Issue No. 610
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31 Oct. - 6 Nov. 2002 Issue No. 610 Region |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Shock therapy, Gaddafi style
Muammar Gaddafi's threat to withdraw from the Arab League reflects his increasing frustration with Arab policies toward the Palestinians and Iraq. Dina Ezzat reports from Tripoli
An official memo was presented to the Arab League last Thursday declaring Libya's intention to walk out of the organisation. Brought on by what Tripoli deems to be a failure of Arab states to act promptly on issues in their strategic national interest, Libya's move has caused a frenzy of diplomatic activity. Arab diplomacy is not only trying to contain obvious Libyan anger but is also attempting to address some of the key questions that prompted the Libyan move, particularly Arab reactions to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and the threat of US military action against Iraq.
Click to view captionGaddafi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi smile as they meet in Tripoly 28 October. Berlusconi arrived on Monday for a one-day visit to strengthen bilateral economic and political links "This move on the part of Libya is meant to demonstrate frustration with the overall Arab situation," said Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa. Moussa visited Tripoli on Saturday for talks with Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi and his top aides, including Libyan Foreign Minister Ali Al-Trikki.
The objective of Moussa's visit was to convince the Libyan leadership to suspend the legal proceedings surrounding its withdrawal, allowing for inter-Arab consultations. This he was granted by the Libyan leader. For now, Tripoli has agreed that its request will not be forwarded from the secretariat of the Arab League to the council of Arab foreign ministers -- a prerequisite to the initiation of ending its League membership, according to the charter of the Arab organisation.
"Libya's political message was clearly made by its notification. Meanwhile, we have agreed that this notification will remain with the secretary-general who is accorded the chance from the Libyan leader to conduct necessary consultations to address the reasons for Libya's frustrations," Moussa said at the end of his short visit to Libya on Saturday.
"We have no quarrel with the Arab League as such. We have no reservations over the performance of the Arab League secretary-general, in fact, we believe that he is trying hard. Our problem is with the mild reactions of Arab states to the serious threats posed to our collective national interest," Al-Trikki said following talks with Moussa in Tripoli.
According to the Libyan foreign minister, the failure of the Arab government to show resolve in dealing with the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite violent Israeli aggression and in Iraq, despite a growing US threat, are obvious examples of what Libya, "and, for that matter, Arab public opinion see as Arab political failure".
Within the coming few days, Arab foreign ministers are expected to hold a special meeting. The meeting is expected to focus on the grave situation, both in the occupied territories and in Iraq. "So this meeting is not really about the memo that was presented from the Libyan government to the Arab League on their relationship, rather it is about the overall Arab situation that has led to Libyan disappointment, hence its declared intention to quit the League," said Hisham Youssef, official spokesman for the Arab League secretary-general.
The Arab League secretary-general says that he is in contact with President Emil Lahoud of Lebanon, the current chair of the Arab summit and the other heads of Arab states and foreign ministers to consult over the expected foreign ministers' meeting and the Libyan official notification regarding Libya's intention to end its membership.
It is not clear as of yet what results should be expected from this upcoming meeting. Libyans say that they do not expect an appeal to stay on with the League but what they expect is better Arab performance. "This is a very crucial point. Libya does not want to share the blame for the on-going slaughter of Palestinians or for a strike against Iraq with some possible Arab facilitation," an informed source told Al-Ahram Weekly. He added that what Tripoli is expecting out of that meeting are signs of a firmer Arab stance in the face of the many threats to Arab strategic interests. The Libyans are not making any particular requests but they say they expect some serious Arab action.
Technically speaking Libya has a year from the day its request is presented to the Arab council of foreign ministers until its relation with the Arab League is officially ended. So far it does not seem to be the intention of the Libyan delegation to the League to officially present the withdrawal notification. Arab diplomatic sources say that Secretary-General Moussa has the word of the Libyan leader that the legal aspects of the Libyan notification will be suspended for a while. They argue that Gaddafi is not just trying to make waves. "He has a clear logic. He rightly feels that the current situation cannot go on unattended to. He says that Arab reaction to key threats have been embarrassing and he is right," said a senior Arab official. He added: "What Gaddafi is trying to do is to apply shock therapy to the Arab situation. We hope it will work".
This is not the first time that Libya has declared its intention to walk out of the Arab League. In March, a few days before the convocation of the Arab summit, Gaddafi made a public speech in which he declared his country's intention to end its membership of the Arab League due to the poor performance of Arab states on key issues. At the time Moussa rushed to Libya and managed to convince Gaddafi to put his plans on hold. Today, it is not particularly clear what prompted Gaddafi to dig out his old threat.
"It is very clear that the overall Arab situation is very frustrating. What we have to do now is respond to the Libyan protest by attempting to improve our stance on key issues," commented Sudanese Foreign Minister Moustafa Othman Ismail. Ismail, who was also in Tripoli this week to encourage the Libyan government to reconsider its move, argued that the Libyan move may end up being a wake-up call to Arab governments, reminding them that they have to work harder to preserve national and collective Arab interests.
Libya's anger with its Arab brethren goes back to the second half of the 1990s when the Libyan government was frustrated by an Arab failure to take unilateral action in breaching international sanctions against Libya. It also comes against the backdrop of Libyan diplomatic efforts to improve relations with the world. This week, Gaddafi and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, jointly inaugurated a new hospital and medical centre in Libya.
In addition, during the conclusion of a Libyan--French joint committee, Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Shalgam was received by President Jacques Chirac. Libya also recently hosted a senior British official when statements were made by senior Libyan officials about their country's interest in promoting good relations between Libya and the West.
As for its relations with the Arab world, says Moussa, "Libya is as responsible for the current situation as any other Arab country. So we have to work together and not to allow the dismantling of the Arab League. This would set a very alarming precedent."
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