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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 April 2000 Issue No. 476 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 April 2000 Issue No. 476
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Summit Features Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Gaddafi's distant drummer
By Dina Ezzat
Rubbing shoulders with the leaders of the European Union (EU) in Cairo last week, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was working hard to open the door to the re-integration of his country into the international community. But he managed to make his change of diplomatic tack without in anyway compromising his unique and unmistakable style.
It was 3pm on Monday when the Secretary-General of the Africa-Europe Summit Ibrahim Hassan announced the entrance of the heads of delegations representing the 67 participating countries. The delegates, who had already taken their places, stood to welcome them. Escorts led the heads of states and governments to their respective seats on a podium specially set up for them in the large Mekernus Hall of the Cairo International Conference Centre. Then, when they were all in place, everyone sat down again.
Everyone, that is, except one person. For there was a seat left vacant on the podium. .
If that took some by surprise, the identity of the absent statesman did not surprise anyone. Anyone who is familiar with Gaddafi knows that meeting other people's expectations has never been high on his list of priorities. "Gaddafi makes his own rules," commented one diplomatic source close to the summit. "He acts by them, and nobody is ever offended. World leaders know him too well to be offended."
Eventually, of course, the Libyan leader did show up. About 10 minutes after Hassan pronounced the conference open, and after President Hosni Mubarak had embarked upon his address to the inaugural session, three soldiers made their way to the podium, and from between them appeared Gaddafi, dressed in his trademark Libyan-African outfit, and apparently surprised to find that the summit had started without him. The fact that events were in full flow, however, did not stop him from raising his hand to salute the seated heads of delegations, before turning to the other delegates whom he recognised with a nod.
As a man who prefers the Bedouin style, the Libyan leader did not seem comfortable perched on his neo-Ottoman-style chair. Indeed, it took a full 15 minutes of fidgeting before he finally settled down.
Then out came the famous Gaddafi notepad and pen. As the keynote speakers proceeded to address the gathering one by one, Gaddafi was the only head of delegation who was busy taking notes.
"Now that he is taking notes, this means that the first session will go on forever," one diplomat ruefully remarked. "He will be reading out all these notes and making all sorts of comments. Gaddafi never changes."
And so it was it. Diplomats close to the in-camera session had no better story to tell than that of Gaddafi's intervention.
Addressing the conference, Gaddafi accused the EU of trying to divide the African continent which, he says, is otherwise perfectly united.
According to Gaddafi, the EU deliberately makes different arrangements with different African countries. There is the Barcelona process for the northern African countries, while the other African states are dealt with through the Lome convention, in such a way as to break the continent up into small, discordant groupings.
Gaddafi's remarks drew an angry reaction from Roman Prodi, the president of the European Commission.
"I am strongly disappointed that Mr Gaddafi is saying this," Prodi commented. "It goes against everything he had told me in private when we had our meeting."
Prodi had earlier had a short meeting with Gaddafi, which was described in an EU press release as "friendly."
According to this release, Gaddafi had "acknowledged [in the bilateral meeting] the European Commission's contribution to the development of Africa" and the active role of the European Union in dealing with dramatic problems such as debt, poverty and endemic diseases. For his part, Prodi asserted the EU's keen interest in helping the continent. He told Gaddafi that the Barcelona Process, which brings together the EU with the North African countries, as well as with other Mediterranean states, can provide one means of enhancing this partnership.
"The Barcelona Process is a precious instrument for having both the European Union and the Mediterranean countries participate in a political and economic forum of cooperation," Prodi reportedly told Gaddafi.
According to EU sources, Gaddafi, whose country is allegedly keen to join the Barcelona Process as part of Libya's return to the international fold, seemed to agree.
Moreover, the Libyan leader, whose country had earlier made a considerable fuss over the decision to admit Israel and the Palestinian Authority to membership of the Barcelona Process, had suggested to Prodi that he "accepts that the Barcelona Process, as reiterated by President Prodi, is not negotiable by the European Union."
The Libyan leader for his part insisted on the priority Libya attaches to close relations with Europe, both on a bilateral level and within the context of regional cooperation with other North African and Mediterranean countries.
This bilateral meeting, said the EU press release, "will offer the European Union the opportunity for an assessment of the new ideas put forward by Libya."
However, back in the Mecharnes Hall, Gaddafi seemed to have changed his tack: "Why does Europe keep telling us they want to help Africans stop fighting amongst themselves? Well, the Europeans too have their fights -- not least, their bull fights," Gaddafi reportedly said.
Does this mean that EU officials are no longer prepared to forge ahead with their plans to accept Libya into the Barcelona Process? "No," was the response from one senior EU diplomatic source. The EU remains serious about the re-integration of Libya, which "has been sending signals to the international community that it is ready to come back."
As for the remarks made later by the Libyan leader, the source merely commented, "That is Colonel Gaddafi."
