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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 February 2000 Issue No. 469 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 February 2000 Issue No. 469
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Europe divided on Libya
By Rasha Saad
Apparently divided on the issue, the European Union members last month postponed plans to invite Libya's revolutionary leader Moammar Gaddafi to Brussels. EU Commission Spokesman Ricardo Levi, said that the invitation was deferred because of Gaddafi's refusal to accept all components of the Barcelona Declaration which regulates many aspects of the relations between the EU's 15 European member states and 12 southern Mediterranean nations which are signatory to the declaration, including Israel and Egypt.
"The activation of a relationship with Libya would depend on [Libya's] acceptance of the Barcelona Declaration to become a full partner in the Barcelona process as the basis for cooperation between Libya and Europe," Christian Falkowski, head of the delegation of the European Commission in Egypt, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "We should first establish a basis for a long-term relationship between the EU and Libya before we start to implement the relationship," he explained.
Romano Prodi, the European Commission president, initiated a plan to invite Gaddafi to visit EU headquarters in Brussels just before Christmas, but decided in January that Gaddafi was not yet ready to meet EU terms. The Barcelona Declaration stipulates that signatories must be committed to human rights, democracy, free trade and support of the Middle East peace process. Libya, however, has allegedly demanded that Israel and the Palestinian Authority's presence in the Barcelona grouping should be suspended. The seizure of a shipment of Scud missile parts bound for Libya at London's Gatwick Airport was also believed to have contributed to the EU's negative decision. These confiscated parts, according to reports in the Western media, would have helped the Libyans triple the range of their Scud missiles from approximately 350 kilometres to 1,050 kilometres, bringing more of Europe within their range.
Relations between Libya and the EU have improved since Tripoli handed over for trial in the Netherlands the two Libyan suspects accused of causing the crash of the PanAm airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. Last year, the governments of EU states lifted diplomatic sanctions on Tripoli but a ban on sales of arms to the country remains in force.
Though Falkowski admitted that "the EU is very pleased" that Libya cooperated on the Lockerbie issue, he said that it needs more time to consider the implications of becoming a signatory to the declaration and to learn about the institutions governing cooperation among members of the declaration. "For us the Barcelona Declaration is the Barcelona Declaration and they have to take it as it is. We cannot make a special declaration [just for Libya]. It should be easy for Libya to do so [to accept all of the declaration's stipulations] because all of the Arab Mediterranean countries have signed the declaration."
Falkowski also said that he did not know if talks were in progress between officials of the EU and Libya about the possibility of the latter signing the declaration. He affirmed, however, that EU officials will be flexible with Libya as they want it to be part of the Barcelona process. But he insisted, that there are limits to this flexibility: "There can only be explanations for the Libyans but there definitely will be no negotiations on the [content of the] declaration."
Concerning the incident involving the Scud missile parts, Falkowski denied that it contributed to the EU's decision to postpone Gaddafi's visit to Brussels.
Shortly after the postponement of Gaddafi's trip, a French newspaper reported that Prime Minister Lionel Jospin opposed a move by President Jacques Chirac to invite Gaddafi to Paris allegedly because "the [French] government will not be able to guarantee his security". Political analysts, however, believe that the main reason behind cancelling Gaddafi's visit to Paris was the fear that it would be condemned by French human rights organisations which defend the rights of the victims of terrorism. Late last year, the French judiciary tried and convicted six Libyans in absentia for the bombing of UTA flight 772 over the Niger in 1989 in which 171 people died. Both Libya and France, however, insisted that a plan for Gaddafi's Paris visit never existed.
Despite these setbacks, there are other European countries which believe that the recent moves by Libya towards improving its relations with Europe need to be encouraged.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook defended his country's resumption of diplomatic relations with Libya.
Cook said "Critical engagement may require involvement without illusions about the regimes with which we negotiate." Asserting the validity of Britain's "critical engagement" stance towards Libya, Cook suggested that Britain's contacts with Tripoli encouraged it to hand over two suspects wanted in connection with the Lockerbie bombing.
In a recent visit to Egypt, Desmond O'Malley, chairman of Ireland's committee on foreign affairs, told the Weekly he believes that "the current problem between the EU and Libya will be overcome in the coming months". He added, "there has been moderation in [Libyan] views, and this moderation has to be appreciated."
Italy, which has good relations with Libya, is also expected to play a vital role in resolving the current impasse over the declaration. According to recent reports, Gaddafi discussed the issue in telephone conversations with Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'alema, whose country helped to persuade members of the Euro-Med forum to admit Libya as an observer at a meeting in April 1999. D'alema also made the first visit to Libya by a Western government leader since the UN travel ban was imposed on the country in April 1992.
With news that the US is willing to restore relations with Libya in the near future, European businessmen are extremely eager that Libya join the Euro-Med partnership in order that they might have a head start in forging commercial deals with the North African country.
Libya's oil industry is the main attraction for European investments, and European businessmen are hoping to win contracts in this sector before they face competition from American investors who are still hampered by the United States' own sanctions.
