BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/11/2008

Libyan leader seeks arms and energy in Belarus

The Associated Press

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi joined Belarus' authoritarian president in lamenting U.S. dominance of world affairs Monday during a tour aimed at securing new weapons and energy deals in the former Soviet Union.

Gadhafi is on a trip to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine that appears aimed at spurring competition between the countries for the best terms on arms and trade deals while seeking to rekindle the Cold War ties his energy-rich nation had with the Soviet Union.

Gadhafi may also to be trying to increase the competitive pressure on Western companies, which have been seeking trading opportunities in Libya since it emerged from international isolation five years ago.

Both Libya and Belarus have faced criticism from the U.S. and other Western countries for alleged violations of human rights.

"The world has become unipolar because violations of the balance of power," Gadhafi said in the Belarusian capital. "Nobody observes the principles of the United Nations, all international norms are being violated."

"Unipolar" is a term frequently used in Russia, China and elsewhere to criticize U.S. foreign policies.

"We, like you, think that the world should be multipolar," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Gadhafi.

Russia's relations with Libya withered after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but Moscow has moved to rebuild ties.

A leading Russian newspaper reported that Libya might offer to allow Russia ships to use the Mediterranean port of Benghazi _ a deal that could soothe Moscow's irritation over slow progress in the weapons talks.

Access to the Libyan port would help Russia as its tries to revive a naval presence in the Mediterranean. A Russian naval squadron on its way to the Caribbean recently stopped in Tripoli and Russia naval engineers recently began restoring facilities at the Syria's port of Tartus.

Western nations have also courted Libya, both for weapons deals and for access to its gas reserves.

Attention from the West jumped after 2003 when Gadhafi ended years of international isolation by renouncing terrorism and efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month became the highest-level U.S. official to visit in 55 years.

Russia faces competition from Belarus and Ukraine in selling arms to Libya. Belarus, meanwhile, seeking oil and gas from places other than Russia, has turned to Libya, Venezuela and others.

Lukashenko, who has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" in the West, warmly welcomed Gadhafi, calling him "Brother Moammar," and declaring that "all ideas for cooperation are on the table" between Belarus and Libya.

The two leaders oversaw the signing of several agreements on taxes, communications and other areas. There was no mention of any weapons purchases or other military agreements.

Still, former Defense Minister Pavel Kozlovsky said Lukashenko was likely to hide any potential military cooperation with Libya from public view.

"Warm relations with Lukashenko, and their status as world outcasts, can only help ... Belarus and Libya reach a deal," Kozlovsky told The Associated Press.

Source:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/03/libyan-leader-seeks-arms-and-energy-in-belarus/

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