GADHAFI'S DECEMBER 8 PRESS INTERVIEW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01559R000400390002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: January 9, 1980
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400390002-1
:PAGE 001
TORT 0914472 JAN 80
00 RUEAIIB
ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH
TSTU037
00
RUEHC
DE
RUQMTI
#0015 0091118
ZNY
CCCCC
ZZH
0 091122Z JAN 80
FM AMEMBASSY..TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHOC IMMEDIATE-7566
BT
C 0 P F I 0 CNTY TRIPOLI 0015
E.0. 120651 GDS 1/9/86 (EAGLETON, WILLIAM. L.) OR.M
TAGS LY? AO
SUBJ~CT=r OHAFi?S DECEMBER 8 PRESS INTERVIEW
A' 04?A
&EFS TRIPOLI 0013
1. (C-ENTIRE TEXT).
2. JON RANDALL OF THE WASHINGTON POST RETURNED TO TRIPOLI
FROM BENGHAZI MOCNING OF JAN 9 AND-LEFT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY
FOR BEIRUT WHERE HE WILL FILE HIS STORY ON THE INTERVIEW HE
AND SEVERAL OTHER PRESS REPS HAD WITH QADHAFI IN BENGHAZI LAST
NIGHT. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW-THE INTERVIEW WITH HIM
3. THE U.S.Z ASKED''WHY`THE GENERAL PEOPLES CONGRESS HAD CUT
ECONOMIC TIES WITH CHINA, BECAUSE.OF CHINESE SUPPLY OF HIGHS
TO EGYPT, BUT HAD NOT TAKEN SIMILAR ACTION AGAINST THE U.S.,
QADHAFI REPLIED THAT THIS IS THE.LAST CHANCE GIVEN THE U.S. SINCE
THE LIBYAN PEOPLE WILL!PROBABLY REVIEW RELATIONS WITH THE U.S.
NEXT YEAR. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION-REFERRING TO THE NEW YORK
TIMES INTERVIEW WHICH SAID QADHAFI WANTED TO IMPROVE RELATIONS
WITH THE U.S., QADHAFI.SAID "THIS RESTS WITH THE U.S. THEY DO US
INJUSTICE AND PUT US ON THE BLACKLIST....
IF THEY MISS THIS CHANCE AND DO NOT CHANGE THEIR POLICY THIS 15
THE LAST CHANCE". -RE GLESTION WHEY-HER BECAUSE OF ELECTION-YEAR
AND SACKING OF EMBASSY IT WAS BETTER TO COOL IT, QADHAFI REPLIED,
"YES, BECAUSE OF THE ELCTION YEAR." ASKED WHETHER IT WOULD BE
A GOOD IDEA TO SEE THE L.S. CHARGE Of AFFAIRES TO CLARIFY THE
MATTER, QADHAFI SAID$ "IF THERE IS AN AMERICAN PEOPLES BUREAU
IN TRIPOLI I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO MEETING THEM". QUESTIONS
"THAT MEANS YOU ARE UNINTERESTED IN SEEING THE AMERICAN MISSION
IN ITS PRESENT FORM?" -REPLY: "YES."
4. OILs,.`%-GA0H4'FI REFERRED TO INFLATION IN INDUSTRIALIZED
COUNTRIES. BUT'REFUSED TO PREDICT WHETHER OIL PRICES WOULD RISE
DURING NEXT 6 MONTHS.
5. ASKED WHETHER HE PREFERRED CARTER OR KENNEDY, QADHAFI LAUGHED
AND SAID THAT ANY U.S.:PRESIDENT WOULD BE UNDER ZIONIST INFLUENCE
BUT "BECAUSE CARTER PROMISED TO MAKE CHANGES IN AMERICAN POLICY
WE PREFER CARTER BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE THAT
AMECICA POLICY-WILL-NOT BE PRO-ISRAEL:CR PREJUDICED AGAINST
THE ARABS." QUESTIONS "WHO MADE THESE PROMISES AND .H067
REPLY: "THEY WERE ALMCST PRECISE PCOMISES..AS I UNDERSTOOD
IT I BELIEVE HE, (CARTER) PROMISED TO RADICALLY CHANGE AMERICAN
POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST."
6, PALESTINIANS: CADHAFI SAID LIBYA MAD FINANCED, ARMED
AND TRAINED FATAH. "IT IS WE %HU GAVE FATAH IMPO4TANCE.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400390002-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400390002-1
STATE
a ? a ? as . as a ? . a a~a . a~ ? . ? ~~ ..~ ........... a .... . ? ? . ? ... a.... a . a ... ter.............. .
80 3649943 PAGE 002 NC.3649943
TORS 091447Z JAN 80
FATAH ITSELF IS NOT IMPORTANT."
7. FAILURE OF LIBYA AND IRAN TO EXCHANGE DIPLOMATIC.
REPS: QADHAFI SAID: "SITUATION IN'IRAN IS NOT YET STABLE
AND RESPONSIBILITY THERE IS NOT WELL DEFINED. LIBYA HELPED
IRAN BEFORE REVOLUTION=TRIUMPHED WHEN KHOMEINI WAS IN PARIS.
THIS WAS VIA QOTBZADEH."
8. AFGHANISTAN: QADHAFI SAID THE GENERAL.PEOPLES
CONGRESS COULD NOT MAKE MOTIONS SUCH AS-
ONE,-CONDEMNING-THE SOVIET INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN. QUESTION4,_"THEN .WHAT
ARE THE COLONEL'S VIEWS?" REPLY: "I DO"NOT HAVE ENOUGH
INFORMATION ABOUT THE. SITUATIONIN,THAT REGION (HE SMILES."
0. "MAYBE'IN A WEEK OR TWO?" REPLY$ "WE HAVE NO SPECIAL
' PLAN TO GET INFORMATION." 0: "DOES THIS CREATE PROBLEMS FOR
YOU SINCE AFGHANISTAN AND LIBYA ARE MOSLEM NATIONS?". REPLY:
"WE HAVE TALKED ENOUGH-ABOUT THIS SUBJECT."
9. PEOPLES BUREAUS: GADHAFI SAID OPENING OF PEOPLES BUREAUS
? WOULD CONTINUE AND HE?EXPLAINED THAT THEY BEGAN WITH THE U.S.
AND WEST EUROPE BECAUSE OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THERE.
10. SAHARA DISPUTE: GADHAFI BLAMED KING OF MOROCCO FOR FAILURE
TO END THE WAR. HE CALLED FIGHT A "REVOLUTIONARY EXPLOSION."
11. JAMAHIRIYAHS AND: REVOLUTIONS: LATTER PART OF INTERVIEW HAD
QADHAFI ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS REVOLUTIONARY ROLE.
HE PREDICTED THAT RULE1CF THE MASSES (JAMAHIRIYAHS) WOULD TAKE
OVER EVERYWHERE. "IRAN IS EXPECTED TO BE A JAMAHIRI.YAH?
ANY REVOLUTION THAT TAKES PLACE IN TURKEY WILL BE A JAMAHICIYAH,'
AND RADICAL CHANGE-IN~SPAIN WILL BE A'J'AMAHIRIYAH. QUESTIONS:
"00 YOU EXPECT OTHER QADHAFIS IN THE WORLD? REPLY:
"THE MASSES WILL BE QADHAFIS. "QUESTIONS "DID YOU MAKE ANY
ERRORS THESE PAST 10 YEARS?" .REPLY: ".I WISH THE GREEN BOOK
HAD BEEN WRITTEN AT THE BEGINNING.OF THE 10 YEARS AND NOT AT THE
END. I HAD THE IDEAS AT THE START BUT THEY WERE NOT YET RIPE.
' THERE WAS-THE INSIGHT TO HAVE MADE-THE REVOLUTION 20 YEARS AGO
IN 1959" (WHEN QADHAFI WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL).
12. RANDALL'S NOTES FINISH WITH: "THE'END OF THE WORLD
IS JUST AROUND". WHICH SEEMS SUM UP HIS IMPRESSION OF
OQADHAFI'S VIEW OF REVOLUTIONARY FUTURE. RANDALL FOUND QADHAFIN
LESS IMPRESSIVE AND MORE SUBDUED THAN HE EXPECTED.
HE NOTED THAT OADHAFI'S COMMENTS WERE CALMER THAN THEY HAD
BEEN A YEAR AGO WHEN HE WAS ATTACKING THE U.S., CAMP DAVID, ETC.
13. COMMENT: AS IS USUALLY THE CASE? THE QADHAFI INTERVIEW
WAS A COMBINATION OF SERIOUS POLICY FORMULATION AND GAMESMANSHIP.
HIS DISCUSSION OF-THE U.S. AND OUR REPRESENTATION IN
TRIPOLI PROBABLY FITS INTO THE LATTER CATEGORY.
EAGLE TON.
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400390002-1