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Books on Libya
REPUBLICAN REFERENCE
Area (sq.km)
1,759,540
Population
5,499,074
Capital
Tripoli
Currency
Libyan dinar
Leader
Col Mu'amar al-Qadhafi
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Update No: 019 - (31/05/05)
Bulgaria's Key to Euro Mediterranean
Partnership for Libya, AIDS and Diplomacy
The issue of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for injecting
hundreds of children with the HIV virus is one of the last remaining obstacles
between better relations between Libya and the European Union. After the
diplomatic breakthroughs of late 2003 and the frequent visits of European
leaders to Tripoli, from Silvio Berlusconi, Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac it
seemed as if Libya had succeeded in gaining access to all the privileges of an
enhanced relationship with the international community after the obscure decade
of sanctions that caused its oil production levels to decline. In the last few
months, however, the thorny issue of the Bulgarian nurses, overshadowed by the
novelty of recognizing that Libya and the United States, where Col. Qadhafi was
deemed a 'mad dog', had re-established diplomatic and oil industry links, has
steadily come to the fore for its strategic importance in Libya's relations with
the outside world and Europe in particular. The Bulgarian medics and a
Palestinian doctor face death sentences by firing squad, even though their
confessions were obtained under torture. The Supreme Court in Tripoli will give
what could be the final ruling on the matter - unless Col. Qadhafi himself
intervenes - at the end of May. After a protracted diplomatic and humanitarian
efforts by lawyers and calls to Libya from world leaders, Bulgarian President
Georgi Parvanov has strategically chosen to visit Qadhafi for the final weekend
prior to the Supreme Court's ruling.
There is no question that the visit is intended to help influence the decision
of the Court, as well as improving ties. While, the case has provoked strong
feelings in both Bulgaria and Libya itself, where protesters brandished signs
urging for the punishment of the medics in Benghazi, the case has created a
major block to European Union-Libyan ties. Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed
Abdel-Rahman Shalgam noted as much by telling reporters outside Gaddafi's tent
at his Tripoli compound that he is hoping for a positive outcome such as
"to put the case behind us". However, Shalgam also noted his
government could not intervene in the legal process, but repeated it could be
settled if the victims were paid financial compensation, or so-called blood
money - a normal practice in Libya where tribal rules often weigh heavily on the
justice system. The families then can waive a death sentence. This is not a new
'solution, as it has been proposed with some insistence early in the year.
Bulgaria has refused, saying that this would amount to admitting guilt, and it
insists the nurses are not guilty. Parvanov's visit is the latest and strongest
move to try to secure the release of the medics who have been in jail since
1999.
If Bulgaria might be dismissed before, it carries more diplomatic weight now, as
in 2007 it is expected to join the European Union, which has already judged the
Libyan verdicts over the medics as "unfair and absurd" insisting the
charges be dropped. The EU does not accept the evidence under which the nurses
were convicted on scientific grounds, and is opposed to the death penalty in all
circumstances. Indeed, the EU External Relations Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner flew to Tripoli before Parvanov's visit to discuss the case with
Gaddafi and urge him to free the medical workers. The EU is to give the Benghazi
hospital European technology and expertise to treat HIV/Aids sufferers, and
Ferrero-Waldner's visit on Wednesday was partly designed as a gesture of
solidarity with Libya. Another issue that will depend on the Supreme Court's
decision is one concerning Libya's interest in joining the Euro-Mediterranean
partnership (Euromed), an EU initiative to boost political and economic links
between the bloc and its neighbours around the Mediterranean basin. Tripoli's
accession to Euromed now hinges on its favourable and prompt resolution of the
Bulgarian nurses Aids trial.
Meanwhile, even as protesters met visiting Parvanov with slogans and chants in
favour of executing the Bulgarian nurses, a week before, families of the 400
children at the heart of the case children affected by the AIDS virus led an
open food strike in Benghazi to draw attention to what they called the country's
silence towards the "AIDS massacre". The move was evidently taken to
embarrass Libyan authorities, over their AIDS treatment facilities and policies.
The protesters had earlier approached the secretariat of the general people's
committee in which they demanded full support to them and ensure health care to
their children. Families had received little or no support in treating their
AIDS infected children from Libyan authorities. So far five of the more than 400
children have died. The last was 7 year old, who died two weeks ago in one of
the Italian hospital affiliates to the Vatican, after the Libyan authorities
refused to provide help to him and to his father. This obliged the father to
head for the Italian church, which paid all treatment costs until the death of
the child, according to the gathering parents. The food strike is significant
as, it shifted attention away from the nurses pointing it to the Libyan
authorities instead implying that the Libyan government is to blame for its weak
and ineffective AIDS treatment polices.
Praise from Human Rights Watch
Libya attracted favourable international attention from a report by the
American based organization Human Rights Watch, which commended it for measures
taken by Libya to improve its human rights record in the past year. The
organization noted there are outstanding issues, however, but conceded that some
of Libya's internal actions matched the 'friendlier' image it has been promoting
abroad. It is interesting to note that Human Rights Watch visited Libya on an
invitation from the Libyan government itself, which was considered a sign of
welcome transparency. Since the Lockerbie trial ended in 1999 and UN sanctions
were removed, Libya has tried to improve its human rights image. Authorities
have released political prisoners and have separated the ministries of justice
and public security, to promote independence of the judiciary. In 2004, the
government closed the People's Court, an extraordinary court that tried
political cases with inadequate due-process guarantees. The court offered
detainees, though the practice may continue, limited access to legal
representation at the time of arrest, and security forces sometimes obtain
confessions in police stations and internal security facilities through
psychological and physical abuse. The Bulgarian nurses involved in the Benghazi
AIDS trial, in fact, claim they confessed after this type of 'trial'. The
government is also reviewing the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure
aiming to reduce the number of crimes punishable by death. In addition, the
authorities have established commissions to investigate the June 1996 riot in
Abu Selim prison, in which an unknown number of prisoners died, and to probe the
"possible existence" of political prisoners, although the commission
did not indicate how it would conduct investigations.
Oil Industry Developments
Meanwhile, Abdullah el Badri, Chairman of Libya's National Oil Company NOC
said the Libyan government will soon open the second oil and gas round of
bidding, which includes 26 energy contracts. The winners of the 44 oil and gas
onshore and offshore blocks will be announced next October. There is little
doubting NOC's confidence in a successful round as it sets out to promote it
with road shows in London and in Tripoli for what is expected to be an overall
larger offer considering Libya's multi-billion barrel reserves. American
companies won the lion's share in the last round and they may well be favoured
in the coming one, even if European oil majors have a strong foothold in Libya.
Libyan officials have been careful to dispel rumours of favouring U.S. companies
stressing the openness of the bidding process. The US companies, Marathon Oil
Corp., Amerada Hess Corp. and ConocoPhillips, which make up the Oasis group -
Wahha - have not yet reached an agreement over the terms of the concession.
Meanwhile, Royal Dutch/Shell Group reached a comprehensive agreement for gas
exploration and liquefaction with NOC, its first major project in the country in
30 years.
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ENERGY
Shell to upgrade Libyan natural gas plant
Energy giant Shell recently confirmed its return to Libya. It agreed the terms
of its first major project in the country for 30 years. A partnership with
Libya's National Oil will see Shell "rejuvenate and upgrade" a
liquefied natural gas plant on the Libyan coast. It will also explore five areas
in the oil and gas-producing region of Sirte Basin. The agreement came a year
after National Oil and shell announced they were in talks about a long-term
strategic partnership, New Europe reported.
Shell had operations in Libya between the 1950s and 1974 - when the country's
oil industry was nationalised. The Anglo-Dutch group did carry out some
exploration work in the late 1980s. The Executive Director for Exploration and
Production, Malcolm Brinded, said shell will rejuvenate and upgrade the Marsa
Al-Brega LNG plant at a minimum cost of GBP 55.4m, rising to a possible GBP
237.6m. That could increase the plant output from 0.7m tonnes per annum to some
3.2m tonnes a year. The agreement also grants Shell gas exploration rights in
five blocks, covering 20,000 square kilometres at a cost of GBP 98.7m.
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