Geraldine Spiteri

On 23 September 2009 the Libyan head of state Muammar Gaddafi presented a ninety-six-minute oration before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Throughout the discourse Gaddafi strongly condemned the UN Security Council, with particular emphasis on the right of veto exercised by its five permanent members, contending that such a privilege was incompatible with the concept of parity among states. At a striking juncture he ripped sheets from an edition of the UN Charter as he contested the prevailing global order in the presence of representatives from numerous countries. Additionally he demanded the payment of 7.7 trillion dollars to Africa by way of reparation for colonial exploitation, rendering the address one of his most notable interventions on the world platform.