Suha denial

Arafat widow denies Gaddafi paid for home, from The Khaleej Times in Dubai:

Suha Arafat, the widow of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, has denied international press reports that she is living in Malta in a residence bought for her by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.Ms Arafat told Malta’s leading daily The Times: “There would have been nothing wrong had Col. Gaddafi done something of the sort, but it is just not the case.” She also dismissed the idea that she was being protected by Libyan guards.

The London-based Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper had reported Wednesday that Gaddafi had purchased a 1.5 million dollar residence in Valletta for Ms Arafat and even assigned a security detail of three guards to protect her and her 13-year-old daughter Zahwa. “These sort of stories are simply attempts at character assassination and it’s really terrible when you’re a widow to have to fight these lies,” she said.

Last August, Ms Arafat was in the headlines after Tunisian authorities mysteriously stripped her of her citizenship. She had been living in Tunisia ver since her husband died in 2004. She then went to Malta.Asked whether she had been in contact with the Libyan leader, she said she has kept in touch with all leaders and heads of state who were friends of her late husband.

For the time being, at least, the new arrangement in Malta seems to suit her just fine. The place is “great”, she emphasised, praising the peace and democracy enjoyed in the smallest EU state.