Though Libya renounced its weapons of mass destruction program back in 2003, a U.S. Embassy didn’t open in Tripoli until late 2008. That was after Libya paid compensation for the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103.
The Embassy is now in a residential neighborhood of the Libyan capital, located in a compound of villas, until the U.S. finds property for a more permanent place. It is committed to stick around and build its ties here.
Despite the normalization of relations, there is much historic baggage weighing on the new relationship, including painful memories of the 1988 Pan Am 103 incident, and for the Libyans, the bombing of Leader Moammar Gaddafi’s home by the Americans in 1986.
When a Scottish court released the man convicted in the Pan Am 103 bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi, on compassionate grounds, as doctors determined he had just three months left to live, many Americans reacted angrily, as it brought back painful memories. U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz acknowledges that.
“There’s no doubt that the impact of that picture of Mr. Megrahi being greeted here struck at the very heart of American sensitivities not only in Washington but throughout our country, because it was a reminder of a very very painful past and a present that continues to be painful for the families who lost relatives and friends in that incident and others.”
I asked Seif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader about the release of Megrahi, who is still alive seven months after his release.
“Americans shouldn’t be angry because this man is innocent. I believe he is innocent. Second, it was not a Libyan decision to release him. They should go to the UK and discuss the issue with the UK not Libya. The third issue, he’s very sick. This is a fact. that he is still live you should ask God.”
Many Libyans make the distinction between Libya’s “accepting responsibility” for the bombing, and actually being guilty of the atrocity, considering Megrahi the fall guy. Yet a Scottish court convicted Megrahi and that fact has not changed.
Cretz said even though it was a Scottish court that released him, that act caused some damage to U.S.-Libya relations.
“It was a setback no doubt it did impact on relations and this is one of the reasons that we are trying to brick by brick , day by day, discussion by discussion, lay down a path of normalization with this country. So that after 30 years of estrangement and hostility we are able to begin to find a language to talk to each other and to also make each other aware of our cultural and political imperatives and sensitivities.”
Cretz says that Libya has provided helpful counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States, and Washington deems relations with Libya to be ultimately in the interests of U.S. national security. Libya sits in a region with an Al Qaeda presence. Not everyone is convinced that Libya is doing all it can to fight terror, it is playing a part, and its most notorious militant group, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, has recently renounced violence and disbanded, as part of a reconciliation and rehabilitation process. That move could potentially weaken other groups in the region.
The U.S. Ambassador sees business opportunities here for American companies, though he admits the path is not an easy one.
But there was a good relationship with Libya before relations before ties were cut off. Many Libyans had studied in America. Libyan troops at one time even trained in the U.S. decades ago. The Ambassador said that memory provides positive baggage.
“Because of the past history we have had with Libya and because of the past very very strong affection that I thing a large majority of the Libyan peple have towards us. Its low hanging fruit for us these are people who like us, they like our ideas, they like our culture ,they like our education, they like our commercial products. So its an area that I think is quite open for a strong American presence. And it certainly is in our national interest.”
Libya is going through a development boom, and European, Korean and other countries have been jumping into the fray. According to Cretz,
“I would say that American companies are a bit late in entering the game here but they are coming now and I think this has been a matter of education, and a matter of seeing that there is some success on the part of several companies and the fact that we have a fully functioning Embassy here that can advocate in their interests if needed.”
The U.S. company AECOM is overseeing some large infrastructure projects. And an American trade delegation recently visted Libya. The Ambassador said,
“We are committed as I said on the trade promotion side that if we can get companies here and we can directly influence the creation of jobs back in America that’s a win-win situation for everybody.”
Ambassador Cretz said this is an economy that relies heavily on personal relationships, and so doing business takes a significant time commitments. And Libya is going through many changes.
But in this economy, virgin markets are appealing, at least for consideration.