LIBYAN DEMARCHE ON CHINA SUMMIT WITH AFRICAN NATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000645

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/MAG, AF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2016
TAGS: ECIN ETRD PREL AU KECF LY
SUBJECT: LIBYAN DEMARCHE ON CHINA SUMMIT WITH AFRICAN NATIONS

REF: a) TRIPOLI 84, b) TRIPOLI 568

CLASSIFIED BY: Ethan Goldrich, CDA, Embassy Tripoli, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Ibrahim Dridi, Director of the Americas Office at the
General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International
Cooperation (MFA equivalent) requested a meeting on November 7
to convey a demarche regarding Libyan views on the China Summit
with African nations. "I was instructed to raise our concern
over China," said Dridi. Reiterating points made by Secretary
for African Affairs Ali Treki reported reftel (b),Dridi said
that Libya believed it was inappropriate for a single country,
even one as large as China, to hold a summit with all African
countries. As a reflection of the Libyan view, the GPCFLIC
decided to send the relatively low-level Secretary for Asian
Affairs, rather than considering participation by Qadhafi or
the General Secretary of the GPCFLIC (Foreign Minister
equivalent),AbdulRahman Shalgam.


2. (C) Dridi explained that Libya suspected China of ulterior
motives in its economic assistance programs to African
countries, saying, "Chinese hegemony over the continent may be
behind all of the financial offers." He asked Charge for our
views on the Chinese Summit. Dridi also said, "Libya wants to
coordinate on Africa policy and asks what joint projects you
suggest for development cooperation." He asked that we convey
the message quietly since Libya didn't want its fears to be
reported openly.


3. (C) Charge detailed for Dridi our continuing demarches on
the need for international peacekeeping troops in Darfur and on
facilitating international assistance. We also reminded Dridi
that we had offered to set up a bilateral meeting between a
senior U.S. trade representative and a Libyan official on the
margins of a planned AU trade meeting (cancelled due to a
schedule conflict with the Beijing event). Charge also noted
the value of dialogue between the U.S. and Libya on African
issues and our understanding that Libya was interested in a
visit by Special Sudan Representative Andrew Natsios to Tripoli.
Charge and Dridi recapped many of the points raised during
Assistant Secretary Frazer's visit (reftel a). Dridi said that
Libya was ready to receive Natsios or Assistant Secretary Frazer
to discuss Africa policy at any time.


4. (U) We subsequently provided Dridi with public statements
about Undersecretary Burn's recent travel to China, as well as
Assistant Secretary Frazer's public remarks on African
cooperation and background material on the AGOA program.


5. (C) Comment. Libyan interlocutors have continually pushed
back on our demarches asking for their help convincing the
Sudanese to allow international peacekeepers in the Darfur
region, claiming that any outside influence would only act as a
catalyst for terrorist activity in the region. Libya's stance
is that Africa should take care of its own, with of course,
Libya in a primary leadership role. Qadhafi promotes himself
as the "Father" of the African Union, and sees the continent as
his backyard. Now he must add China to the UN and the
historical colonizers of Africa as potential rivals and
interlopers. (Interestingly, the British Embassy here was not
called in for demarche we received.) We find it fascinating
that the Libyans have identified a fear of Chinese hegemony as a
potential source of common interest with us. Inviting Secretary
of African Affairs Ali Treki for consultations in Washington
with Assistant Secretary Frazer and/or including Tripoli in
future travel by Ambassador Natsios' might present an
opportunity to exchange views on Libyan concerns over Chinese
influence, and more importantly to press for a more helpful
Libyan stance on Sudan.. End Comment.

GOLDRICH