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P R 101739Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5137
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1113
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0786
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0554
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5677

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 03 TRIPOLI 000648 
 
SENSITIVE NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG; H (H PLEASE PASS TO CODEL MCCAIN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV OREP PHUM LY
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL MCCAIN'S TRIP TO LIBYA 
 
TRIPOLI 00000648  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU/NF) Summary:  Embassy Tripoli warmly welcomes your visit 
and believes it will be an important occasion to advance the 
bilateral relationship in several key areas.  Following the 
signature of the U.S.-Libya Comprehensive Claims Settlement 
Agreement in October 2008, the United States and Libya 
established full diplomatic relations, including the exchange of 
Ambassadors in January 2009 for the first time in 37 years.  The 
normalization of relations has provided the United States and 
Libya with increasing opportunities to push for progress in 
areas of mutual concern, such as counterterrorism efforts, 
military-to-military cooperation, regional stability in greater 
Africa, and trade and investment.  However, significant 
challenges remain, particularly in ensuring Libya meets its 
disarmament commitments and in encouraging  the government to 
expand political space through a human rights dialogue.  We 
believe it would be very helpful if you emphasized to your 
Libyan interlocutors the importance the U.S. places on progress 
in these key areas, and share your vision of how the 
relationship could develop once outstanding issues are resolved. 
 End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU/NF) Your visit represents the highest-level visit by a 
U.S. Government delegation since former Secretary of State 
Condoleeza Rice's historic and well-received visit in September 
¶2008.  The Libyan Government is taking great pains to ensure 
that you have a positive experience as well, and will be 
listening for cues on the future direction of the relationship. 
Your visit comes just three weeks before the 40th anniversary of 
Qadhafi's coup on September 1, and falls within a year of 
unprecedented international prominence for Libya and for Muammar 
al-Qadhafi.  Qadhafi, who sees himself as a man of particular 
historical importance, currently holds the chairmanship of the 
African Union (AU), and is expected to lead his country's 
delegation to New York this fall, as his country takes on the 
presidency of the 64th UN General Assembly.  Qadhafi has 
leveraged his position as AU Chair to improve Libya's relations 
with European nations, paying recent state visits to France, 
Russia, and Italy, among other nations.  As a sign that he has 
normalized relations with Libya's former colonial ruler, Qadhafi 
will host Silvio Berlusconi for a Libyan-Italian "Friendship 
Day" at the end of the month.  A meeting with POTUS on the 
margins of UNGA would be the capstone of Qadhafi's historic 
year, but Embassy and high-level State Department officials have 
emphasized that Libya must take specific actions to move forward 
the bilateral relationship prior to a potential meeting. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶3. (SBU/NF) Libya's decision to give up its WMD programs and to 
renounce its support for terrorism opened the door for a wide 
range of cooperation in areas of mutual concern.  Libya has 
acted as a critical ally in U.S. counterterrorism efforts, and 
Libya is considered one of our primary partners in combating the 
flow of foreign fighters.  Our strategic partnership in this 
field has been highly productive and beneficial to both nations. 
 We have begun some successful training programs to assist Libya 
in improving its security capabilities, under the rubrics of 
anti-terrorism assistance and border security.  However, the 
government has not wanted to commit to participate in the Trans 
Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) due to an incorrect 
perception that TSCTP is a regional organization, designed to 
provide U.S. foreign assistance to countries in need.  Libya is 
very sensitive to receiving foreign aid, insisting that it is 
not a needy country but rather a patron nation of others.  We 
believe it would be helpful if you could clarify the importance 
of TSCTP for obtaining congressional funding for bilateral 
security programs in Libya. 
 
¶4. (SBU/NF) Libya has stated its number one priority, in return 
for relinquishing WMD, is a security guarantee by the U.S. 
against foreign aggression.  To that end, Libya has expressed an 
interest in purchasing lethal weapons from U.S. firms.  It would 
be helpful if you could provide congressional perspectives on 
lethal sales to Libya and the security commitments that must be 
fulfilled prior to any U.S. consideration of lethal sales.  The 
GOL has also expressed a desire to receive in operational order 
the eight C-130 planes that Libya purchased in the 1970's, which 
were never delivered to Libya.  Although the USG views the case 
as a strictly commercial matter between Libya and Lockheed 
Martin, the manufacturer of the C-130s, the aircraft are stored 
at a U.S. airbase, and the U.S. Air Force is encouraging 
Lockheed Martin to propose a compromise.  Notably, the GOL has 
not yet agreed to end-use monitoring or security of U.S. 
technology agreements - two necessary steps for expanded 
 
TRIPOLI 00000648  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
military-to-military cooperation, such as International Military 
Education and Training (IMET) programs. 
 
WMD COMMITMENTS 
 
¶5. (SBU/NF) Progress in other areas of the bilateral 
relationship will depend on Libya's continued progress toward 
fulfillment of its WMD-related commitments.  The U.S. is ready 
to launch a civil-nuclear dialogue as a framework for discussing 
ways in which we can expand our nuclear cooperation in areas 
such as the establishment of a Regional Nuclear Medicine Center, 
cooperative threat reduction, scientist engagement and 
redirection programs, and civil-nuclear engagement.  However, we 
are unable to consider expanded cooperation until Libya makes 
good-faith efforts to meet the following critical deadlines for 
destruction and/or disposal of its WMD and related materials: 
 
        -September 2009: Transfer of highly enriched uranium fuel 
to Russia, and beginning destruction of SCUD Bs; 
        -2010: Conversion of Rabta chemical site to a 
pharmaceutical plant, and destruction of precursor chemicals; 
        -2011: Destruction of mustard agent. 
 
¶6. (SBU/NF) The most pressing issue remains Libya's signing of 
the agreement to transfer its highly enriched uranium to Russia 
for treatment and disposal, an action that must be taken prior 
to August 15, 2009, if Libya is going to meet the September 
deadline for disposal.  The GOL is keenly interested in the 
establishment of the Regional Nuclear Medicine Center as an 
example of the success of the bilateral relationship.  Your 
interlocutors may raise the issue of U.S. funding for the 
Regional Nuclear Medicine Center, which is a request that the 
Department of Energy is currently preparing for submission to 
Congress. 
 
REGIONAL COOPERATION 
 
¶7. (SBU/NF) Libya's strategic geographical position and current 
role as chair of the African Union make it a significant player 
on the continent.  Libya has thus far cooperated with U.S. 
efforts to foster peace in Darfur and a foundational effort to 
forge a ceasefire between Sudan and Chad.  The USG continues to 
support Libya's efforts within the AU Peace and Security 
Commission to promote good governance and rule of law.  Qadhafi 
has used his role as Chair of the African Union to attempt to 
mediate conflicts in the sub-Saharan region, to include 
Sudan-Chad, Somalia, and Eritrea-Ethiopia.  Libya hosted an 
African Union Summit in July, during which it advocated to 
strengthen the AU, and it is preparing to host another summit on 
regional peace and security on August 31. 
 
¶8. (SBU/NF) As Qadhafi has broadened his engagement as an 
African leader, he has notably minimized his efforts to affect 
policy in the Arab world.  Nevertheless, he continues to tout 
his vision for a one-state solution between the Israelis and the 
Palestinians:  "Isratine."  The Libyans will appreciate any 
information you would like to share regarding how Congress views 
Africa, the Arab world in general and the Middle East peace 
process in particular. 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS, MEGRAHI 
 
¶9. (SBU/NF) Human rights remains a sensitive topic in the 
bilateral relationship, particularly in the wake of Fathi 
el-Jahmi's death in May.  The Libyan Government has agreed to 
host an interagency team of USG officials August 17-19 to launch 
a bilateral Human Rights Dialogue.  This first meeting will set 
the agenda for the dialogue, which will include general 
discussion on a broad range of issues, such as international 
conventions to which both the U.S. and Libya are party; refugees 
and migration; prisons and detention facilities; international 
bodies and international NGOs; as well as specific cases of 
concern from both sides.  The USG delegation will be led by the 
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, 
and Labor, and will include representatives from the NSC, OVP, 
and State Department.  The Embassy views this dialogue as an 
important step forward in our relationship.  It would be very 
helpful if you could share your views on the importance of human 
rights to bilateral engagement. 
 
¶10. (SBU/NF) The Government of Libya has not officially raised 
the case of convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi 
with the Embassy at any level.  We do not expect the issue to be 
raised during your visit, but if it is, we believe the most 
 
TRIPOLI 00000648  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
helpful response would be to note that this is an issue for the 
Scottish Executive and that it would not be constructive to 
discuss the case as a bilateral issue.  Libya requested 
compassionate release for Megrahi on July 24, but the Scottish 
courts have not yet issued a decision on granting his release. 
 
HOMELAND SECURITY: VISAS AND PORT-OF-ENTRY PROCEDURES 
 
¶11. (SBU/NF) As part of our effort to expand relations and 
facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges, Embassy Tripoli 
began full non-immigrant visa services in April 2009. 
Unfortunately, we have not seen reciprocal movement on the 
Libyan side.  The Embassy is coordinating a bilateral working 
group with GOL counterparts to discuss visa issues, including 
non-issuance of visas to U.S. diplomats and official visitors, 
business travelers, and tourists.  It would be helpful if you 
could underscore with Libyan officials the importance of a fully 
normalized visa regime to the implementation of fully normalized 
relations with the United States. 
 
¶12. (SBU/NF) Libyan officials may complain about Department of 
Homeland Security regulations and practices governing the way 
that they are received at U.S. ports-of-entry.  Libyan travelers 
- including senior Government officials, in contravention of DHS 
procedures - are routinely pulled into secondary questioning due 
to Libya's status as an NSEERS country.  DHS regulations dating 
back to 1983 also prohibit the travel to the U.S. of Libyan 
nuclear scientists and aircraft pilots and mechanics.  Libyan 
officials may not be aware of these latter regulations, but they 
must be changed in order to move forward on the full range of 
civil-nuclear and security cooperation that we envision. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶13. (SBU/NF)  The Embassy has received positive signs from the 
Libyan Government regarding your requested meeting with Qadhafi. 
 Your visit will be seen as an important opportunity for Libya 
to prove that it is worthy of respect as a bilateral partner. 
Qadhafi will be looking to you for insight into how Congress 
views Libya and the future of the bilateral relationship.  Thank 
you in advance for any assistance you can provide in pushing 
forward our strategic agenda.  We look forward to welcoming you 
in the Libyan Jamahiriya. 
POLASCHIK