Gaddafi canvasses New York for a place to stay
| September 23, 2009 | 10:22 AM
More journal entries from Cindy House »
With world leaders converging in New York for a U.N. summit, a pressing issue threatens to overwhelm the conference.
Iran’s repeated Holocaust denials? No.
The United States’ new plan for a missile shield protecting Israel? No.
Muammar Gaddafi’s tent?
Yes, it’s the now infamous — wait for it — tent flap.
The Libyan leader has been thwarted repeatedly in his plans to set up a “palatial” tent in and around New York City. First, he tried Central Park. Then Englewood, N.J. Then a Manhattan townhome with a large roof. No one, it seems, wants as their next-door neighbor the man who gave the Lockerbie bomber a hero’s welcome. Finally, intermediaries rented one of Donald Trump’s estates in Bedford, N.Y. Work on the tent began, but town officials halted it because there was no permit to build a temporary residence. It’s also not clear whether Trump even knew who had rented the property.
Tuesday night, Gaddafi slept at the Libyan diplomatic mission in Manhattan.
Gaddafi travels with the tent because he says he suffers from a phobia about being confined indoors. It’s also a nod to his Bedouin roots. And, of course, he needs the room for his contingent of female bodyguards.
He’s pitched the tent at the Kremlin, central Paris and a park in Rome.
Gaddafi’s not the only world leader receiving a cool welcome in America, however. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — Holocaust Denier In Chief — has had trouble finding places to host diplomatic dinners. Two hotels canceled receptions after an activist group notified them of Ahmadinejad’s plans.
libya, muammar gaddafi, new york city, tent, united nations
