Mr Blair welcome to Gaddafi's mad, mad world

[General Duke]

UK to offer Libya military help

 

 

It was announced last month that Blair would meet Colonel Gaddafi

Tony Blair is set to offer British military training for Libyan troops when he meets Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

BBC political editor Andrew Marr says the idea is to help persuade Libya it does not need weapons of mass destruction to defend itself.

 

As the Libya trip was confirmed, the Tories claimed they would distress families of Lockerbie bombing victims.

 

Tory Michael Ancram described the trip's timing - shortly after a Madrid memorial service - as "astonishing".

 

Weapons move

 

The Lockerbie bombing killed 270 people and their families are divided on the wisdom of the Libya talks.

 

Mr Blair's meeting comes after Libya announced in December that it was ending its weapons of mass destruction programmes.

 

 

Swire, whose daughter died at Lockerbie, welcomed the talks

A senior official travelling with the prime minister said: "We will be using the visit to continue the process of bringing Libya into the international mainstream and to make clear that we will be trying to get Libya's relationship with the European Union developed in the months ahead."

 

The offer of military help could involve Libyan officers coming to British training academy Sandhurst.

 

Downing Street are presenting the move as part of its wider strategy against international terrorism.

 

BBC political editor Andrew Marr said: "It is seen as part of the price that has to be paid for Libya coming in from the cold and getting rid of its weapons of mass destruction."

 

Terror support

 

At prime minister's questions deputy Tory leader Michael Ancram told Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott the prime minister's visit was "highly questionable" and its timing even more so.

 

Britain had suffered from Libyan support for terrorism through Lockerbie, the murder of Wpc Yvonne Fletcher and backing for the IRA, he said.

 

"Welcome as Libya's commitment to disarmament is, we should never forget the victims of Gaddafi's sponsorship of terrorism.

 

"Don't you at least agree that if the Prime Minister does meet with Colonel Gaddafi, he should sup with a very long spoon?"

 

'Talks working'

 

 

The prime minister should also raise the issue of Colonel Gaddafi's support for Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe, he added.

 

But standing in for the prime minister, Mr Prescott said it was right to continue talks which had brought a breakthrough over Libyan weapons programmes.

 

It was a matter of judgement, he said, adding: "I think the judgement that you talk to these people is absolutely important."

 

Earlier, Conservative leader Michael Howard also questioned Mr Blair's visit.

 

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I imagine it will cause considerable distress to the families of the victims of Lockerbie."

 

US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns flew on Wednesday to Tripoli, becoming the most senior American to visit since the 1969 coup which brought Colonel Gaddafi to power.

 

 

Families' reaction

 

Jim Swire, from the UK Families Flight 103 campaign group, welcomed news of Mr Blair's visit.

 

"This is obviously the next step in a process which we have been campaigning for over the past few years," he said.

 

"It started with the reinstatement of the British ambassador in Tripoli and the logical next step would be a prime ministerial visit to establish that Libya has been accepted back into the community of nations.

 

"It would also greatly diminish the chances of a backsliding of support for terrorism, so we are greatly in favour of such a move."

 

But Kathleen Flynn, whose son John Patrick was killed in the bombing, said visiting Tripoli was insulting to the victims' families.

 

The American told BBC Radio Scotland: "We really don't have the full answers as to what happened with Pan Am 103. Nor do we have answers from all the people involved.

 

"So I am not happy to hear that Tony Blair is going out to make nice with Muammar Gaddafi, the person who ordered the murder of my son."

[General Duke]

Blair fails to persuade Zapatero over Iraq

 

Published: March 24 2004 13:23 | Last Updated: March 24 2004 13:23

 

 

Tony Blair on Wednesday failed to persuade Spain's incoming Socialist administration to drop its threat to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

 

 

The British prime minister spent almost half an hour trying to reassure José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's prime minister-elect, that a forthcoming United Nations security council resolution would help meet his demands for UN control in Iraq.

 

Though British officials stress the common ground between them, Mr Blair made little headway in persuading Mr Zapatero to reconsider pulling out 1,300 Spanish troops after the planned June 30 handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis. There was a tacit acceptance in Downing Street that an imminent breakthrough, on what is a tough domestic issue for Spain after the March 11 terrorist bombings in Madrid, was unlikely.

 

In a brief statement to reporters, Mr Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister and Mr Zapatero discussed Iraq during an intimate one-to-one meeting without officials present. "The prime minister set out how he hoped the situation would move on in Iraq in the period to June30 as we handed control to the Iraqis in a way that the UN would approve of," the spokesman said.

 

 

Leaders gather for Madrid blast funeral

Click here

 

 

The incoming Spanish leader "set out the stance that he took during his election campaign and the prime minister said that he understood that which ever way the situation moved in Iraq, that is the position backed by the Spanish people".

 

He was said to have added that whatever happened on this, Madrid's stance should "not be misinterpreted as a lessening in Spanish support for a successful transition in Iraq".

 

They also discussed the draft EU constitution and, joined by officials, they moved on to economic reform.

 

After his meeting with Mr Zapatero, Mr Blair joined other world leaders at a state memorial service for the 190 victims of the bombings. He then flew to Lisbon for talks with José Manuel Durão Barraso, Portugal's prime minister.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

No wonder the Western world's media tone instantly changed labeling Liibiya from a pariah state to a friendly respected terms.

 

Why? Nothing changed there. Absolutely nothing. Qadaafi is there. So is his Islamic Socialist idealogy. The only thing is that he bowed to Bush, Blair and the minions by scrapping the weapons {a good grief for Israel}.

 

A senior official travelling with the prime minister said: "We will be using the visit to continue the process of bringing Libya into the international mainstream...

What kind of official is person?

 

Liibiya was a respected and effective member of interntional mainstream community yesterday, and it is a member now.

 

Liibiya was the vehicle and architect behind the now-celebrated African Union. It always was a fierce member of Arab League. And an appreciated member of the Organization of Islamic Conference.

 

It never was a reclusive country, save it to West.

 

Macsalaama.

[General Duke]

Blair extends hand of friendship to Gaddafi

25 March 2004

 

Tony Blair today extended the hand of friendship to the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the man once dubbed a 'Mad Dog' by US President Ronald Reagan.

 

The historic meeting took place in a tent near the capital Tripoli.

 

The two leaders shook hands in the tent on farmland outside the Libyan capital Tripoli with camels grazing nearby and Mr Blair said: "It's good to be here at last after so many months."

 

With an interpreter standing behind him Mr Gaddafi spoke first in Arabic then switched to English to say to the Prime Minister: "You did a lot of fighting on this issue and seem exhausted."

 

Mr Blair replied: "There's been a lot to do."

 

Mr Gaddafi speaking in English replied: "You look good, you are still young."

 

The two leaders were seated in wooden armchairs separated by a small low table on which Mr Gaddafi had placed a sheaf of felt–tip pens.

 

Col Gaddafi was wearing dark brown robes and sat crossed–legged as he spoke to Mr Blair in the farmland known locally simply as "the place", or al Macan, where the Libyan leader frequently greets foreign dignitaries.

 

Col Gaddafi had been in his tent for some time before Mr Blair's arrival "meditating" according to local officials.

 

The two were expected to have what were described as private talks before lunch then a separate session of discussions on political issues with Mr Blair's aim to encourage Libya to join the international mainstream.

 

The Prime Minister's chartered British Airways jet had earlier touched down at Tripoli airport at 9.18am.

 

Mr Blair was met by a Revolutionary Guard of Honour on the tarmac at the airport.

 

Crowds lined the streets of the Libyan capital as his motorcade sped towards to the venue for the talks.

 

The decision to go to Libya, a country which for many years was an enthusiastic sponsor of terrorism, came after the Libyan leader's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction and terror.

 

In a carefully choreographed build up, the visit coincided with the announcement that police investigating the murder of Wpc Yvonne Fletcher will visit Libya next month, and that Shell was signing a multi–million pound gas deal with Libya.

 

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw revealed the breakthrough concerning Wpc Fletcher while the Prime Minister was en route to the country.

 

The policewoman was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London on April 17 1984. The gunman, who was inside the embassy, later fled country under the cloak of diplomatic immunity in a deal to end the siege that followed the shooting.

 

Officials said the Prime Minister was well aware ahead of the meeting that he was dealing with one of the most unpredictable leaders in the world.

 

Mr Blair has already defended his trip to a country.

 

He said last night that he was determined to offer "our hand in partnership" to states that had renounced terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

 

His visit follows Libya's agreement in December to dismantle its WMD programme and its acceptance of responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of Wpc Fletcher.

 

Critics at home have said Mr Blair's visit may be premature. Tory leader Michael Howard questioned its timing after the PM's attendance at yesterday's Madrid rail bombing memorial service.

 

But the Prime Minister insisted last night: "Let us offer to states that want to renounce terrorism and the development of WMD our hand in partnership to achieve it, as Libya has rightly and courageously decided to do."

 

But he added: "That does not mean forgetting the pain of the past, but it does mean recognising change when it happens."

 

* The oil giant Shell confirmed its return to Libya today by signing a landmark agreement with the country's national oil company.

 

The group said the tie-up involved the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership in the Libyan oil and gas industry.

 

The agreement was signed in Tripoli by Abdalla S El Badri, chairman of the management committee of Libya's National Oil Corporation, and Malcolm Brinded, chief executive officer of Shell exploration and production.

25 March 2004 12:41

 

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[General Duke]

Blair meets Gadafy

 

 

Mark Oliver

Thursday March 25, 2004

 

 

Tony Blair and Colonel Muammar Gadafy in Tripoli. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

 

 

The prime minister, Tony Blair, today shook the hand of Colonel Muammar Gadafy ahead of historic talks with the Libyan leader, who was once a pariah to the west.

Mr Blair and Col Gadafy - whom the former US president Ronald Reagan once described as a "mad dog" - met in a Bedouin tent on farmland near the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

 

The visit brings an end to three decades of international isolation for Col Gadafy's regime.

 

There appeared to be an atmosphere of some tension, but Mr Blair smiled as the pair shook hands. They then sat alongside one another.

 

"It's good to be here at last," Mr Blair said. With an interpreter standing behind him, Col Gadafy first spoke in Arabic before switching to English to say: "You did a lot of fighting on this issue and seem exhausted." Mr Blair replied: "There's been a lot to do."

 

Col Gadafy, again speaking in English, said: "You look good, you are still young."

 

After the photocall, the two leaders were expected to hold private talks for around 90 minutes. Mr Blair was expected to hold a press conference later, possibly alongside Col Gadafy.

 

The visit follows Libya's admission, in December last year, that it was developing a weapons of mass destruction programme. Tripoli promised to dismantle the programme, and has also pledged to pay compensation for the Lockerbie bombing in return for a lifting of sanctions.

 

Critics in the UK, including the Conservative party leader, Michael Howard, have described Mr Blair's visit as premature.

 

However, the families of some of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing - which was sanctioned by the Libyan regime - have said that they support the prime minister's trip.

 

In an attempt to bolster it, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, announced, before Mr Blair arrived in Tripoli, that British police investigating the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher would visit Libya next month.

 

There have never been any convictions over the killing of Fletcher, who was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. It is seen as one of the remaining issues needing to be resolved as Libya attempts to rebuild ties with the west. It was also today disclosed that the visit will pave the way for British blue chip companies, including oil giant Shell, to sign multi-billion pound deals with the Libyans.

 

Mr Blair's officials confirmed that Shell was to sign a £110m deal for gas exploration rights off the Libyan coast. The prime minister's official spokesman told reporters that the contract could potentially be worth £550m.

 

Speaking in London, Mr Straw said that the Libyan authorities had been "tardy" over the Fletcher case in the past.

 

However, he added that Libya now recognised the need to "co-operate fully with the Metropolitan police service - they will be out there on April 3 to take part in those further investigations".

 

Mr Straw said that officers would "hopefully ... talk directly to those who we suspect of having been involved".

 

Scotland Yard officers had previously visited Tripoli as part of their investigations, but had been able to make little progress.

 

Some observers have argued that, at the time of the shooting, Libya's embassy was effectively an outpost for pursuing a violent, politically-sanctioned revolutionary struggle, and that Libyan suspects should not have enjoyed any diplomatic immunity.

 

Mr Straw told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is terrible, and it remains something that is a daily, hourly, nightmare for the parents concerned, to whom I have spoken.

 

"But what we have been able to achieve since negotiations with Libya were first opened up by my predecessor, Robin Cook, in respect of Lockerbie, is a recognition by the Libyans that they do have to co-operate fully with the Metropolitan police.

 

The announcement followed a telephone call from Mohammad Shalgam, the Libyan foreign minister, to Mr Straw last month, during which he suggested that British police would be able to visit Libya.

 

It came after a diplomatic storm sparked by Shukri Ghalem, the Libyan prime minister, who disclaimed Libyan responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and the death of Fletcher.

 

Officials later backtracked after Mr Blair sought clarification of Tripoli's position amid calls for his visit to be cancelled.

 

The prime minister's visit to Libya is part of a four-day diplomatic mission. Last night, he stayed in Portugal after having earlier been in Spain to attend a memorial service for the victims of the March 11 Madrid train bombings.

 

Speaking in Lisbon, he said: "Let us offer to states that want to renounce terrorism and the development of WMD our hand in partnership to achieve it, as Libya has rightly and courageously decided to do.

 

"That does not mean forgetting the pain of the past, but it does mean recognising change when it happens."

 

Jim Swire, of the UK Families Flight 103 campaign group - who lost his daughter in the Lockerbie bombing - said that Mr Blair's visit would "greatly diminish the chances of a backsliding of support for terrorism, so we are greatly in favour of such a move".

 

However, Lockerbie councillor Marjory McQueen said: "On a purely personal basis, I have sympathy with the views of the American relatives who see it as a betrayal, but obviously the prime minister now feels it is time to move on - although it appears to have been arranged rather quickly."

 

Special reports

[General Duke]

Welcome to Gaddafi's mad, mad world

What amazes me is Blair's choice of fall-guy: one of the weirdest, battiest, deadliest Arab dictators of them all

 

By Robert

Fisk

25 March 2004

 

 

We live, as the Arabs say, in interesting times. Today, our Prime Minister flies to Libya to pay homage at the court of Gaddafi. The man blamed for blasting two airliners - one American, one French - out of the sky, for sending weapons to the IRA, for invading Chad, killing a young British policewoman, murdering political opponents at home and abroad, who has himself been bombed by both the United States and Egypt, is to play host to our dear Prime Minister. Gaddafi of the Green Book meets Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara. I cannot wait.

 

 

. . . . . . . . .

[Nin-Yaaban]

its very sad that a respected world leader (blair) is being used by Bush for shuttle diplomacy. amerika is using blair to mediate between them and the Libyans. too bad Blair has just become the unofficial Amerikaan secretary of state.