Excerpt from document
(S/NF) Rumors persist that Libya is seeking an unprecedented
second consecutive term as African Union Chair, driven largely
by its continued "dinar diplomacy," much of it delivered by
personal envoys of Muammar al-Qadhafi. Recent gifts, both
public and discreet, to member states have been interpreted by
some diplomatic missions as part of an orchestrated campaign to
insert Libya into position above Malawi or its Southern Region
neighbors.

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Content
S E C R E T TRIPOLI 001036

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2019
TAGS: PREL, AU-1, AL-1, KPAL, MI, LY
SUBJECT: LOCAL DIPLOMATS BELIEVE LIBYA UNLIKELY TO PUSH HARD FOR
SECOND TERM AS AU CHAIR

REF: A. ADDIS ABABA 2945
B. LILONGWE 690

CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, US Embassy Tripoli,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (S/NF) Rumors persist that Libya is seeking an unprecedented
second consecutive term as African Union Chair, driven largely
by its continued "dinar diplomacy," much of it delivered by
personal envoys of Muammar al-Qadhafi. Recent gifts, both
public and discreet, to member states have been interpreted by
some diplomatic missions as part of an orchestrated campaign to
insert Libya into position above Malawi or its Southern Region
neighbors. A series of head-of-state visits, a C-10 summit
(reportedly focused on UN reform) and the recent announcement of
a $250 thousand gift to the Ghanaian Foreign Ministry have added
fuel to the rumors. However, we have also learned that Malawi
-- next in line to chair the AU -- has not been moved by either
Libya or the other African states Libya has sought to influence
through its largesse.

2. (C) Diplomats from two North African embassies separately
told Poloff that they expected Libya's "donations" to continue
but that they did not expect Libya to make the coordinated push
for the Chairmanship that it did last year. Egyptian Poloff
commented that the Libyans already have "their plate full" with
the March 2010 Arab League summit, for which the government is
constructing opulent guest quarters and a new meeting hall in
Tripoli. He noted that while Libya cleared the way for its AU
candidacy last year through CEN-SAD coordination meetings,
several (un-named) CEN-SAD partners oppose a second term for
Qadhafi and that "it would be very difficult for Egypt to
support." He assessed that Libya's donations were "business as
usual" for Libyan diplomacy and likely represented a hedge
should the chairmanship become open, rather than a strong push
for a second term.

3. (C) The same contact assessed that Libya was continuing its
policy of cash donations to African countries in order to retain
good relations with countries that "hate" Qadhafi's leadership
of the AU. The Egyptian Poloff said he took rumors that Libya
intended to focus on Gaza and Fatah-Hamas reconciliation efforts
during its Arab League presidency as a sign that al-Qadhafi
preferred to change course instead of pushing forward an AU
agenda of immediate political union that had made little
progress despite two Libyan-controlled summits. (Hamas leader
Khalid Mashal was in Tripoli for consultations on December 20.)
The consensus among AU-member diplomats polled was that should
Malawi unexpectedly waiver due to Libyan pressure, that other
Southern Region states that were "fed up" with Qadhafi's
chairmanship would fill the gap, per regional rotation rules.

4. (C) Comment: Pan-African messages feature heavily in the
image al-Qadhafi has created for himself. State media outlets
append "President of the African Union" to his customary title
of "Leader of the Revolution" (and, less frequently "King of the
Traditional Kings of Africa"). On a personal level, it is
likely al-Qadhafi would like to retain that title; on a
practical level, it is unclear that Libya intends to pursue that
role vigorously given competing concerns. Rumors of Qadhafi's
plans for the AU chairmanship likely will persist barring a
strong statement from Malawi or another Southern Region member
affirming their intent to assume the chairmanship. We recommend
monitoring Libya's moves in both the AU and Arab League before
approaching high-level officials on al-Qadhafi's intentions, as
providing notice of our high-level interest may have unintended
consequences for both our bilateral and multilateral interests.

CRETZ