Cablegate: Government of Libya Announces Efforts to Support Lebanon

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Brooke F Adams 08/06/2006 03:26:20 PM From DB/Inbox: Brooke F Adams

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS TRIPOLI 00383

SIPDIS
CXCAIRO:
ACTION: POL
INFO: RSO PA ORA OMC LEGAT IPS ECON DEA DCM DAO CONS
AMB AID

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

VZCZCCRO461
PP RUEHEG
DE RUEHTRO #0383/01 2131547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011547Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1061
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 1190

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000383

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL LY IS LE
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF LIBYA ANNOUNCES EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LEBANON

REF: TRIPOLI 377

1. (SBU) Summary and Comment. The Government of Libya announced
on Monday a three-step initiative to express its solidarity with
the people of Lebanon and denounce Israeli attacks in the
country. 1) The General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison
and International Cooperation was instructed to hold a meeting
with ambassadors from the P-5 countries Monday, calling for an
immediate ceasefire and an investigation into alleged genocide
against the people of Lebanon (reftel). 2) A Libyan-government
sponsored daily cargo plane stocked with medical supplies and
food will reportedly be sent to Lebanon via other Arab
countries. 3) Local media are being asked to highlight the
confrontation, and have been particularly praising leader
Moammar Qaddafi's alleged prediction of the attacks during a
speech ten years ago. Several relatively calm
government-sanctioned demonstrations have taken place in
Tripoli. Comment: The three-step initiative is clearly a
low-cost attempt by the Libyan government to counter criticism
it is facing on opposition websites and elsewhere, that it is
not doing enough for the cause in Lebanon. End Summary and
Comment.

2. (SBU) On Sunday, July 30, the General People's Committee (GPC
- i.e. the Cabinet) held an emergency session to "support the
steadfastness of the Lebanese brotherly people in facing the
Israeli barbarous aggression taking place these days." After the
meeting, the GPC ordered three steps to put these words into
action, conveying to the Libyan public their commitment to
supporting the Lebanese people. In carrying out the first step,
the GPC for Foreign Liaison and International Co-operation
(GPCFLIC, i.e. the MFA) called in the ambassadors from the P-5
countries to insist on an immediate stop to attacks in Lebanon
(reftel). Television and newspapers highlighted the Charges
d'affairs from the United States and China, along with
ambassadors from Russia, Britain and France, meeting with
GPCFLIC Secretary for European Affairs Obeidi, who in press
accounts, called for an end to "state terrorism, unwarranted
aggression, and war crime against the Lebanese people and
genocide that require an international investigation." (See
Reftel for a full report on the actual content of the meeting
and Charge's response.)

3 (SBU) The second announced step is the commencement of an
immediate "air bridge" between Libya and Lebanon to transport
food and medical supplies via Jordan, Syria, and Cyprus. On
Monday evening, local media reported that the first cargo plane
of the air bridge, carrying 50 tons of medicine, medical
equipment, food stuffs, and ambulances, took off from Mitiga
International Airport. Daily relief flights are planned. The
government also reported that Libyan medical teams are available
to be deployed to Lebanon, and that injured Lebanese civilians
are welcome for treatment in local hospitals. According to
local media sources last week, the Qaddafi Foundation for
Charity Societies, a quasi-NGO run by Qaddafi's son Seif
Al-Islam, in conjunction with Libyan Red Crescent, announced
separate plans to send air shipments of medical and health
supplies to Lebanon.

4. (SBU) The GPC also announced that the state-run Libyan media
has been called upon to "highlight the confrontation of the
Lebanese people in face of the Israeli barbarous and brutal
attacks and the war crimes committed against the people of
Lebanon. " As in many newspapers in the region, the front page
of all the daily newspapers report almost solely on the violence
in Lebanon, many showing graphic photographs of dead Lebanese
civilians, especially following the attacks in Qana. On the
evening of the July 30 bombing in Qana, the state run news show
highlighted leader Moammar Qaddafi "predicting" the attack in a
May 1996 speech in which he said the April, 1996 "Grapes of
Wrath" attack on Qana would not be the last. The station
rebroadcast a clip of Qaddafi addressing an audience in Kano,
Nigeria on May 9th, 1996, in which the leader encouraged people
to wear t-shirts with pictures of children who had died in the
attack Qana that year. "... look at this high training of the
Israeli airmen to target and kill infants and children. Look at
the disgrace and shame. The world must look at this little girl,
this is a photo, and this is an example of the Israeli terrorism
and barbarism". The media broadcaster commented that the world
should have listened to Qaddafi at the time, who predicted this
week's attack.

5. (SBU) Editorials in state run newspapers echoed highly
critical statements against the government of Israel and the
western powers that back it. In an article from "Azzahaf
Al-Akhdar" from July 31, 2006 "The Zionist hegemony is beyond
description and goes unpunished just because it enjoys the
protection of Great Powers." In "Ashames" on the same day, in an
editorial entitled "Qana Again!", the author condemned Arab
countries' silence towards the attacks in Qana. He also
referred to Qaddafi's speech in Kano, Nigeria in 1996 warning of
an Israeli "death train." A great deal of coverage has been
devoted to Saturday's "New York Times" article about the
expedited delivery of US produced precision-guided bombs to
Israel. As a result of this article, some here have started
referring to Secretary Rice as "Hamalat al Khatab," or "carrier
of fire", a Quranic reference to the wife of the uncle of
prophet Muhammad, who was known to be an instigator or a fire
starter.

6. (SBU) Several government sanctioned demonstrations have been
held since the commencement of the violence in Lebanon and
Israeli. This weekend, following Friday prayers, demonstrators
gathered in Green Square, the traditional spot for protests,
chanting anti-Israeli slogans. Friday's broadcast sermon on
state-sponsored television mainly focused on criticizing Israel,
Jews and other Arab leaders. The imam particularly criticized
wealthy oil states, which "should have power, but also stand by
and do nothing." A pointed criticism of the US was also made for
blocking the UN Security Council's attempt at a cease fire. On
Monday, July 31, a separate demonstration composed mostly of
youth, organized by Aisha Qaddafi's Watasimo Charity
Organization, also took place in Green Square. The
demonstrators, many of whom were affiliated with the Libyan
version of the Boy Scouts, marched to the UN headquarters in
Tripoli and delivered a letter condemning the attacks in Qana
and praising the foresight of Moammar Qaddafi in forecasting
this event years ago while in Kano, Nigeria. "Where is the UN?
Where are its role, mission and charter called human rights?
Where are the Security Council, and its resolutions regarding
this terrible massacre?" Media reported approximately two
thousand people took part in this demonstration, which was also
televised extensively.
BERRY

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