Why Prime Minister Paul Martin is going to Libya today to visit Moammar Khadaffy is one of those imponderables that defies justification. [. . . . ]
Martin's recent forays to Haiti, Brazil, Chile, Burkina Faso and, most recently Sudan as a self-styled mediator in the Darfur outrage, seem mostly for image purposes, not for solving anything.
[. . . . ] Martin would be justified if he were skeptical and raised questions about six Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor that the Libyan regime has sentenced to death by firing squad.
Why, indeed. Read the details. I just heard this weekend that apparently a biological weapons factory had been found outside Tripoli on a turkey farm -- perhaps a month or so ago. Was this reported in the Canadian mainstream media? I have no link nor reference for this but the news, apparently, emerged about a month ago. Check for more information.
Martin puts 'cards on the table' with Gadhafi -- "privacy concerns" prevent our knowing much
Prime Minister Paul Martin said he "put the cards on the table" during his hour-and-a-half long talk with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli Sunday.
The two leaders discussed trade, human rights issues and peace in Africa and the Middle East, in a tent on a military compound where camels and goats wandered freely, CTV's Roger Smith reported.
[. . . . ] During his trip, Martin also made a pitch for Canadian businesses such as SNC-Lavalin and Petro-Canada and met with Canadian business leaders who have an interest in developing trade with Libya. [. . . . ]
[. . . . ] "It sounds like there might be a phone call at some point and the meeting will happen, just like that. We checked with (French President Jacques) Chirac's people to see how they dealt with the situation, and it was the same story. Apparently this is how Gadhafi works."
Martin's whirlwind visit — marking Canada's turn in a continuing diplomatic thaw, as oil-rich but sanctions-sapped Libya emerges from a decade-plus winter of international isolation — comes with an intriguing clash of distinctly different diplomatic styles.
The Canadian habit of safe, ready-to-write photo opportunities, a style perfected by Martin during his decade of deftly rubbing global shoulders as Canada's finance minister, loses traction in Libya, where the wildcard of Arab pride trumps all. [. . . . ]
Today's news indicates that the PM got his photo-op. I wondered why he bothered until I read that SNC Lavalin, Petro Canada and various businessmen are involved--or wish to be--in Libya. See?
British cops arrest Libyan, blow up luggage at regional airport -- "he was arrested under the Terrorism Act, police said."
Police said the suspect was an electrical engineer employed by a Libyan oil company and had been studying in Britain for six months. He had a ticket for a connecting flight to the Libyan capital Tripoli, police said. [. . . . ]
