Gadhafi Declares 'My People Love Me,' Blames Violence on al-Qaida

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, denying the existence of any anti-government protests in his country, told Western media today that he is loved by his people and has no intention of relinquishing power.

"All my people love me. They would die to protect me," the embattled leader said in an interview in Tripoli with ABC, the BBC and the Sunday Times of London. Gadhafi, who has ruled the country since 1969, said he felt abandoned by the United States and blamed the violence on al-Qaida.

"I'm surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight al-Qaida, and now that we are fighting terrorists they have abandoned us," he said, according to ABC's Christiane Amanpour. "Perhaps they want to occupy Libya."

Gadhafi said President Barack Obama was misinformed about the situation in Libya. "The statements I have heard from him must have come from someone else," he said, according to ABC. "America is not the international police of the world."

The Libyan ruler also warned those accusing him of using deadly violence against his own people that he would "put two fingers in their eyes," the BBC reported.

For almost two weeks, anti-government demonstrations have shook the streets of Libya and pushed the 41-year-old regime to the edge. A violent crackdown against the protesters has killed at least 1,000 people.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the U.N. Human Rights Council today that Gadhafi should leave Libya immediately and pushed the international community to approve even stricter sanctions against his regime. "The people of Libya have made themselves clear: It is time for Gadhafi to go -- now, without further violence or delay," Clinton said, according to The Associated Press.