As part of efforts to bring about democracy and freedom to the more restrictive countries of the Arab world, the Bush administration is cozying up to Libyan strongman Muammar Qadhafi after he reneged on terrorism and gave up trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
Qadhafi, the one-time blackest of sheep among Middle East potentates, has suddenly turned a lighter shade of gray.
With that in mind Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, headed to Libya this week hoping to push forward diplomatic relations with Tripoli, relations that Libya would like to see expanded into full-blown ambassadorial exchanges. Lugar's trip will be the highest-profile US visit to Libya. It follows earlier visits by officials from the Treasury and State Departments. However, exchanges of ambassadors may still be off the books for a while as Qadhafi still needs to introduce real changes in Libya.
For decades Qadhafi has taunted the United States and the West by his blatant support of terrorist groups, funding of extremist Palestinian factions and arming of the Irish Republican Army, as well as providing support to a number of European separatist organizations such as the Corsicans, Basques and others.
For nearly 30 years Qadhafi arrested, jailed and executed - often without trial - tens of hundreds of Libyans opposed to his authoritarian demagoguery.
Qadhafi never hesitated to order his special branch of trained assassins to eliminate dissidents around the world or to place bombs in German discotheques frequented by American servicemen. He had a French civilian airplane blown out of the sky over Africa when he disagreed with Paris and was blamed for the bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, to spite Washington.
Qadhafi tried to acquire weapons of mass destructions only to later realize that he would never have the capability of delivering them. In his own words, the supreme leader of the Libyan revolution said that if Libya ever managed to construct or acquire a nuclear bomb, the only target they could probably hit would be the island of Malta. And to what avail?
So why is it that this same Qadhafi decided to change his ways? Or has he?
Critics of the Libyan regime argue that in truth nothing in Tripoli has changed. Astute as ever, the Libyan leader handed to a visiting US congressional delegation some nuclear bomb-making equipment, along with a promise to introduce political changes and democracy.
But can Qadhafi who has ignored the law and ruled Libya through whims and caprices since he overthrew the monarchy in 1969 truly introduce democracy?
Mahmoud Chamam, a Libyan journalist living in the United States, said on Al Hurra TV on Monday that arrests and executions were still common practice in Libya and that nothing had changed.
Chamam and other Libyan exiles reject Qadhafi's "reforms" as pure whitewash meant to placate the Bush administration and to win him prestige and legitimacy in the eyes of the world and of his own people. Qadhafi even extended an invitation to President Bush to visit Libya. That would be the ultimate reward.
Contented that the Libyan leader is talking of reform the administration has engaged him in dialogue, hoping to normalize relations with the North African nation, but along the way somehow continued to ignore his human rights abuses.
It is precisely this attitude that has long angered critics of US foreign policy who accuse Washington of consistently supporting corrupt regimes when it suits its interests.
At this point it is worth asking what led Qadhafi to change his policy?
According to several Libyan exiles, one of his sons, Saif Al Islam, is more business-oriented than his father. Saif and his business associates would like to acquire concessions of mega-American corporations, such as MacDonalds, Pizza Hut and Nike. But as long as Libya remains on the US
Department of State terror list, conducting business with US companies remains impossible. So Saif convinces daddy that building WMD and supporting terrorism is bad for business. Well, you get the drift.
Changes are announced to the outside world while internally the regime continues to detain political prisoners, to muzzle the press and to ban political parties. Saif meanwhile, who holds no official position in the Libyan government, invited Libyan expatriates to return and invest in Libya's future.
If Libyans failed to flock back taking Qadhafi at his word, Western leaders wasted little time jostling for positions and prospective business deals.
In this respect Bush is not alone in flirting with Qadhafi and his potentially lucrative oil fields. Other top Western officials who have already visited Libya include Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The list of foreign visitors looks impressive but Libyan dissidents say that they would like to see real changes.
By Claude Salhani
UPI International Editor
8/25/2005
Libya charge de affairs suicide in Sweden
The Libyan charge de affairs in Sweden was found dead in his apartment in Stockholm amid official Libyan confirmation that he had committed suicide.The Swedish police announced on Wednesday August 24 that it found the body of the Libyan charge de affairs Abdul Rahman Zanbila and expected that he died of committing suicide, adding that it broke into his apartment in the presence of the embassy's employees after a notification from them about reason his delay in coming to work.
In Tripoli, a source in the Libyan foreign ministry said that Zanbila was undergoing serious psychological problems that pushed him to commit suicide." It added that "the charge de affairs was found dead in a way that shows that he had strangled himself," stressing that the Swedish police will specify the reasons behind the death after completing investigation measures.For its part, the spokeswoman for the Swedish police Dina Sondin said that a criminal investigation was opened to this case, because wounds were found on his body.
In Tripoli, a source in the Libyan foreign ministry said that Zanbila was undergoing serious psychological problems that pushed him to commit suicide." It added that "the charge de affairs was found dead in a way that shows that he had strangled himself," stressing that the Swedish police will specify the reasons behind the death after completing investigation measures.For its part, the spokeswoman for the Swedish police Dina Sondin said that a criminal investigation was opened to this case, because wounds were found on his body.
8/23/2005
Bush's mission in Libya
The invitation that Libya has extended to President George W. Bush for a visit to the country has not come as a surprise. What was once a so-called pariah state, under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya had toned down its anti-America rhetoric in the recent months and begun making efforts to woo the West.
What would be the likely scenario in the event of a Bush visit?
Dear readers, Gaddafi's critics say such a visit will help the world know how Gaddafi mismanaged his country and that the American president will have an opportunity to have a direct look at the state of affairs there. Gaddafi rules Libya with an iron fist and has given no freedom to the press to present facts as facts.
So much so that some websites are the only source of real information for the Libyans. That was so ever since the Gaddafi revolution that overthrew the Libyan king in a 1969 coup. Today, he is the longest serving Arab leader, presiding over the destiny of five million people. The fact is also that Gaddafi has not allowed any opposition to his governance. A visit by Bush, if it takes place, will be a matter of celebration for the democracy aspirants in Libya.
There is no doubt that Libya is changing. Its abandonment of the weapons programme and admission of guilt for its past acts, leading to renewal of diplomatic relations with Washington last year, was a major turn-around. And Libya is taking itself to market-driven economy, a far cry from the socialistic pattern that Gaddafi had advocated by way his Third Universal Theory — as an alternative to capitalism and Marxism, and as enunciated in his Green Book.
Perhaps Gaddafi himself had in course of time developed doubts about his theory. That was why, in later years, private enterprise was partially acceptable. Now, that process is getting activated under a reform process. But, the point that is often highlighted is that Libyans have suffered for several decades, as they didn't get what's their due.
Libya has everything that should make it a developed nation. It has high quality oil that fetches 30 percent of a 34-billion dollar GDP. Belated though, with foreign investments being allowed in, Libya's oil production capacity is being increased, the target being 2 million barrels per day by 2010.
Add to this the fact that it is placed in the best geographical position, with a long stretch of beauteous beach-line spread along the Mediterranean. Libya, with a progressive leadership, could have been minting money from tourism. Properly developed, it could have been one of the best tourism destinations for those from Europe and the Middle East, not to mention about the rest of the world.
Despite the resources at its command, Libya has had hard times. Sanctions since 1986 has cost the country an estimated 30 billion dollars in lost businesses, due to its so called pariah status. That Gaddafi is changing with the times is a good sign. A reformed Gaddafi has, in recent times, called upon Iran and North Korea to abandon its nuclear pursuits. This, from a leader who himself had, under Western pressure, abandoned alleged nuclear ambitions in the past.
A Bush visit will mean, on one side, that Gaddafi, with Western backing, can hope to speed up the economic reform process that he has initiated in recent times, that will ensure a better life for Libyans. More importantly, on the other, the visit will give a major push for a political reform process there, that will eventually give the people the freedom they are yearning for long, and much more. It would also mean major improvements in the human rights scenario. That will be Bush's mission in Libya.
Written by Mohammed Galadari
What would be the likely scenario in the event of a Bush visit?
Dear readers, Gaddafi's critics say such a visit will help the world know how Gaddafi mismanaged his country and that the American president will have an opportunity to have a direct look at the state of affairs there. Gaddafi rules Libya with an iron fist and has given no freedom to the press to present facts as facts.
So much so that some websites are the only source of real information for the Libyans. That was so ever since the Gaddafi revolution that overthrew the Libyan king in a 1969 coup. Today, he is the longest serving Arab leader, presiding over the destiny of five million people. The fact is also that Gaddafi has not allowed any opposition to his governance. A visit by Bush, if it takes place, will be a matter of celebration for the democracy aspirants in Libya.
There is no doubt that Libya is changing. Its abandonment of the weapons programme and admission of guilt for its past acts, leading to renewal of diplomatic relations with Washington last year, was a major turn-around. And Libya is taking itself to market-driven economy, a far cry from the socialistic pattern that Gaddafi had advocated by way his Third Universal Theory — as an alternative to capitalism and Marxism, and as enunciated in his Green Book.
Perhaps Gaddafi himself had in course of time developed doubts about his theory. That was why, in later years, private enterprise was partially acceptable. Now, that process is getting activated under a reform process. But, the point that is often highlighted is that Libyans have suffered for several decades, as they didn't get what's their due.
Libya has everything that should make it a developed nation. It has high quality oil that fetches 30 percent of a 34-billion dollar GDP. Belated though, with foreign investments being allowed in, Libya's oil production capacity is being increased, the target being 2 million barrels per day by 2010.
Add to this the fact that it is placed in the best geographical position, with a long stretch of beauteous beach-line spread along the Mediterranean. Libya, with a progressive leadership, could have been minting money from tourism. Properly developed, it could have been one of the best tourism destinations for those from Europe and the Middle East, not to mention about the rest of the world.
Despite the resources at its command, Libya has had hard times. Sanctions since 1986 has cost the country an estimated 30 billion dollars in lost businesses, due to its so called pariah status. That Gaddafi is changing with the times is a good sign. A reformed Gaddafi has, in recent times, called upon Iran and North Korea to abandon its nuclear pursuits. This, from a leader who himself had, under Western pressure, abandoned alleged nuclear ambitions in the past.
A Bush visit will mean, on one side, that Gaddafi, with Western backing, can hope to speed up the economic reform process that he has initiated in recent times, that will ensure a better life for Libyans. More importantly, on the other, the visit will give a major push for a political reform process there, that will eventually give the people the freedom they are yearning for long, and much more. It would also mean major improvements in the human rights scenario. That will be Bush's mission in Libya.
Written by Mohammed Galadari
Gadhafi and Obasanjo discuss AU march in Sirt
The Leader of the Revolution Muammar al Gadhafi and President Olusegun Obasanjo, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the current president of the African Union, resumed their meeting Monday evening.
This meeting was discussed to follow up the executive measures of the resolutions adopted by the 5th ordinary session of the AU Summit Conference concerning the means to promote and develop the march of the AU in the direction of the establishment of the United States of Africa.
The Leader of the Revolution and president Obasanjo reviewed during their meeting preparations for convening of the Presidential Committee formed by the Sirt Summit and chaired by President Obasanjo to prepare the final arrangements to execute Great Jamahiriya proposals, in terms of creating Federal African ministries for Foreign Affairs, Defense, Foreign Trade and Communication and to abolish customs among the states of the Union, in addition to uniting the means of communications by land, sea and air and the establishment of one African satellite. The Committee is scheduled to submit these final measures to the 6th ordinary Summit due to be held in Khartoum.This meeting was attended by the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation and the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Source: JANA
This meeting was discussed to follow up the executive measures of the resolutions adopted by the 5th ordinary session of the AU Summit Conference concerning the means to promote and develop the march of the AU in the direction of the establishment of the United States of Africa.
The Leader of the Revolution and president Obasanjo reviewed during their meeting preparations for convening of the Presidential Committee formed by the Sirt Summit and chaired by President Obasanjo to prepare the final arrangements to execute Great Jamahiriya proposals, in terms of creating Federal African ministries for Foreign Affairs, Defense, Foreign Trade and Communication and to abolish customs among the states of the Union, in addition to uniting the means of communications by land, sea and air and the establishment of one African satellite. The Committee is scheduled to submit these final measures to the 6th ordinary Summit due to be held in Khartoum.This meeting was attended by the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation and the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Source: JANA
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