A DIAGLOGUE EVEN OF THE DEAF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01559R000400380001-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 2, 1977
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400380001-3
jue Even of t%p Deaf V
TRIPOLI, Libya Not long after FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Jimmy Carte on the election, Col.
Muammar el-Qaddafi, President of the
Libyan Arab Republic, cabled him
offering "to foster relations of coop- _
d ' ' t tion
ra
By C. L. Sulzberger
eration with the new A minis
Colonel Qaddafi, who is also chair- blocked their export. The "dialogue" "I don't consider the idea of a Geneva
man of Libya's Revolutionary' Com- offer was cold-shouldered. We do hun- peace conference worthwhile. We
mand Council, stressed Carter's "call dreds of millions of dollars worth of must return to the original point in
for the observance of spiritual values. ' commercial business here, buying one- settling this problem. We must go back
He hoped this would lead to an atti- fourth of Libya's oil and selling'much to the Palestinian population of Arabs
tude "based on equal footing and mu- agricultural machinery and civilian and Oriental Jews in 1947.48 and
i cce t their coexistence in any loan
is a p
b
tual respect" helping "the .ause of
peace, security and justice"
Warmer relationships would cer-
tainly constitute a change; right now
they are limited and cold. The last
United States ambassador left here in
1972 after Wheelus.Air Base had been.
closed and American oil companies
were nationalized by Qaddafi's revolu-
tionary regime. Since then our em-
bassy staff has been restricted to 15
persons acid is headed by a charge
d'affaires.
There has been clear hostility to the
United States and sparse diplomatic
access to the Government by its repre-
sentatives. Although some 2,000 Ameri-
b
'
.
y
oom- s
s
cans virtually operate Libya
ing oil production, they are cut off ? ti nity will be after President Carter Libyan views on this-no more under
from the ? local population which is takes over. I am relatively optimistic." ? Carter than under Ford. . But this
quite xenophobic by tradition and Nevertheless, burning issues . still should not prevent the dialogue
countries. Colonel Qaddafi seeks.
t
h
wo
e
deliberately isolated from foreigners. separate t
However9 recently Tripoli has taken 'Qaddafi resents Washingtpn's assert- On the contrary, were we to end
an initiative to improve relations. It tibn that he encourages terrorism our ambassadorial boycott and send a
proposed opening a dialogue, ending, abroad, from the Middle East toNorth- new envoy, ultimately beginning frank
rn Ireland and the Philippines. "We talks, it might be possible to disagree
numerical restriction of embassy e
staffs, and exchanging ambassadors. are the only country in the world with on Israel while finding common ground
certain other issues.
" he in- on
inst terrorism
l
,
aw aga
It even named a new envoy. to a stiff
It
America-but he was not accepted by sists. is more important to have am-
sadars in Countries where we have
l b
r
as
a
Washington which, on its part, made He acknowledges continue d mo
no move to reciprocate. and political support for the I.R.A. in problems than in lands where every-
Moreover, although Libya wished, to . Ulster because that is "an integral thing is roses. Dispatching an envoy
buy United States arms and an initial part of Ireland and the Irish nation to a capital with which we have poor
purchase of eight' Lockheed C-130 is different from the English nation. diplomatic relations is not a sign of
al-but of interest and concern.
wants its in- appro
d
l
v
now
an
transports was paid for, Washington Why.. even Scot
T i
us ness
aircraft; but diplomatic
stalled. they desire. Anything else, I consider
I discussed all this at, length with aggression."
Colonel Qaddafi in a Bedouin tent That obviously implies return of all
outside this city. Our conversation Arab Palestinian refugees and their
was interpreted by Dr. Tahar Sherif families, exodus of most of Israel's
bin-Amir, Minister of State to the Jews, and destruction of their state.
Presidency, but Qaddafi, who speaks Such an extreme solution - which
considerable English, occasionally in- would certainly provoke war if at-
terrupted in that language and an- tempted-is strongly opposed by the
swered most questions without await- United States and many other coun-
ing translation into Arabic. tries, although Qaddafi denies this.
The nub of what he said was this: Even several Arab lands now accept
"I believe in dialogue as a means of recognition of an 'independent and
understanding. We are ready for a dia- much larger Israel as part of a settle-
logue; the higher its level, the more ment.
effective the result. But this can be There seems little room for com-
The ripe oppor- promise between the American and
approached
raduall
dependence. But we give only moral I
and political-not material--backing
as we do to other just causes."
The most troublesome point is
Israel. Colonel Qaddafi strongly op-
poses American policy there. He says:
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400380001-3