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Siete de julio de 1995
758,7/25/1995 20:37,95BUENOSAIRES4491,Embassy
Buenos Aires,CONFIDENTIAL,95BUENOSAIRES247|
95BUENOSAIRES289,”R 252037Z JUL 95
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“,”C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 004491

E.O. 12356: DECL: 7/25/05
TAGS: PREL, LY, AR
SUBJECT: QADHAFI’S SON VISITS MENEM, TALKS SOCCER AND A LITTLE BUSINESS
REF: (A) BUENOS AIRES 289, (B) BUENOS AIRES
247

1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.

2. SUMMARY: QADHAFI’S 25-YEAR OLD SON

ALSADI AND AN ENTOURAGE OF FIVE OR SIX UNIDENTIFIED LIBYAN OFFICIALS ARRIVED IN ARGENTINA LATE LAST WEEK AND WAS RECEIVED BY PRESIDENT MENEM AT THE OLIVOS RESIDENCE ON JULY 24. GOA OFFICIALS STRESS THAT QADHAFI’S VISIT WAS COMPLETELY PRIVATE. DESPITE SOME PRESS SPECULATION ABOUT A “”THAWING”” IN ARGENTINA’S RELATIONS WITH THE PARIAH STATE, QADHAFI THE YOUNGER REPORTEDLY TOUCHED ON LITTLE OR NO SUBSTANCE DURING THE TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES HE SPENT WITH ARGENTINA’S HEAD OF STATE; MOST OF THEIR TIME TOGETHER REPORTEDLY WAS DEVOTED TO CHIT-CHAT ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SPORTS WORLD. END SUMMARY.

3.IN A MEETING LASTING LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR, PRESIDENT MENEM RECEIVED THE SON OF LIBYAN LEADER MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, ALSADI MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, AT HIS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE WHILE THE LATTER WAS ON A “”PRIVATE VISIT”” ARGENTINA. OSTENSIBLY HERE TO DISCUSS BROADENING BILATERAL COMMERCE, QADHAFI’S SON FOLLOWED BY ABOUT SIX MONTHS AN UNSUCCESSFUL MISSION BY A QADHAFI ENVOY SEEKING ARGENTINE SUPPORT FOR EASING SANCTIONS ON LIBYA IMPOSED BY THE UNITED NATIONS (REPORTED REFTELS). AS REPORTED IN LOCAL PRESS, HOWEVER, THE SHORT AUDIENCE WITH MENEM PRODUCED THE SAME FROSTY RESULTS AS THE JANUARY VISIT. MENEM’S PENCHANT FOR SPORTS AND DISCUSSION OF INTERNATIONAL SOCCER COMPETITION—AND PERHAPS A DESIRE TO AVOID TOO MUCH SUBSTANCE—APPARENTLY CAPTURED THE BULK OF THE CONVERSATION. DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PETRELLA AND A LIBYAN “”COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS OFFICER”” ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETING.

4. POLOFF CALLED ON JOSE LUIS MIGNINI, SUBDIRECTOR FOR NORTH AFRICA AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, JULY 25 TO GET A READ OUT ON THE MEETING AND TO ENQUIRE ABOUT CURRENT RELATIONS BETWEEN ARGENTINA AND LIBYA. MIGNINI SAID HE HAD LITTLE LIGHT TO SHED ON THE MEETING AS PETRELLA’S OFFICE WAS NOT DIVULGING DETAILS OF THE DISCUSSION. HE SPECULATED THAT PRESS REPORTS HAD CAPTURED THE ESSENCE OF THE CONVERSATION AS NO CHANGES IN ARGENTINA’S POSITION REGARDING LIBYA’S STATUS IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY WERE ANTICIPATED. IN A SEPARATE CONVERSATION, PETRELLA’S CHIEF OF CABINET ANA MARIA RAMIREZ CONFIRMED THAT THE CONVERSATION DWELLED ON PROTOCOL. THIS WAS THE YOUTHFUL QADHAFI’S FIRST VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA, ACCORDING TO RAMIREZ, AND HE BROUGHT NO MESSAGES FROM HIS GOVERNMENT. SHE CONFIRMED THAT SPORTS DOMINATED THE DISCUSSION.

5. COMMENT. DESPITE THE HOOPLA IN THE PRESS—ONE PAPER PAINTED THE MEETING AS A LOGICAL FOLLOW-ON TO MENEM’S VISIT TO SYRIA IN A COORDINATED EFFORT TO REESTABLISH WARMER TIES TO ARAB COUNTRIES AFTER ARGENTINE PARTICIPATION IN THE GULF WAR - - LITTLE APPEARS TO HAVE CHANGED AFTER QADHAFI’S VISIT. ARGENTINA’S COMMITMENT TO UN SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA APPEARS UNWAVERING EVEN IF PRESIDENT MENEM ALSO SEEMS UNABLE TO RESIST MEETING WITH “”CELEBRITIES”” RANGING FROM THE ROLLING STONES TO QADHAFI’S SON.

GODARD