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Africa North

Gaddafi's desperate secret lobbying revealed

2011-08-26

The Gaddafi regime carried out an extraordinary clandestine lobbying operation to try to stop the NATO bombardment of Libya, and thought the western allies were likely to launch a full-scale invasion in "either late September or October".

Secret documents in Tripoli reveal desperate attempts by the Libyan government in its final months to influence US and world opinion. It approached key figures from President Obama downwards.

The Libyan government tried to convince Dennis Kucinich to visit Tripoli as part of a hastily arranged "peace mission".

They certainly chose someone amenable to their position, but sadly without any influence whatsoever

Tut tut, he has enormous influence over the Kos Kiddies, enormous I say...

The regime offered to pay all costs related to the trip, including "travel expenses and accommodation".

A letter sent to Libya's prime minister, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, by a US-based lobbyist for the regime, Sufyan Omeish, stated that Kucinich was "concerned that his personal safety in Tripoli could not be guaranteed". His preference was to conduct meetings with regime officials outside Libya. There was a plan for Kucinich to meet "senior Libyan officials, including Gaddafi" which never materialized. Kucinich visited Syria instead.

Everyone can see how much good that trip did.

On 23 June the prime minister -- now reported to be in Tunisia -- wrote a surprisingly sycophantic letter to Obama. He addressed him as "Mr President", and politely fussed about Washington's "unprecedented decision" to confiscate Libya's assets -- "to please" the rebels. He also wrote to leading members of the US Congress, criticizing John Boehner after he described a letter by Gaddafi as "incoherent".

Gaddafi's furtive global campaign took place as the increasingly paranoid regime

It's not paranoia when the powers-that-be really are out to get you...

believed the US was planning to invade. On 28 June, Omeish, a US-based film maker, warned that the US Senate's decision to extend US involvement in Libya for another year prepared the way for a ground assault.

The letter to Baghdadi says: "It is clear that the NATO coalition forces have no intention of ending their military campaign over Libya anytime soon ... What is most concerning is that there are highly credible analysts and intelligence personnel in the United States who are exposing growing evidence of covert logistical military planning for a future ground invasion in either late September or October of this year."

He then discusses the urgent proposed peace mission to Libya. He writes: "We have already obtained confirmation of the involvement of a high-profile US congressman to participate ... and are making additional overtures to obtain further congressional involvement from other members.

"Moreover, we have also obtained a new confirmation from a high-profile Princeton professor of international law and a former UN fact-finding commissioner to join our delegation." Omeish also claimed that he was also working with "award-winning/Oscar-nominated filmmakers to help document the truth about Libya ... to ensure maximum world-wide exposure."

The correspondence shows that the Libyan regime was surprisingly well informed -- even if its sources were inaccurate at times. Baghdadi's personal papers include copies of the WikiLeaks documents written by US ambassador Gene Cretz. Cretz was forced to leave Libya after mentioning Gaddafi's "voluptuous" Ukrainian nurse. Someone had carefully annotated the English copy with Arabic.

Posted by:ryuge

#4 Just doing pick and shovel projects in those countries would let you employ 100,000 workers at $100 a month, which is good wages in those countries. Then you pay to have T-shirts silk-screened with the name of the political party that cut you the deal and hand them out to the workers, along with locally produced straw/grass hats, and you have a political structure that supports you.

Posted by: Shieldwolf 2011-08-26 20:39

#3 If I were Khaddafy, I would looking at some country like Sierra Leone or Haiti for a refuge: offer to fund $500 million a year in infrastructure projects in the country for political asylum. The Khaddafy clan has billions in gold, bearer bonds, and secret bank accounts in the Arab world to draw on. And that arrangement would let them live reasonably well for a couple of decades anyway. After all, he could invest a couple of hundred million in short-term Kuwaiti or Saudi bonds and get the 15% interest that they pay for that.

Posted by: Shieldwolf 2011-08-26 20:37

#2 It approached key figures from President Obama downwards. The Libyan government tried to convince Dennis Kucinich to visit Tripoli as part of a hastily arranged "peace mission".

How the mighty have fallen. The best Kadaffy could do was ex D.C. Congressman Walter Fauntroy the race baiter.

Should have shelled out more dosh and gotten Jesse Jackson, or for an extra grand, Al Sharpton. He has his own cable TV show, you know.

Ex-Member of Congress Detained in Libya Was on Vigilante Peace Mission
Former U.S. member of Congress Walter Fauntroy, currently held in Tripoli's Rixos Hotel, had traveled to Libya on a self-appointed peace mission. His trip did not have his government's approval, though he appears to have planned to negotiate on behalf of his country, and came as a complete surprise to the State Department, government sources tell The Atlantic. Fauntroy is being detained by troops loyal to Muammar Qaddafi along with several Western journalists at the Rixos Hotel. It is not immediately clear if they is being held as hostages by the regime.

Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 2011-08-26 13:32

#1 Hey, My Little Munchkin called on his grandstanding...

Sufyan Omeish, stated that Kucinich was "concerned that his personal safety in Tripoli could not be guaranteed". His preference was to conduct meetings with regime officials outside Libya. There was a plan for Kucinich to meet "senior Libyan officials, including Gaddafi" which never materialized. Kucinich visited Syria instead.

Posted by: tu3031 2011-08-26 12:54

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