DEATH OF KEY LIBYAN OFFICIAL HAMPERS COUNTER-MIGRATION EFFORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000382



SIPDIS



DEPT FOR PRM AND NEA/MAG



E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/8/2018

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PREF, LY, IT, MT

SUBJECT: DEATH OF KEY LIBYAN OFFICIAL HAMPERS COUNTER-MIGRATION

EFFORTS



REF: TRIPOLI 0050



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CLASSIFIED BY: Chris Stevens, CDA, Embassy Tripoli, Dept of

State.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (SBU) Summary: High season for illegal migrants departing

Libya for European shores continues; more than half of a group

of 70 migrants that made landfall in Malta during a recent

48-hour window claimed to have departed from Libya. The

unexpected death of a key Libyan official has set back Malta's

campaign to improve Libya's performance in its search and rescue

area and efforts to finalize training and repatriation

agreements. End summary.



HIGH SEASON FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS



2. (SBU) Maltese Ambassador Joseph Cassar pulled P/E Chief aside

for a conversation on illegal migration as the latter penned a

message in the condolences book for the recently deceased Sir

Anthony Mamo, the first President of Malta. Saying it had been

"a bad week", Cassar noted that more than 70 illegal migrants

had made landfall and requested asylum in Malta during a single

48-hour period earlier this week. More than half of the 70

individuals claimed to have departed from Libya's coast,

prompting Valletta to task its embassy in Tripoli to reiterate

requests that the GOL increase patrols in its Search and Rescue

area (SAR). Cassar noted that more vessels transporting illegal

migrants appear to be calling via satellite telephones to claim

distress and request assistance immediately after entering

Malta's SAR. He suggested that they did so to mitigate the

chance that they would founder before being rescued.



KEY OFFICIAL'S DEATH DIMINISHES LIBYA'S RESPONSIVENESS



3. (SBU) Cassar said the GOL's response to the Maltese demarche

had been "disappointing". He noted that the unexpected death

six weeks ago of Engineer Fawzi Ghariba, former Director of

International Cooperation for Libya's Port Authority-equivalent

and a key interlocutor on counter-migration efforts, had

negatively impacted the GOL's responsiveness on illegal

migration issues at a critical time. (Note: Launches from Libya

of vessels transporting illegal migrants typically increase in

spring/summer months to take advantage of improved weather and

sea conditions. End note.) Describing Ghariba's operating

style as "American", he said the late official played a key role

in finalizing recent Malta-Libya and Italy-Malta bilateral

cooperation agreements on migration issues (reftel). More

importantly, Ghariba was an energetic and efficient operator and

one of the only GOL officials who approached illegal migration

with any sense of urgency. In several cases, Ghariba had

galvanized the GOL to deal with migration issues and prompted

disparate GOL entities to coordinate their efforts through the

force of his personality. On instructions from Valletta, Cassar

has asked the GOL several times when a successor to Ghariba

might be identified; however, the GOL has demurred, saying it

would be unseemly to rush to appoint a replacement.



BROADER EFFORTS ON TRAINING, READMISSION AGREEMENTS ALSO IMPACTED



4. (C) Cassar said Malta has focused on enhancing training for

Libyan CG officials patrolling Libya's SAR area. He said

efforts to finalize an agreement to provide such training, as

well as a readmission agreement under which migrants found to

have entered Malta illegally could be returned to their country

of departure (Libya) rather than their countries of origin, had

been frozen since Ghariba's death. (Comment: A number of

European countries have been pursuing similar readmission

agreements with the GOL. All have encountered significant

difficulty in attempting to finalize those, suggesting that

factors other than Ghariba's death may bear on Malta's efforts.

End comment.) He encouraged the U.S. to continue focusing on

training and material assistance for Libya's CG. (Note: Two

Libyan CG officers are scheduled to participate in upcoming

training programs at a facility in Malta that uses a U.S. Coast

Guard curriculum. End note.) Suggesting that he did not agree

with Valletta's position that equipment donations [i.e., by

wealthier EU countries like Italy] to Libya to combat illegal

migration be predicated on the GOL "taking greater

responsibility" for its SAR, Cassar described the Libyan CG's

equipment needs as "considerable".



5. (C) Comment: The dramatic impact of the death of a single

official underscores the severely limited capacity of many

quarters of the GOL. Some of the lack of coordination likely

reflects the persistence of differing views within the GOL as to

how to address the problem. Some GOL officials maintain that

illegal migration is a purely external phenomena of which Libya

is a victim; they argue that Libya's responsibility for managing



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the trend is limited and that European states in particular

should devote greater resources to economic development and

other aid in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce migrant outflows. End

comment.STEVENS