FURTHER REPORT ON AL-QADHDHAFI'S LA STAMPA INTERVIEW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 30, 2012
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: February 11, 1986
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
? ?
Friday
14 February 1986
Vol V No 031
Annex No 009
Daily Report
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
The information printed on these Annex pages preceding
and following the standard Daily Report cover bears the
caveat FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. Users may detach the
outer pages and treat the Daily Report as unclassified
and unrestricted.
FBIS
Annex
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0 b y,6
Vol V 14 Feb 86 MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
ANNEX
NORTH AFRICA
Further Report on AI-Qadhdhafi's LA STAMPA Interview [Turin LA STAMPA 11 Feb] ................................................... I
WEST AFRICA
Nigeria Seeks Neighbors' Promise on Opening Borders [Paris JEUNE AFRIQUE 12 FebJ
SOUTHERN AFRICA
Further Report on AI-Qadhdhafi's LA STAMPA Interview
PM131219 Turin LA STAMPA in Italian 11 Feb 86 p 4
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
[Interview with Libyan chief of state Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhafi
by Igor Man in Tawurgha, Libya; date not given]
[Excerpt]Tawurgha - "Allow me," Al-Qadhdhafi said, "to take
the opportunity of your presence here in this tent, where I
eliminate tensions and develop my thoughts, to convey, via your
paper, a message to the Italian people and to Prime Minister
Bettino Craxi. It is a simple and therefore concrete message:
Our two countries are complementary; both our countries are
bathed by the same sea, hence my hope that the Mediterranean
will never again be plied by warships but instead by lines of traffic
beneficial to our two economies, to my country's development -
including cultural development - and to Italy's greater progress.
The Mediterranean as a sea of peace..., well, to achieve this
shared aspiration, I firmly believe that a meeting between the
Italian prime minister and Colonel Mu'ammar could prove use-
[Man] Well said, Colonel, but following Fiumicino, concrete
gestures are needed to pave the way to such a meeting. You
hinted at the possibility of urging the Palestinians to refrain from
actions against friendly countries. The Palestinians' liberation
struggle is one thing, blind terrorism is another.
[Al-Qadhdhafi] I am opposed to actions such as those at
Fiumicino and Vienna, which were, among other things,
senseless. I support the Palestinian people's liberation war, whose
legitimacy, above all, is acknowledged by the UN Charter. I say
that the responsibility for the Fiumicino action lies solely and
exclusively with those who carried it out. But I must point out to
those who are rightly outraged that for us, for a state that has its
own laws, for a family that has its own home and that lives in a
civilized fashion [umanamente], it is really difficult to put oneself
in the shoes of people driven from their own land, of young people
who have seen their parents and little brothers and sisters mur-
dered, and who are guilty only of being Palestinians. Those young
people cannot draw certain distinctions as we do. Who can
fathom their infinite despair? Be that as it may, I will try to
persuade them to fight only in Palestine. But you Italians, you
[Al-Qadhdhafi] Try to make the Americans understand that until
the Palestinian people have been given their due not only will
there never be peace in the Middle East but world peace itself
will always be in jeopardy.
[Man] With regard to the Americans, Reagan has ordered the
6th Fleet to resume its maneuvers off the Gulf of Sidra....
[Al-Qadhdhafi] Reagan, Reagan: I try in vain to find a reason
for his irresponsible stances. When he was elected, we believed
that since he was old he would be wise. We believed that an actor
is an artist and, as such, not an evil man. Instead.... But perhaps
the attack on him, illness, and age have damaged his arteries.
Furthermore, I am convinced that his entourage, infiltraged by
Zionists, is dominating him, exploiting his senility. Thus he seems
to have wanted to transform the Mediterranean into a film set In
order to show off in his blustering role. However, the Mediterra-
nean is not Hollywood: Reagan's policy endangers peace.
Reagan is playing with fire.
[Man] Following Israel's act of air piracy - which was con-
demned by Defense Minister Spadolini on television and by
Prime Minister Craxi in an interview - you said on Friday that
your fighter bombers are ready to intercept Israeli aircraft "in
order, if possible, to capture the terrorists Sharon, Begin, Peres,
and so forth"... Let us suppose that one of your fighters is
successful. Are you not afraid that it would spark a spiral of
violence and counterviolence that could even cause World War
III?
[Al-Qadhdhafi] The danger exists. But it is they who started it;
our response is legitimate. We are a sovereign country; nobody
can trample all over us.
[Man] Do you not believe, Colonel, that Israel's behavior is
largely a result of the Arab world's weakness? In theory the Arab
world is huge and strong but it is split and therefore weak.
[Al-Qadhdhafi] This is why, loyal to Al-Nasir's command, I have
been struggling steadfastly for the unity of the Arab world for
the past 15 years. Of course, as long as we remain split, we will
be weak and exposed to the permanent blackmail of force.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
? ?
[Man] Can peace be sought, perhaps by means of a compromise
with Israel?
[Al-Qadhdhafi] What kind of compromise can there be with the
Zionist entity, a foreign body on Palestinian land.... 'Arafat and
a few others delude themselves that Israel could return the West
Bank and Gaza. They have learned nothing. Israel will never
yield anything, not a single tile.
[Al-Qadhdhafi] It will be necessary to continue fighting because
Israel does not permit us to make peace. Indeed Israel's very
existence is a negation of peace. The Zionists need to wage war
continuously because, if the tension were ever to drop, U.S. aid
would cease and the innumerable internal contradictions would
come to the surface and everything would melt away like wax in
the fire. In any case, I say that the fate of the Jews who came
from Germany, Russia, and so forth, to occupy Palestine is
sealed, just as the fate of colonialists has always been sealed.
Sooner or later Israel will meet the same fate as Rhodesia.
[Man] The oil price crisis: If your revenue has decreased by 50
percent in 3 months, how will you manage to keep everything
going? I know, Colonel, that you have spoken at length by
telephone with Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and that there has been
an exchange of letters via messenger between you.
[Al-Qadhdhafi] I am not afraid of the oil crisis. For one thing,
prices are recovering. Be that as it may, we are ready to defend
ourselves tooth and nail, for instance, by freezing contracts and
payments or, at best, by bringing payments into line with oil
prices. Last, we could suspend production for as long as a year in
order to bring the price per barrel back to its proper level. But
beware: If people continue to gamble on falling oil prices the
gulf war will inevitably be exacerbated and involve Saudi Arabia
and the Emirates and would cause a frightening conflagration.
Please stress what I am telling you: It is very important.
[Man] Mr Al-Qadhdhafi, there is constant talk of a possible
20-year agreement between the Jamahiriyah and the USSR.
What truth is there in this'?
[Al-Qadhdhafi] What a lot of things you want to know. No
Comment.
[Man] If you believed yourself to be endangered by the world's
major power would you form a military alliance with the USSR?
[Al-Qadhdhafi] If the situation were to deteriorate rapidly, we
would have a state of emergency, so to speak, that would force
me to take that step. The consequence would be the installation
of very modern long-range nuclear missiles in Libya. If those
deadly devices were to be installed here, Western Europe's entire
missile strength automatically would be out of play. But we want
peace, which is why we are hoping for a meeting with Bettino
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
ANNEX
Craxi. You tell me that socialist Craxi could find it difficult to
meet with me. Nevertheless, I believe that in order to forge
history you sometimes need the courage not to pay too much
attention to everyday news.
Nigeria Seeks Neighbors' Promise on Opening Borders
ABI01505 Paris JEUNE AFRIQUE in French 12 Feb 86 p 27
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
[Text] Lagos has sent to all neighboring countries (Cameroon,
Chad, Niger, Benin) a memorandum asking them to commit
themselves in writing that they will try to control the smuggling
of goods, trafficking in naira and all other illegal activities along
their common borders. In return, Nigeria is ready to reopen its
borders which have been closed for 2 years.
After consultations, the governments of the named countries are
preparing to answer that they strongly wish that the borders be
reopened but they wonder whether Nigeria will, on her part, be
in a position to implement the same measures.
UK Assumes Training Role for Botswana Army
PM131619 London THE GUARDIAN in English
12 Feb 86 p 1,32
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
[Text] Gabarone - Members of Britain's special air Services,
[SAS] regiment are to train Botswanan troops in techniques to
resist future South African raids and to curb infiltration by
Guerrillas fighting the Pretoria Government.
According to reliable sources here, 90 members of the SAS will
take part in training exercises with the Botswana Defence Force
[BDF] in a remote desert area in the north of the country. The
exercise will also be joined by a C- 130 Hercules of the Royal Air
Force.
It is believed to be the first time the SAS has conducted exercises
in Southern Africa.
The sources said that the training would begin in two weeks' but
that advance elements of the SAS force and equipment were
already inside Botswana.
In London yesterday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said:
"We never comment on anything regarding the SAS."
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0
4P ?
The reticence stems in part from official hostility towards British
policy on South Africa, but also from fears that the skills to be
acquired from the SAS will become known to the South Africans.
It is conceded that the 3,500-man BDF would stand little chance
in a stand-up fight with the powerful South African military
machine. However, it is hoped that the SAS training will give the
Botswanans the means to make it expensive for South Africa to
repeat the raid on Gabarone which it conducted last June 14.
On that date, South African troops raided homes occupied by
supporters of the banned African National Congress - The
"smallest of the small fry," according to a senior Western
diplomat in Gaborone - and 'Killed 12 of them in their sleep.
Sources said that the SAS would spend about six weeks sharing
part of the repertoire of skills for which the British regiment is
famous.
"The BDF might in future be able to do such things as surround
part of a South African raiding force by being able to react more
swiftly," said a source familiar with preparations for the training
exercise.
The source added that the Botswanan troops would be trained in
another SAS speciality - conducting sabotage operations deep
inside enemy territory.
Diplomats in Gaborone said the commanders of the BDF, Major
General Mompati Merafhe, and his deputy, Brigadier Ian
Khama, were keen that their men should not take South African
military attacks lying down.
The South African Foreign Minister, Mr R.f. Pik Botha, and
Defence Minister, General Magnus Malan, have alleged that
Botswanan territory is used by ANC guerrillas to launch attacks
inside South Africa, including recent mine blasts which killed
white farmers near the border. Botswana has rejected the claims,
arguing that it does its utmost to prevent ANC military activities
inside its territory.
Observers in Gaborone noted that the skills to be learned from
the SAS would also make it easier for the BDF to detect and
counter infiltration by ANC guerrillas.
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
ANNEX
The BDF's mobility will shortly be enhanced by the arrival of a
number of helicopters to be provided by the U.S. under a $10
.million military aid programme.
The U.S. is also providing special training in counter-intelligence
techniques to the Botswana security forces to offset penetration
by South African agents.
The possibility that the SAS men might find themselves caught
up in a South African raid while they are in Botswana is ruled
out in Gaborone, where it is noted that the training exercise will
take place far from the scene of any likely operation.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/30: CIA-RDP05-01559R000400410019-0