Eng. Seif el Islam, you are currently studying a PhD in Governance. Before, you followed an MBA in Vienna and you studied Architecture in Tripoli. What will be your next step in the academic level?

Actually, this is the last one. Once I get my PhD in Politics, as it is my desire, I will stop studying, or at least I won't apply for another degree in another university. My academic training will finish here.

Saif El Islam Gaddafi with WINNE's representatives.

You are the chairman of the Charity Foundation. What are the main achievements and future projects of this institution?

One of the most important achievements of the Charity Foundation, at least as for the media is concerned, was our involvement in the liberation of the western hostages kept by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines, and I would also point as very significant our intervention in Afghanistan. I would not say they were the most important achievements but it is true that they were the ones more covered by the press and the media.

In Afghanistan we have been in charge of evacuating the Afghan refugees from the Pakistani territory back to their houses in Afghanistan, after the war. The operation just finished two or three days ago. But we plan to go back there, to Pakistan and maybe to Afghanistan to implement new aid programs and projects. We are also present in Palestine, Chad, Sudan, etc., and we are going to operate in North Korea very soon.

How would you define the philosophy that drives the Foundation?

The Foundation is an amalgam of different charity associations, operating in an international level and developing its charity programs wherever they are needed, regardless the race, sex, religion or nationality of the population where it operates. Our target are human beings, it doesn't matter if they are Muslim or not, black or white, etc.

You are very involved in bringing back Libya to the international scene. This is what we can call a new diplomacy, an organised foreign policy strategy to open up Libya to the world. Could you inform us of the main steps of this strategy and your role in it?

I think it is not as much of a deliberate strategy but that it came naturally along with the lifting or suspension of the UN sanctions against Libya and the normalization of the relations between Libya and the rest of the world. After the end of the Cold War and along with the globalisation process, every nation had to reposition, to adapt itself in the international context to the new developments and changes, and Libya is no exception.

Myself, I don't have an official role diplomatically speaking because I don't form part of the Government. But I am a Libyan citizen and through my private activities I represent my country. The activities of the Charity Foundation, my art exhibitions, visiting poor countries or giving interviews, etc., are private activities, but through them I am also working for my country. Every Libyan should do the same thing, from my point of view.

Libya has a strategic geographic position in the world linking Europe and Africa, and Western and Eastern North Africa and as Col. Gaddafi recently declared, Libya is a 'gateway to Africa'. How do you see the future role of Libya in the continent?

Libya will still be very active as long as it has a theoretical leadership in the continent. But Libya will also dissolve and disappear slowly in this big black continent, it will be a small part of it and will have to follow the policies and trends of the continent. Little by little we will lose our sovereignty and our independence, because we will have to accept one economic policy and one foreign policy. So we will face two pressures, the first from the other countries that will want to harmonize the policies, and the second from ourselves, because we are at the same time different, in contrast with the other African countries.

The outcome is not negative, nevertheless. Libya as a country will benefit from the African Union and they will benefit from us. Africa represents a very attractive investment opportunity for us. It is still a virgin continent and you can find good investment opportunities there. At the same time we can use Africa as an instrument to defend ourselves and our interests from the superpowers because we are part of that continent. This is the philosophy behind the African Union. It is a give and take game and that is why we are in it.

The economy also plays a major role towards the creation of a new Libya, opening the country for foreign investment and international trade and linking it to the globalised world. How have the economic relations between Libya and the rest of the world, especially Europe, improved in the past few years?

The most important link between the Europeans and us has been and still is the oil and gas industry. The Europeans only want to invest in this sector because it is the most secure one. We can only export gas and oil to them. The main equity between both sides is oil, but we want it to be invested also in other long-term development sectors, such as tourism, financial services, etc. We want to change the investment trend.

I am not the most appropriate person to talk about this, maybe you should talk to Dr. Shukri Ghanem (Libyan Secretary of Economy and Trade), but I think that all Libyans should contribute to this goal. Myself, when I make my exhibitions, I am also doing promotion for my country, especially in the tourism, and I talk about all the beauties Libya has.

In your opinion, which channels are the best to promote this new investment trend?

One of the best is participating in economic reports like yours, in your magazine.

As you have mentioned, you have been very active in Europe promoting your country. Your presence in Paris some months ago received a special coverage in the media. What was the feedback of these trips looking at the investment/business side?

I do not hold public meetings with businessmen, but the economic aspect comes always along. As you mention, I was in Paris a few months ago presenting my art exhibition. There was a big reaction from the French media. It was quite a breakthrough because it was the first time a regular flight connected Tripoli with Paris, it was my first time in Paris after a long time, etc., so it was something special. It was a semi political, semi cultural visit, but there was no business summit. I gave a lecture there, and a press conference, I hold meetings, I signed a collaboration agreement between our Foundation and the UNESCO, between our Foundation and the French Red Cross, etc. It was a very active trip.

Which are the European and Asian countries Libya is more interested in doing business with?

We should focus more on Italy and Germany, who are our strategic partners. There are also historical links between Libya and these two countries. Looking at Asia, we have strong business links with South Korea, although there have been some political differences between us. I think we should focus more on Japan, right now. It is a good chance to strengthen the relations with this country. With China there is also collaboration in specific sectors, like the Railways and the energy sector.

Our readers are most of them businessmen looking for new investment opportunities. What would be your message to them regarding investment in Libya?

I think this is the most interesting time to invest in my country, in Libya. It is important to be the first entering the country. After, it will be too late, they will face more competition and it will be harder to enter the market. Now is the best time, and it is secure to invest in Libya. We have an investment law, regulations and authorities to take care of foreign investment. The pity is that the investors are too scared; they only want to invest in oil and gas. But the people who invest in other sectors the first will benefit the most.

Which are the most attractive investment opportunities in Libya at the moment?

I think that the tourism and the service sector in general: banks, financial institutions and hotels. For example, we don't have foreign banks operating in Libya. It is a good opportunity.

And what incentives can the Libyan government implement in order to attract more investment in these sectors?

The foreign companies should push the Libyan Government more to ease their investment, but they can already come in. The country is open and they can do their application. It is a virgin country in this sense and it is also a rich country, what makes it very attractive. They have to take the risk and grab the opportunity.

How do you see Libya's position in the world in the near future?

It is a difficult question. You should ask the Libyan Government for their intentions in the future, how flexible they will be, how clever they will be to take the chance and develop the country in the short future. I would like Libya to be strongly linked to the developed World and to be a safe oasis for foreign investment and democracy, respecting the human rights and the environment. To be proud of what we are, at the end.

What are your personal goals and your aspirations?

Well, I would like to develop an academic career. I would like to teach in the university. I love reading and learning and I would like to continue that path.

Thank you very much, Eng. Seif el Islam

Thank you

Note: World Investment News cannot be held responsible for unedited transcriptions. We will understand that the interviewee agrees with the transcription if we do not receive the corrected draft in 15 days after the remittance of it to the interviewee.