In 1985 NewsHour Interview, Libya's Gadhafi Was 'Not Afraid' of Coup

WORLD -- February 23, 2011 at 3:53 PM EDT

In 1985 NewsHour Interview, Libya's Gadhafi Was 'Not Afraid' of Coup

As pressures to unseat Moammar Gadhafi continue in Libya, we looked into the NewsHour's video vault to learn more about the flamboyant, controversial leader.

In a 1985 interview with the NewsHour's Robert MacNeil, Gadhafi said he did not fear a coup, even as aggression was building between his country and neighbors Tunisia and Egypt.

"I'm not afraid. It is not my regime. It is the people's regime," he said. "No one can make a coup against their own people."

Watch the entire 1985 interview:

Several years earlier in 1981, Gadhafi appeared on the NewsHour after reports surfaced that Libya was supporting international terrorism. In response, President Ronald Reagan expelled all 27 Libyan diplomats from the U.S.

"These accusations are without justification that we support terrorism," Gadhafi told MacNeil and co-anchor Jim Lehrer. "We are against terrorism completely."

The question, said Gadhafi, is what is considered terrorism. He said he considers terrorism the manufacture of nuclear weapons, establishing bases in other countries and making people suffer in famine by keeping food from them.

Watch the full 1981 interview:

For more on Gadhafi, tune in to Wednesday's NewsHour. Track all of our World coverage and follow us on Twitter.

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