By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis 13 February 2017:
Muammar Qaddafi sought the help of Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum to build a modern city in Libya similar to Dubai, it has been revealed.
However, infighting in Qaddafi’s regime scuppered the plans, with the 2011 revolution finally putting an end to the idea.
“Qaddafi called me and told me ‘Mohammed, I would like to establish a city in Libya that is similar to Dubai’ Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE’s Prime Minister, told the World Government Summit in Dubai yesterday.
He said the UAE would have been happy to help an Arab country requesting help.
A specialist delegation flew to Tripoli to survey the site. Proposals included plans for financial markets, shopping malls, universities, schools and hospitals among ideas, the Dubai leader added, but without stating where the site for the Libyan Dubai was.
However, arguments in Qaddafi’s inner-circle caused problems.
“When the team decided to start their work, the fights and conflicts started as well. The conflicts were from the levels above Qaddafi, so the team started to notice that there was a problem at the top and they could not proceed,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Whilst the building of a new Dubai in Libya was by no means certain, the 2011 revolution and ousting of Qaddafi put an end to any linger hopes it would materialise.
Despite this, the UAE prime minister lamented the situation: “If that project happened it would have been an economic city for the African continent and Libya would be in a better place.”
