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Buenos Aires – Libya’s leader Moammar Gadhafi recently has made overtures toward the West aiming at turning his pariah state into an accepted member of the international community.

In 1999, Gadhafi agreed to hand over for trial two Libyans accused of planting a bomb in 1988 on a Pan American flight that exploded over Scotland, killing 270 people. Later on, he agreed to pay $2.7 billion to the victims’ relatives. Last week, he signed a $170 million compensation accord with relatives of 170 people killed in the 1989 bombing of a French jetliner that exploded over Niger. A few weeks earlier, he announced the dismantling of his weapons of mass destruction program and the opening of his country’s arms-production facilities to international inspection, and he urged Syria, Iran and North Korea to follow suit.

Reportedly, Gadhafi even established secret contacts with Israel. His son apparently met with two Israeli members of parliament in August, and a Libyan official met with a top aide of Israel’s foreign minister last month in Paris. When news of these meetings was published in the Israeli media, Libya reacted in a contradictory fashion: It first denied that any talks had taken place, then it reportedly sent a letter to the Israeli government complaining that «Israel has not the slightest conception of diplomatic ethics,» and finally Libya’s foreign minister said that Arab countries’ security services leaked the news because they were upset with his nation’s recent moves toward the West.

Can Gadhafi be trusted? Recall that he took power in a military coup, was a financier of international terrorism, bombed planes and discotheques, awarded a $5 million «special bonus» to the Palestinian murderers of 11 Israel athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and in 1980 dispatched squads abroad to silence opponents of the regime.

Additionally, his bizarre behavior and political zigzagging is well known. In 2000 he said that, «if the Israelis don’t like the flies [in the Middle East], they can go to Alaska and establish a state . . . and I will be the first to visit them and offer support to them.» The following year, before addressing an Arab summit, he told Jordanian television that the speech he was going to make «will determine the future of the Middle East and affect world events.» The Jordan Times reported at the time that Gadhafi in his speech set some conditions that Israel should accept and, «Then, and only then, we can recognize Israel and even invite it to join us in the Arab League,» he said as he broke out in laughter, according to a witness’ account. At some point, Gadhafi called for the establishment of «Isratine,» a binational state for Israelis and Palestinians.

These and other quotes suggest not just a display of uncontrolled eccentricity but perhaps a mental disorder. Consider these words, pronounced by Gadhafi to his people on the occasion of Libya’s 28th anniversary, as reported by Reuters in 1997: ‘ ‘ Western countries could invade us for our sun. They lack sun for producing solar energy, and Libya is a sunny country located at the best place under the sun in this planet.»

Can Gadhafi be taken seriously? Even if not fully nuts, he is definitely odd. But maybe I am too skeptical.

Perhaps Gadhafi did change his ways, as his recent moves amply suggest. Or, as a former Jordanian information minister wrote, «Fidel Castro swapped his military garb for a Pierre Cardin tie and became an active sales promoter of his country to attract American investment — Gadhafi is fully entitled to some introspection and to abandon his revolutionary aspirations.»

Should Israeli Jews doff their yarmulkes to Gadhafi’s opening? Surely not. But if Israel signed a peace agreement with a king from Amman and with a military ruler from Cairo, and if it initiated negotiations with a terrorist from Gaza, it might as well engage in exploratory dialogue with a clown from Tripoli.

After all, peace – as they say about love – could be around the corner.

Julián Schvindlerman is a writer and journalist in Buenos Aires.