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Brooke F Adams  08/07/2006 02:31:55 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Brooke F Adams

Cable 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L        TRIPOLI 00363

SIPDIS
CXCAIRO:
    ACTION: POL
    INFO:   DCM DAO CONS AMB AID RSO PA ORA OMC LEGAT IPS
            ECON DEA

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

VZCZCCRO721
RR RUEHEG
DE RUEHTRO #0363/01 2071038
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 261038Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1033
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHVT/AMEMBASSY VALLETTA 0094
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 1160

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000363 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/MAG 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  7/24/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV LY
SUBJECT: LIBYAN REACTION TO ONGOING VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST 
CAREFULLY MANAGED 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Elizabeth Fritschle, Pol/Econ Chief, United 
States Embassy Tripoli, DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (C) Summary and Comment:  Libyans with whom we are in contact 
have no sympathy for Hizballah, but are angry about the ongoing 
Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza.  After initially 
discouraging public demonstrations, the government has allowed a 
few carefully orchestrated and tightly controlled events to take 
place.  Libyan public statements have been muted and aimed more 
at criticizing fellow Arab states than anyone else.  Comment: 
In this opaque society, the wishes and anxieties of the majority 
of Libyans are often difficult to gauge.  However, Libyans 
seldom miss an opportunity under any circumstances to express 
their opposition to U.S. policy on Israel and the Palestinians. 
Under the present dramatic circumstances in the region -- to 
judge from what we are told by Libyan officials, businesspeople, 
students and others -- that opposition is fueling intense 
popular anger and frustration, which does not have much 
meaningful political outlet. Libyan officials tell us they are 
paying a price in domestic and international public opinion for 
the relatively low profile they are maintaining during the 
Israeli operation.  They hope we have taken note that they are 
avoiding undue criticism of the U.S. during the crisis.  End 
Summary and Comment. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Libyans we've encountered have little sympathy for 
Hizballah, whom they blame for creating a problem that has 
distracted world attention from Gaza, but they are angry at the 
cost in lives and property of the Israeli operation in Lebanon. 
Satellite dishes are ubiquitous in Libya and the images of dead 
and wounded tend to be far more vivid than what appears on 
western television.  The Libyan government is carefully managing 
local reaction.  The Government prevented demonstrations July 
14, instead channeling people's energy into mosque prayers and 
sermons.  A small demonstration was held at the Palestinian 
Embassy July 16.  On Friday July 21 the conflict was again 
discussed in the Friday sermons and the government carefully 
orchestrated protests in Tripoli, Sebha and Garian as a 
controlled outlet. 
 
¶3. (C) Embassy locally-employed staff in the vicinity of 
Tripoli's Green Square reported that Friday, July 21st, 2006, by 
1425 hours, shortly after lunch time Friday prayer, the Qadhafi 
Foundation for Development's "Oppressed on Earth Society" 
organized a demonstration zone supplied with one fire brigade 
truck, four ambulance vehicles, six towing vehicles and numerous 
other ISO vehicles and personnel.  In addition, a helicopter 
hovered over the area for the duration of the demonstration, 
along with heavy presence of Public Security troops outside UN 
facilities, the Embassies of Palestine and Lebanon and near the 
Peoples Congress Building at Liberty Square. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Initially about 450 demonstrators gathered from the 
nearby Mosques in Green Square, known before the Qadhafi-led 
revolution as "Martys Square."  After 1430 hours, more 
demonstrators arrived by bus from cities and villages ithi a 
120mile r 
ius of Tripoli.  Each busload of demonstrators had 
preprinted signs designating what Peoples Committee they 
represented.  The demonstrators were also supplied with Libyan, 
Lebanese and Palestinian flags.  There were also preprinted 
signs, "please give blood," and "stop war in Lebanon and 
Palestine."  By 1445 approximately 1500 to 2000 demonstrators 
were in Green Square, half estimated to be young, between 15 to 
24 years old and the other half in their 30s and 40s.  About 10 
percent of the demonstrators were young girls, from 16 to 20 
years old.  At 1505 the demonstrators start moving to local UN 
offices, at 1520 they arrived at UN facility where they stayed 
until 1605 and then departed by bus. 
 
¶5.  (C)  The official Jamahiriya News Agency reported that 
demonstrations were also organized in Gharian and Sebha. 
According to the government-run news website, "the demonstrators 
expressed in their slogans their condemnation and denunciation 
of the international community ignorance with its international 
institutions of the crimes perpetrated daily against children, 
women, and elderly in Palestine and Lebanon. They called on the 
lively force, people's activists, civil society and student and 
youth organizations to move using all means in defense of the 
Lebanese and Palestinian people and use pressure to stop the 
Israeli aggression." (Embassy Comment: Given the 
government-organized demonstrations in Benghazi that got out of 
control with tragic results in February, it does not appear that 
any protests were allowed in Benghazi last week.  End Comment.) 
 
¶6.  (U)  In addition, the Social People's Leadership in Great 
Jamahiriya issued a statement that "the worsening conditions of 
the current Arab state created by the Official Arab Regimes make 
the Arab Rulers bury their faces in dust in order not to see the 
anniversary of this revolution that passes at this bad times in 
the history of the Arabs."  It continued, "what is going on in 
Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine is clear proof that the Arabs are 
under slow death while Arab Rulers sit on Ruins."  (Embassy 
Comment:  This is yet another jibe at the Saudis and other Gulf 
Arab rulers.  End Comment.) 
 
¶7. (U)  The Libyan local press also highlighted that Palestinian 
president Mahmud Abbas phoned "the leader of the revolution" 
Friday night July 20 to "express gratitude to the leader for 
supporting the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights 
and for the support of the Libyan people to their Palestinian 
brothers." 
 
¶8. (C) Libyan officials tell us they are paying a price in 
domestic and international public opinion for the relatively low 
profile they are maintaining during the Israeli operation.  They 
hope we have taken note that they are avoiding undue criticism 
of the U.S. during the crisis. 
 
¶9.  (U) Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, head of the Qadhafi 
International Charitable Foundation, also issued a public 
statement, "It is with great agony and concern that I followed 
the dramatic sad events going on in Lebanon and the cruelty of 
the Israeli aggression on both the Lebanese and Palestinian 
peoples amid international and Arab disgraceful abandonment." 
The additional text of the statement follows: 
 
TEXT OF SAIF AL-ISLAM STATEMENT 
 
On the occasion of the rumors relating to the calls to convene 
an Arab summit on the issue, we would like to tell the Arab 
leaders to dismiss the idea of convening such a summit and to 
save face, since their summit in case it convened will not be of 
any good, and will not be able to stop the tears, the blood, or 
the destruction going on in Lebanon and Palestine, and we think 
that the alternative to verbal support is to call for the 
following: 
 
        1-      To convene an Arab summit, one whose results should 
be agreed upon in advance, and where the outcome would be to 
transfer the oil windfall resulting from rise of oil prices 
stemming from the shedding of Lebanese and Palestinian blood, or 
at least a part of it, to support both peoples materially. 
        2-      To grant Lebanon the material and moral support it 
needs to strengthen its defensive capabilities so as to enable 
it to defend its land and people. 
        3-      The Arabs have to legitimate the resistance in 
Lebanon and acknowledge it in view to back it politically and 
morally both internally and externally. 
 
Only in such a case will the meeting be meaningful, and the 
summit fruitful, but any other buffoonery speeches should be 
avoided, and it would be better for everyone to stay home and 
watch the sad news on TV. 
 
In light of these dramatic situations, Gaddafi Development 
Foundation, and the Libyan Red Crescent will fly air caravans to 
deliver food and health relief, and to install field hospitals 
in defiance to the Israeli barbaric air force. The GDF will also 
provide help to those who are willing to volunteer to help their 
brothers the Lebanese, and to transfer any humanitarian aids. 
 
END TEXT OF SAIF AL-ISLAM STATEMENT 
 
¶10. (C) Comment:   End Comment. 
BERRY