Libyan royal family waits in wings for Qadhafi ouster

Mohammed al-Senussi has lived in exile for more than 20 years, ever since his family relinquished their claim to Libya`s throne in the wake of a military coup led by Moamer Qadhafi. Yet, Arabic remains al-Senussi`s language of choice and crown prince of Libya his official title. His life abroad has also featured active participation in the exiled Libyan opposition.
"Libya is in my heart and my soul," he told European lawmakers on a recent visit to Brussels. "I truly hope that I will be with my people from tomorrow. As a simple, ordinary citizen living in exile, I will do all I can to support my people."
With Qadhafi facing an internal rebellion and a Nato military intervention, al-Senussi has high hopes that the almost 42-year rule of the man he calls a dictator and a murderer will soon end. "We are witnessing a determined drive to ensure that peace, freedom and democracy return to Libya," he said. "Just a few months ago, no one envisaged a situation where Qadhafi would not rule Libya."
What is to come next has preoccupied Western and Arab officials for months. Al-Senussi said he envisages the revival of the 1951 constitution, which was drafted with input from the United Nations after Libya became a post-colonial independent state. It instituted a parliamentary system under a federal monarchy headed by his great-uncle, King Idris.
The Senussi dynasty is related to the royal families of Jordan and Morocco, European Union lawmaker Nirj Deva said when he introduced al-Senussi to his colleagues. "The silencing and suppression of opposition movements and political parties in the last four decades means that today there is a vacuum of leadership and political expression in Libya," al-Senussi said. "(The constitution) may not have been active for 42 years, but - suitably updated - it could form the basis of a new Libya."
However, he was quick to note, the decision of which type of government to establish in Libya lies with its population. "Whether the people want a democracy in the form of a constitutional monarchy or a republic, I will do everything I can to assist in creating a democratic state for Libyans based on a representative parliament chosen by free and fair elections," he said. "It is my task to serve the people."
Al-Senussi said he would expect the Interim Transitional National Council, the political entity set up by the rebels currently trying to overthrow Qadhafi, to hold a referendum so that voters could choose their form of government. "The Interim Transitional National Council is just that - transitional," he said. "It is not a permanent solution. That is down to the people."
Al-Senussi`s father had been next in line for the crown when Qadhafi took advantage of a medical trip by King Idris to overthrow him in a coup in 1969. Family members left behind in Libya fell victim to "brutality ordered personally by Qadhafi," according to al-Senussi. "We were dragged from our house and forced to watch our house burned to the ground," he said. "Family graves were destroyed. Bodies of relatives were exhumed and dumped in the desert." Al-Senussi interrupted his studies to work for the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture in the early 1980s so that he could earn a living.
The whole family, however, remained under house arrest - until 1988, when al-Senussi`s father was allowed to travel to London for medical treatment. His relatives soon followed. He died in 1992, after appointing his son crown prince. "While my family has suffered directly at the hands of the Qadhafi regime, it is nothing compared to the pain, fear and anguish of those living in ... Libyan cities today," al-Senussi said. "While I hope that my own situation will soon change, it is much more important to look at the bigger picture and consider the future of the 6 million inhabitants of Libya."