Former US assistant secretary of state David Welch advising Gaddafi

Gaddafi receiving advice on the propaganda war

Former U.S. assistant secretary of state David Welch, who held the position during the George W. Bush administration, is revealed to have been giving advice to Col. Gaddafi as recently as August. Press TV reports that Welch held a meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo on Aug. 2, with two Libyan officials from the Gaddafi regime.

Documents discovered inside Libya's intelligence agency in Tripoli by Al Jazeera news producer Jamal Elshayyal reveal that Welch was giving advice to Gaddafi as NATO dropped bombs on his regime. Welch was advising Gaddafi how to win the propaganda war and undermine the rebel Nationl Transitional Council.

Al Jazeera reports that minutes from the meeting illustrate that the Gaddafi regime was encouraged to turn up evidence of terrorist involvement on the rebel side.

The documents state: "Any information related to al-Qaeda or other terrorist extremist organisations should be found and given to the American administration but only via the intelligence agencies of either Israel, Egypt, Morroco, or Jordan... America will listen to them... It's better to receive this information as if it originated from those countries."

David Welch now works for multinational American company Bechtel which deals in billion dollar construction deals across the world.  Welch is President of the Europe, Africa and Middle East division but according to the Bechtel's corporate website the company has no ongoing or future projects planned in Libya.

A spokesperson from the U.S. state department has responded by saying Welch was not representing the U.S. government but was a private citizen on a private trip. Despite this, Al Jazeera report that the documentation relating to the meeting between Welch and the Libyan officials concludes with a promise "To convey everything to the American administration, the congress and other influential figures."