Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
97NIAMEY2216
1997-05-09 17:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Niamey
Cable title:  

QADHAFI VISIT: HE CAME, HE SAW, HE LEFT

Tags:  PREL PGOV EAID NG 
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O 091712Z MAY 97
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9923
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NIAMEY 002216 


PARIS FOR MORAN; LONDON FOR YOUNG

E.O. 12958: 04/29/07
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID NG
SUBJECT: QADHAFI VISIT: HE CAME, HE SAW, HE LEFT

REF: (A) NIAMEY 2168; (B) USDAO TUNIS 091214 MAY 97


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR CHARLES O. CECIL. REASON:
1.5(D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NIAMEY 002216


PARIS FOR MORAN; LONDON FOR YOUNG

E.O. 12958: 04/29/07
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID NG
SUBJECT: QADHAFI VISIT: HE CAME, HE SAW, HE LEFT

REF: (A) NIAMEY 2168; (B) USDAO TUNIS 091214 MAY 97


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR CHARLES O. CECIL. REASON:
1.5(D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. WHAT HE LEFT BEHIND WILL BECOME MORE
APPARENT IN THE COMING DAYS. QADHAFI STAYED ABOUT 24
HOURS. THE MAIN PUBLIC EVENT WAS HIS ADDRESS TO THE
FAITHFUL AT THE NIAMEY MOSQUE THURSDAY AFTERNOON, IN
WHICH HE CALLED FOR THE ABANDONMENT OF THE FRENCH
LANGUAGE IN FAVOR OF ARABIC, AND THE REPLACEMENT OF THE
WESTERN, "COLONIALIST" SOLAR CALENDAR BY THE LUNAR
CALENDAR. NIGERIENS LINED THE STREETS TO WELCOME HIM,
BUT IN NUMBERS NOWHERE NEAR THE MILLION CLAIMED BY
TRIPOLI RADIO. THREE LIBYAN AIRCRAFT--TWO 727S AWD A
737--WERE ON THE TARMAC AT ONE TIME, AND OTHER AIRCRAFT
PRECEDED THE VISIT WITH ADVANCE TEAMS. NIGERIEN
OFFICIALS CLAIM THAT THE LIBYANS TOLD THEM THE AIRCRAFT
CAME FROM JERBA, IN TUNISIA. OTHER REPORTING INDICATES
OTHERWISE. SOME OF QADHAFI'S REMARKS MUST HAVE BEEN
EMBARASSING TO BARE AND HIS GOVERNMENT. MEDIA COVERAGE
WAS DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO QADHAFI'S STATEMENTS; NO
NIGERIEN OFFICIAL STATEMENTS WERE BROADCAST OR PRINTED.
END SUMMARY.
--------------
THE VISIT SCENARIO
--------------


2. (U) THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SUFIS TAKING
PLACE IN NIAMEY MAY 7-13 SERVED AS THE FOCAL POINT FOR
YESTERDAY'S VISIT TO NIAMEY BY LIBYA'S COLONEL QADHAFI,
HIS FIRST VISIT TO NIGER SINCE 1974. QADHAFI ARRIVED
AROUND 9:00 TO A GALA AIRPORT RECEPTION COMPLETE WITH
VARIOUS DANCING TROOPS. THOUGH INVITED, AMERICAN AND
EUROPEAN AMBASSADORS OR CHARGES (FRENCH, GERMAN,
BELGIAN AND EUROPEAN COMMUNITY) DID NOT ATTEND THE
ARRIVAL. AFTER A LONG RECEIVING LINE, INCLUDING FORMER
PRESIDENTS ALI SAIBOU AND MAHAMANE OUSMANE (THE FIRST
TIME WE ARE AWARE OF HIS BEING IN AN OFFICIAL RECEIVING
LINE SINCE HIS OVERTHROW JANUARY 27, 1996),QADHAFI AND
BARE RODE THROUGH THE CITY STANDING IN AN OPEN WHITE
STRETCH CADILLAC, WAVING TO THE CROWDS. SCHOOL
CHILDREN WERE DISMISSED TO LINE THE ROUTE. MANY ADULTS
DID TOO, BUT TRIPOLI'S CLAIM THAT A MILLION NIGERIENS
GREETED THE COLONEL IS A GROSS EXAGERATION. THE
MOTORCADE MADE ITS WAY DIRECTLY TO THE LIBYAN EMBASSY,
WHERE NIGERIEN MINISTERS AND OTHER NOTABLES WELCOMED
THE LIBYAN LEADER AGAIN.


3. (U) THE 4:00 AFTERNOON PRAYER OUTSIDE THE MAIN
NIAMEY MOSQUE, BUILT WITH LIBYAN MONEY, WAS LED BY

QADHAFI, WHO ALSO DELIVERED THE SERMON AFTERWARDS.
THOUSANDS ATTENDED, WITH A SPECIAL ENCLOSED AREA FOR
VIPS. THE SPEECH, REBROADCAST IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE
EVENING TV NEWS, WAS REMARKABLE FOR ITS MEANDERING
REPETITIVENESS AND FOR ITS CONTENT.


4. (U) AS BARE AND HIS MINISTERS SAT ON CARPETS IN
FRONT OF QADHAFI, QADHAFI BEGAN WITH A FIFTEEN MINUTE
RAMBLING DISSERTATION ON THE SOLAR AND LUNAR CALENDARS.
HE CALLED UPON MUSLIMS TO ESCHEW THE SOLAR CALENDAR,
WHICH HAD BEEN IMPOSED ON THEM BY COLONIAL RULERS, AND
WHOSE MONTHS WERE NAMED AFTER PAGAN GODS OR ROMAN AND
GREEK EMPERORS. THESE PAGAN NAMES HARKENED BACK TO SUN
WORSHIP AND POLYTHEIST GODS. THE ADOPTION OF THE SOLAR
CALENDAR IS PROSCRIBED BY ISLAM, HE SAID.


5. (U) THE LUNAR CALENDAR, WITH ITS FOUR HOLY MONTHS,
IS THE CALENDAR PREFERRED BY GOD. THESE HOLY MONTHS
ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE UNITED
NATIONS, SAID QADHAFI. IF MANKIND HAD RESPECTED THESE
HOLY MONTHS, PEACE WOULD HAVE PREVAILED EVERYWHERE
WHERE WAR NOW RAGES, MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN THE
DECISIONS OF THE U.N. AND THE SECURITY COUNCIL, WHICH,
LIKE THE SOLAR CALENDAR, HAVE BEEN IMPOSED BY
COLONIALISM.


6. (U) HE THEN TURNED TO THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. FRENCH
COLONIALISM HAD IMPOSED.ITS LANGUAGE, ITS CULTURE, AND
ITS RELIGION ON AFRICA. MUSLIMS MUST REJECT ALL OF
THIS. "HOW CAN WE IMAGINE A MUSLIM WHO DOESN'T KNOW
HIS LANGUAGE, THE LANGUAGE OF HIS RELIGION, OF HIS
KORAN, OF HIS GOD?" ASKED QADHAFI RHETORICALLY. "GOD
DOESN'T KNOW FRENCH. MUMAMMAD DIDN'T KNOW FRENCH. THE
COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET DIDN'T KNOW FRENCH. THE
MECCANS AND MEDINANS AND THE KORAN ITSELF DON'T KNOW
FRENCH. AFTER REPEATING THESE THEMES IN VARIOUS WAYS,
TRANSLATED CLEARLY AND PRECISELY BY THE INTERPRETER
INTO FRENCH FOR THE AUDIENCE, QADHAFI THEN CALLED FOR A
NEW EFFORT, STARTING YESTERDAY, THE FIRST DAY OF THE
NEW MUSLIM YEAR 1418, FOR A SPECIAL EFFORT, A SACRED
BATTLE, TO RID THE WORLD OF ALL COLONIAL HERITAGE.


7. (U) THERE WERE EVENING FUNCTIONS TO WHICH NON-
MUSLIMS WERE NOT INVITED. QADHAFI DEPARTED FRIDAY
MORNING FOR KANO.

--------------
ATMOSPHERICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
--------------


8. (C) AIRCRAFT: THREE LIBYAN AIRCRAFT WERE ON THE
TARMAC AT ONE TIME. THE SECURITY TEAM'S AIRCRAFT WAS A
BOEING 737 WITH TAIL NUMBER SA-DNJ. ONE OF TWO 727S
WAS QADHAFI'S, PROBABLY WITH TAIL NUMBER SA-DIC. OTHER
TAIL NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. FOLLOWING THE DCM'S TWO
DEMARCHES OF WEDNESDAY, THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE
MFA CALLED THIS MORNING TO REAFFIRM THAT LIBYAN
OFFICIALS HAD TOLD THE NIGERIENS THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD
DEPARTED FROM JERBA, IN TUNISIA. WHEN THE DCM NOTED
THAT THE AIRCRAFT WERE IN ANY CASE LIBYAN, AND ASKED IF
THE GON WOULD BE NOLDING ANY OF THEM, THE SEC-GEN
REPLIED THAT HE HAD NO INFORMATION ON THAT POINT. WE
HAVE OTHER REPORTS THAT CHARTERED TUNISIAN AIRCRAFT,
AND POSSIBLY A BULGARIAN AIRCRAFT, ARRIVED BEFORE
QADHAFI WITH ADVANCE PARTY. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW THE
CADILLAC GOT HERE. SECURITY WAS VERY HEAVY. LYBIAN
UNIFORMED TROOPS, INCLUDING QADHAFI'S FEMALE, MACHINE-
GUN TOTING GUARDS, WERE PRESENT AT THE AIRPORT, IN THE
MOTORCADE AND IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE LYBIAN EMBASSY.


9. (C) BARE: TV COVERAGE SHOWED A SOMBER AND
RESTRAINED PRESIDENT BARE, SEEMINGLY TENSE. SMILES
COULD ONLY BE SEEN WHEN WAVING FROM THE CADILLAC. NONE
OF BARE'S STATEMENTS WERE COVERED BY THE GOVERNMENT TV
OR NEWSPAPER. MEDIA ATTENTION WAS EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED
ON QADHAFI.


10. (U) AN EDITORIAL IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT PAPER, LE
SAHEL, EXPLAINED THE VISIT AS FOLLOWS:

--"IN OUR POLICY OF GOOD-NEIGHBORLINESS, IT IS
INDISPENSABLE TO MAINTAIN PERMANENT CONTACT AND
DIALOGUE. IT WAS IN THESE TERMS THAT PRESIDENT BARE
DEFINED HIS RECENT VISIT TO LIBYA."

--"NIGER...DESIROUS OF MAINTAINING PEACE AND SECURITY
BOTH INTERNALLY AS WELL AS IN THE SUB-REGION INTENDS TO
NOURISH RELATIONS OF FRIENDSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING WITH
ALL COUNTRIES WITH WHICH IT SHARES A COMMON BORDER."

--"THERE ARE NUMEROUS NIGERIENS WHO LIVE AND WORK IN
LIBYA."

--"NIGER AND LIBYA...ARE TWO SISTER-COUNTRIES CONDEMNED
TO COOPERATE AND LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE AWD RECIPROCAL
UNDERSTANDING."

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


11. (C) IT IS IN NIGER'S INTERESTS THAT IT NOT INCUR
LIBYAN HOSTILITY, AS IT CLEARLY DID WHEN IT RE-
ESTABLISHED RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL LATE LAST YEAR.
NIGER IS SEEKING ANY LEVERAGE AVAILABLE TO SECURE THE
RELEASE OF THE CANADIAN AND NIGERIEN HOSTAGES HELD BY
TOUBOU TRIBESMEN IN THE NORTH. MANY NGOS HAVE WRITTEN
THE GON IN RECENT WEEKS, STRESSING THE NECESSITY OF
BRINGING TNE HOSTAGE SITUATION TO AN END IF THESE NGOS
ARE TO BE EXPECTED TO CARRY OUT PROJECTS IN THE
NORTHERN AND EASTERN REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY. THE GON
NEEDS TNE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THESE NGOS AND IS SEARCHING
FOR ANY HELP, INCLUDING LIBYAN, TO BRING IT TO AN END.


12. (C) TO THE EXTENT THAT THE USG CARES ABOUT HUNT
OIL'S ABILITY TO DRILL ITS WELLS IN THE NORTH OF NIGER
WITHOUT ITS EMPLOYEES BEING TAKEN HOSTAGE, OR WITHOUT
LIBYA ASSERTING CLAIMS TO NIGER'S UNDEMARCATED
FRONTIER, IT IS IN THE USG'S INTEREST THAT NIGER-LIBYAN
RELATIONS BE FREE OF RANCOR.


13. (C) MANY OF THE NIGERIENS ON THE STREET, BESIDES
THE SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO WERE TAKEN THERE BY THEIR
TEACHERS, WERE THERE OUT OF A MIXTURE OF MOTIVATIONS.
THE GOVERNMENT ASKED THEM TO LINE THE STREETS; THOSE
WHO SUPPORT THIS GOVERNMENT DID SO, BUT SO DID OTHERS.
(LE SANEL MADE A POINT OF THANKING FRDD LEADERS FOR
ENCOURAGING TNEIR MEMBERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE
DEMONSTRATION OF PUBLIC WELCOME.) MANY NIGERIENS,
ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH LITTLE EDUCATION, ASSOCIATE LIBYA
WITH A POSITIVE IMAGE OF MONEY, WORK, AND CONSUMER
GOODS; THEY WANT THE BORDER OPEN, SO THEY CAN WORK AND
BRING GOODS HOME. THEY ARE LESS CONSCIOUS OF THE
OPINION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CONCERNING
COLONEL QADHAFI.


14. (C) WESTERNERS WHO DON'T NORMALLY LISTEN TO COLONEL
QADHAFI, OR READ HIS SPEECHES, MAY OVERREACT TO HIS
REPETITIOUS, SIMPLISTIC, ANTI-WESTERN EXHORTATIONS.
NEVERTHELESS, MOST EDUCATED NIGERIENS VALUE THEIR
FRENCH EDUCATION AND THEIR AFFINITY FOR FRENCH CULTURE,
EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY CRITICIZE FRENCH GOVERNMENT POLICY
AND HEAVY-HANDEDNESS IN SEEKING ECONOMIC DOMINATION
OVER FRANCOPNONE COUNTRIES. THEY ARE NOT ABOUT TO
LEARN ARABIC NOR ADOPT THE LUNAR CALENDAR. HEARING THE
LEADER OF A RICH NATION ADVOCATE SUCH MEASURES IN ALL
SERIOUSNES MAY BOTH AMUSE THEM AND PUT THEM ON GUARD.
THIS IS NOT A MAN ONE WANTS TO GET ON THE WRONG SIDE
OF. THE LESS EDUCATED, HOWEVER, MAY FIND HIS
SIMPLISTIC AND REPETITIVE ARGUMENTS EASY TO UNDERSTAND
AND REPEAT, AND LOOK TO RELIGION FOR SURCEASE OF SORROW
IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION. BECAUSE THERE ARE A
LOT MORE OF THE LATTER IN NIGER THAN OF THE FORMER (THE
EDUCATED) ANY NIGERIEN GOVERNMENT MUST TREAT QADHAFI
WITH CARE.


CECIL