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INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5802

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TRIPOLI 000739 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PPD, AND S/P (GBEHRMAN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON OEXC OSCI PREL SCUL SENV SOCI TNGD
TSPL, LY 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY TRIPOLI'S RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH 
 
REF: STATE 71325 
 
TRIPOLI 00000739  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Introduction:  Following the exchange of Ambassadors in 
January 2009, the United States and Libya have embarked on a new 
period of engagement.  With the restoration of full diplomatic 
relations for the first time in more than three decades, we are 
engaging Libyans on a vast range of public diplomacy and 
democracy building initiatives, including education and English 
language, human development, cultural outreach, 
entrepreneurship, and science and technology programs.  These 
nascent programs are widely viewed by the Libyan public as a 
sign of the mutual respect and partnership that are developing 
with the normalized relationship.  The President's June 4 speech 
in Cairo added  momentum to this new partnership, and many 
Libyans welcome the change in rhetoric and policy included in 
that speech.  However, the Libyan Government remains extremely 
suspicious about some aspects of our public diplomacy and 
outreach programs and, in the past three years, has blocked some 
programs that included direct interaction with the local 
population.   There is an influential group who oppose the 
process of normalization with the United States and make their 
voices heard in decision-making circles.  Although there has 
been a growth in "charitable organizations" in recent years, 
true civil society in Libyan is nonexistent.  "Non-governmental" 
organizations require Prime Minister-level approval to operate 
and retain close ties to the government; many are chaired by 
close relatives of leading government figures.  Both of these 
factors make it difficult for the Embassy to carry out the 
far-ranging, consultative process outlined in reftel, yet we 
seek every opportunity to engage our key partners in a 
discussion of U.S. policy and initiatives.  We are incorporating 
key aspects of the President's Cairo initiatives in our public 
diplomacy programming; an outline of our specific ideas follows. 
 We also note that normalization -- within the fullest legal 
extent possible -- of visa regimes and entry requirements for 
Libyan citizens is necessary to convey and implement the full 
extent of respect and partnership laid out in the President's 
Cairo speech.  End introduction. 
 
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 
 
¶2. (SBU) In the area of Human Development and Rule of Law, Post 
will assist indigenous non-governmental organizations calling 
for reform and greater transparency.  Through capacity-building 
exercises and exchanges with U.S. and international 
non-governmental organizations, Post will help Libyan 
organizations develop the expertise required to effectively 
lobby and implement political and economic reforms.  More 
specifically, Post will target its outreach on the development 
of linkages between Libyan cadre and international professional 
associations such as the American Bar Association.  With MEPI 
funding, Post was able to establish the U.S. Department of 
Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) in Libya, 
working mainly with the General People's Committee for Justice 
and the General People's Committee for Industry, Economy, and 
Trade (Ministry of Economy-equivalent).  Post has facilitated 
three assessment and program planning trips for CLDP staff to 
Libya, as well as a visit by a U.S. Federal Judge.  Post will 
implement follow-up workshops with the judges in Libya, a study 
tour for the judges to visit the Arbitration Center in Tunisia, 
and a trip to visit the U.S. Federal Judge at the U.S. Court of 
International Trade in New York.   Proposals for future 
activities include: Fostering the creation of a Commercial Law 
Inter-agency Task Force and providing training in safeguarding 
intellectual property rights of small- and medium-sized 
businesses. These programs will strengthen judicial independence 
and help develop a society that comes to respect the rule of 
law.  Finally, Post will undertake specific programs to push 
Libya to formalize and rationalize its policies regarding labor 
and migration management.  We will focus our engagement on 
conducting workshops for policy makers to develop migration 
management, rationalize guest worker programs, increase law 
enforcement capacity to combat trafficking in persons and 
smuggling, and regularizing care for at-risk populations.  Post 
also plans to increase its cooperation with the MEPI Regional 
Office in Tunis to expand programs in the areas of Pediatric 
HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment programs, media development 
initiatives, and education system enhancement.  We have found 
that soliciting Libyan government requests and identification of 
various programs and needs through dialogue ensures better 
prospects for success. 
 
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS 
 
¶3. (SBU) English Language Outreach has been one of our most 
successful initiatives in Libya, and the way in which we have 
reached the most people with the least amount of host government 
intervention.  Post will continue working with English Language 
Fellows and Specialist Programs and will shift from government 
institutions to working directly with the ever increasing number 
 
TRIPOLI 00000739  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
of private language and training centers.  Fostering this kind 
of people-to-people contact is at the heart of the President's 
Cairo message.  We will continue to execute short term (2 to 6 
weeks programs) in English language instruction that will focus 
either on direct English Language Instruction or on Training 
Future English Language Teachers.  It is our goal to expand 
these programs beyond Tripoli and Benghazi into Southern and 
Western Libya, while especially targeting underprivileged 
minority groups. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The ACCESS Micro-Scholarship Program is designed to 
provide English Language instruction to under-privileged 
children from 14 to 18 years of age with particular emphasis on 
underprivileged minority groups.  Embassy Tripoli has 
implemented with tremendous success the ACCESS Micro-Scholarship 
Program at the Success School in Benghazi.  We will expand the 
program to two schools in Tripoli and at least three schools in 
southern Libya.  Embassy Tripoli would like to double this 
program over the next four years; with a goal of providing 100 
scholarships per year by 2015. 
 
EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL OUTREACH 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Embassy continues to work to bridge the substantial 
gap created by the 24-year break in U.S.-Libyan relations, and 
the most effective way to do this is to continue to focus on 
Exchange and Speaker programs.   Libyans are slowly returning to 
the United States for study, tourism, and business; enthusiasm 
to do so is high, but Libyans have little practical knowledge of 
U.S. systems and practices, which vary considerably from those 
present in Libya.  Embassy Tripoli hopes to increase the number 
of participants in the International Visitors Leadership 
Program, the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, the Fulbright 
Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, the Study of the 
U.S. Institutes, and the Undergraduate Exchange Program. 
 
¶6. (SBU) With the exception of English Language Specialists, 
Post has been less successful in programming American speakers 
and visitors in Libya.  Programs have been fully scheduled and 
then cancelled due to lack of support by the Government of Libya 
by not issuing visas.  Over Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, Embassy 
Tripoli had more than 15 American visitors and speakers programs 
cancelled.  Post will actively work to further develop its 
relationships with Government of Libyan institutions in order to 
secure the support necessary to execute speaker programming. 
Post hopes to match the success of English Language Fellows and 
Specialists in the fields of music, sports, education, 
archaeology, science, and technology and will leverage regional 
Speakers and programs planning to visit other posts in the 
Middle East and North Africa. 
 
EDUCATIONAL ADVISING AND INFORMATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 
 
¶7. (SBU) Post remains engaged in an active Public Diplomacy 
program to re-establish a strong relationship between Libyans 
and Americans, to promote a positive vision of the United 
States, and to cultivate common interests outlined in the 
President's Cairo speech. Post is actively engaged in the 
educational sector, working with the Government of Libya to 
assist Libyans who wish to pursue studies in the United States 
and establishing relationships with local universities to 
conduct targeted workshops on the Test of English as a Foreign 
Language (TOEFL), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and the 
college and university application process.  Compared to its 
small population (around 5.5 million), Libya has a large number 
of students studying overseas (more than 30,000).  During the 
late 1970's and early 1980's there were more than 5,000 Libyan 
students in the United States.  That number was reduced to 
almost zero during the sanctions period, but fortunately has 
seen large increases since the reestablishment of full 
diplomatic relations. 
 
¶8. (SBU) According to the Ministry of Higher Education, there 
are now nearly 1,700 Libyan students studying at American 
Colleges and Universities and the Government of Libya intends to 
increase that number to 6,000 through its own scholarship and 
grant programs.  Due to suspicion on the part of the Government 
of Libya, Post has had limited access to Libyan students headed 
to the United States.  The absence of appropriate educational 
advising, cultural advising sessions, and pre-departure 
orientations has left many Libyan students unprepared for their 
experience in the United States.  In academic year 2008-2009, 
nearly one-third of all Libyan students studying in the United 
States returned without having finished the first year of their 
program.  This is a problem of which the Government of Libya and 
Embassy Tripoli are acutely aware, and through a campaign of 
sustained outreach to the Government of Libya, Post has slowly 
gained access to students interested in studying in the United 
States in the academic year 2009-2010.  In addition to 
 
TRIPOLI 00000739  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
Government of Libya obstacles, the Public Affairs Section 
currently has no publicly accessible space.  By the end of this 
calendar year, the Public Affairs Section will establish an 
Information Resource Center which will give us greater access to 
students.  Given the high interest in studying in the United 
States, Post plans to hire additional staff members to provide 
regular educational advising sessions within the Embassy's 
Information Resource Center.  In addition to properly outfitting 
the Information Resource Center, Embassy Tripoli will establish 
a network of American Corners throughout Libya that will serve 
as its regional outreach centers.  The American Corners will 
provide Education Advising and information on the United States 
and will leverage current relationships with regional Libyan 
institutions. 
Entrepreneurship. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Within the area of Entrepreneurship, Post will train 
Corporate Boards of Directors in Strategic Planning/Roles and 
Responsibilities to help facilitate the transition from public 
ownership to private management.  Post will implement programs 
to train board members in free-market principles, business 
ethics, market strategies, and shareholder rights and 
responsibilities, all of which are essential to ensure a more 
transparent system.  Post's efforts to couple Libyan 
organizations with international partners will help to raise 
awareness of anti-corruption programs and resources. 
 
¶10. (SBU) With MEPI funding, the Financial Services Volunteer 
Corps (FSVC) conducted three professional workshops from Fall 
2008 to the present, at the invitation of the Libyan Central 
Bank.  The workshops covered Banking Supervision, Banking 
Controls, and IT Systems for Banks.  The Director of the Libyan 
Stock Exchange met with FSVC leadership in New York in 2009, and 
requested training for his staff, which has been scheduled in 
Libya but is contingent upon FSVC receiving the required Libyan 
visas.  Post has established a good track record in with 
entrepreneurial and banking programs in Libya and we are 
well-poised to expand our training to include consulting in 
banking and securities regulations, and to assist with Libya's 
ongoing efforts to privatize its banking sector. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Entrepreneurship programs for women and the expansion 
of economic opportunities for women remain two key areas for 
Post.  Libya remains a largely traditional society, with 
economic activity generally limited to male participation.  As 
Libya's economy modernizes, it is crucial that women seize 
entrepreneurial opportunities and that frameworks exist by which 
women have equal access to finance and business-management 
technical assistance.  Current data on the role of women in the 
commercial sector are incomplete; an assessment will be 
necessary to determine which programs will be most successful. 
With MEPI funding, Post will undertake a needs assessment on 
women economic activity and areas for improvement.  Post has 
identified the Waatasimu Foundation (headed by Aisha al-Qadhafi) 
and UNDP as potential implementers of this proposed program. 
 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
 
¶12. (SBU) As highlighted in the President's Cairo Speech, 
science and technology presents a unique opportunity for 
government to government cooperation, citizen exchanges, and 
capacity-building programs.  Post, in combination with the 
Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science has very successfully 
engaged the Libyan government in the area of science and 
technology.  One of our most exciting and successful programs 
has been the Libyan Space Camp project where Post and OES 
combined to send twenty-four Libyan high school students, two 
Libyan teachers, and a professional Libyan film crew to take 
part in NASA's Advanced Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. 
The program was carried out under the U.S.-Libya Science and 
Technology Cooperation Agreement, signed in January 2008.  At 
the Academy, the students and teachers learned about the mental, 
emotional, and physical demands astronauts face and were able to 
see American science and technology up-close.  The Libyan 
students and teachers represent the first group from North 
Africa to attend U.S. Space Camp, and only the second group from 
the Arab world since 1982.  A film recording the students' 
experience at camp will be produced by a Libyan film crew.  The 
film will be shown on Libyan television, in Libyan classrooms, 
and throughout the region to spark an interest in science and 
discovery, demonstrate U.S. goodwill, and inspire future 
participation in science and technology exchanges.  Given the 
success of the program, Post intends to continue the Libyan 
Space Camp project and in the coming year will specifically 
target under-represented groups and non-traditional audiences 
for participation in this program. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Post and other local embassies built a partnership 
comprising members of the European Union, private companies, the 
 
TRIPOLI 00000739  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
U.S. Government, and the Government of Libya to improve the 
quality of care and treatment for victims of AIDS.  Expanding 
these successes to the broader goals of infectious disease 
prevention and increased public awareness will improve the 
overall quality of healthcare, and provide much-needed 
professional employment for Libyans entering the workforce. 
 
VISAS AND ENTRY PROCEDURES 
 
¶14. (SBU) One aspect of the relationship that continues to 
present a significant obstacle to building full, flourishing 
people-to-people ties is the current restrictive visa 
reciprocity schedule and the additional procedures required for 
Libyans upon entry into the United States by the National 
Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS).  The lack of 
multiple-entry long-term visas in addition to the additional 
security and registration requirements are viewed by Libyans as 
a symbol of a lingering lack of respect from the difficult days 
in our bilateral relationship.   The current requirements allow 
little flexibility and result in even U.S. Government-sponsored 
visitors being subjected to long delays for their travel and 
arrival.  For example, the participants of Space Camp missed an 
entire day of their exchange program due to a missed flight 
caused by a six hour NSEERS registration process at the Atlanta 
International Airport.  A change in both the visa reciprocity 
schedule and NSEERS registration process are needed in order to 
fully realize the President's Cairo goals of mutual respect, 
peace, advancement, and partnership.  We are currently working 
with the Libyans to establish a bilateral working group to 
liberalize both the U.S. and Libyan visa schedules. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶15. (SBU) Libya has made great strides towards rejoining the 
community of nations by renouncing weapons of mass destruction 
and international terrorism and is a top partner in combating 
terrorism.  However, years of isolation and stagnation have 
taken their toll.  Libyans must undertake significant political, 
economic, and civil society reforms, as well as the basic 
institution-building necessary to allow Libya to make up for 
decades of underdevelopment.  In February 2004, U.S. diplomats 
arrived back in Tripoli ready to implement a wide range of 
programs in step with Libyan actions to fulfill its commitments 
and reopen to the West.  The pace of reform has gone slower than 
expected and the reform process in Libya will be generational. 
During that span, continued public diplomacy and assistance 
programming will be necessary to build the trust and cooperation 
necessary to achieve the objectives laid out by the President in 
Cairo.  Recognizing the extreme sensitivities on the part of the 
government to the kind of interaction we anticipate, the Embassy 
will move forward in a deliberate but careful manner to ensure 
that the scope and intensity of our activities push up against, 
but do not cross, the red lines that are part and parcel of the 
political fabric here.   The current controversy regarding the 
return of convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi 
may impact on the short and near term prospects of Embassy 
programs to affect the range of activities that we have laid out 
in this cable.  End Comment. 
CRETZ