U.S. official apologizes for comments about Gaddafi Jihad call

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J Crowley on Tuesday apologized for his remarks regarding the call made by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for Jihad against Switzerland.

As Digital Journal reported at the end of last month Libya's leader of over 40 years, Muammar Gaddafi - also known as Col. Gaddafi - made a speech on February 25 calling on Muslims to take part in a Jihad against Switzerland. While he said that the Jihad was necessary because of the European nation's ban on the building of minarets there has been tension between Switzerland and the Libyan leader over an incident in Geneva in 2008 which led to the detention of Col Gaddafi's son Hannibal, and his wife, by the Swiss authorities. The Earth Times notes that the day following Col Gaddafi's speech P.J. Crowley was asked for his thoughts about the call for Jihad, and referring to a speech the Libyan leader delivered to the UN General Assembly back in September he said:

I saw that report and it just brought me back to a day in September, one of the more memorable sessions of the UN General Assembly that I can recall. Lots of words and lots of papers flying all over the place, not necessarily a lot of sense

Sources are unclear as to where Crowley was speaking and to who he was speaking when he expressed his opinion, but what is clear is the anger his comments aroused in Tripoli. CBS News/Associated Press reported on how Joan Polaschik, the U.S. charge d'affaires in the Libyan capital, was called in by officials in Tripoli and told of the negative impact Crowley's comments would have on trade between the two nations if an apology was not forthcoming. U.S. energy companies such as Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and Marathon looked set to suffer the consequences of the dispute, with executives from the companies asked to attend a meeting with the head of Libya's state oil company where a warning of what might follow was issued. According to Reuters a Libyan official has already explained that the Jihad Col. Gaddafi had in mind when he gave his speech was an economic boycott and not a violent response to Switzerland's alleged wrongdoings. And P.J. Crowley said in the apology he issued to reporters on Tuesday - apparently in Washington - that his comments on February 26 should have focused on the use of the word Jihad by Col. Gaddafi and nothing else. The BBC quotes him as saying:

I regret that my comments have become an obstacle to further progress in our bilateral relationship.

I should have focused solely on our concern about the term jihad, which has since been clarified by the Libyan government.

I understand my personal comments were perceived as a personal attack on the president.

These comments do not reflect US policy and were not intended to offend. I apologize if they were taken that way

Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, will also be visiting Libya next week for talks on relations between the two countries. After considering Libya to be a state sponsor of terrorism for 27 years, in 2006 the U.S. finally removed the nation from North Africa from its list of states providing support for terrorists and restored full diplomatic relations with Tripoli. P.J. Crowley has confirmed that he and the Assistant Secretary of State have spoken with the Libyan ambassador in Washington to offer further assurances that no offense was meant when the former man commented on Col Gaddafi's speech.