Betwa Sharma
United Nations, Sep 24 (PTI) In a diplomatic embarrassment to India, maverick Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says Kashmir should be an "independent state" and that countries like India should not be on board any expanded UN Security Council.
"Kashmir should be an independent state, not Indian, not Pakistani. We should end this conflict. It should be a Ba''athist state between India and Pakistan," the Libyan leader said raising the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly yesterday.
Instead of his allotted 15 minutes, Gaddafi Donned in long brown robes and a black hat, spoke for nearly 100 minutes during which he slammed both the US and the United Nations, and described the Security Council as the terrorist council.
Gaddafi opposed the expansion of the UN Security Council by including countries like India which, he said, would spur a "competition" with nations like Pakistan wanting to get in.
In his first speech to the General Assembly, he said opening the doors of the UNSC for big powers would "add more poverty, more injustice, more tension at the world level".
"There would be high competition between Italy, Germany, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Japan, Argentina, Brazil...," Gaddafi said.
Stressing that there must be equality among member states, he noted that since India and Pakistan were both nuclear powers, if India had a seat then Pakistan would want one as well.
"We reject having more seats," said the Libyan leader since it would give "rise to more superpowers, crush the small people."
He also called the Security Council a "council of terror," and demanded a compensation of USD 7.77 trillion for African nations for centuries of colonisation.
Kashmir should be independent state: Gaddafi -  International News ? News ? MSN India