operation in Libya by NATO countries, will only lead to a protracted civil war and split Libya into the east and west.
‘The Western part of the country, said al-Gadaffi – will never forgive the east for bringing NATO on Libyan soil, and will not forgive numerous bombing casualties,’ the FIDE president quoted al-Gadaffi.
Ilyumzhinov added: ‘Al-Gadaffi thinks that he is a link between numerous tribes. His physical elimination by the North-Atlantic alliance will only trigger many years of civil war.’
In his words, ‘Al-Gadaffi said that mercenaries from Iraq and Egypt, some of whom have been taken prisoner, are fighting on the rebels’ side.’
‘I am not making political assessments, I am just conveying my conversation with Al-Gadaffi,’ said Ilyumzhinov.
He added: ‘Unmanned aerial vehicles are constantly flying over the city, bombing the city. When we were travelling to the Education Ministry, I looked out and saw a wrecked building.
‘We stopped, I asked the person accompanying me; he says this is a hospital.
‘Next to it is the parliament, which NATO forces also wanted to bomb, but bombs flew towards the hospital. There are many facilities there. They wanted to bomb a TV tower, so a half of the neighbourhood was destroyed nearby.’
Libyan leader Mu’ammar al-Gadaffi has information that many members of the Libyan opposition hold foreign citizenship and have been sent from abroad, Ilyumzhinov reported.
‘Al-Gadaffi said that now, “There was a problem not so much between the central authorities in Tripoli and people in Benghazi, who have been sent from various countries to govern this province, but in the relations of the Libyan leadership, the legitimately elected parliament and the Libyan government with NATO member states.”
‘He showed me a list of people that were allegedly holding talks in Benghazi. This one is a citizen of the USA, that one is a French citizen, a citizen of Qatar,’ Ilyumzhinov added.
Al-Gadaffi stated that his country’s gold and foreign currency reserves kept in foreign bank accounts amount to 160bn dollars.
‘Let them explain what they need: our 160bn dollars – the Libyan Jamahiriya’s gold and foreign currency reserves frozen in foreign accounts?’ said al-Gadaffi.
He added that ‘For some reason, everyone is saying that it is al-Gadaffi’s money. It is not al-Gadaffi’s money, it is the Central National Bank’s money, it is the Libyan citizens’ money.’