Gadhafi conciliatory with U.S. but criticizes Security Council

CAIRO, Egypt – Moammar Gadhafi said Wednesday he wants Libya and the United States to be friends, but the one-time international pariah slammed the United Nations Security Council for being controlled by a select group of countries.

In a wide-ranging address to the annual meeting of Libya’s parliament-like General’s People Congress, Gadhafi also warned Libyans not to support foreign extremists and to stand strong in the face of terrorism.

Gadhafi’s comments, mostly moderate but inflammatory in parts, come as Libya returns to the international fold following years of being regarded as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“We don’t say love the Americans. We are talking policies, and (on that level) there is no problem or animosity” between both countries, Gadhafi, wearing a white robe, told hundreds of often-cheering Congress members during an address televised live and monitored in Egypt.

Last year, the U.S. government lifted 23-year-old travel restrictions imposed on Libya, invited American companies to return to the oil-rich nation and encouraged Tripoli to open a diplomatic office in Washington. President Bush has also commended Libya’s progress in scrapping its nuclear weapons.

Of the United States, Gadhafi said: “We are not enemies. We are not allies. We are not agents. We hope one day we will be friends.”

Gadhafi, however, criticized the United Nations and the permanent five-member Security Council, repeating complaints he raised in a full-page advertisement that appeared in Wednesday’s Guardian newspaper in England.