Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 4062 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone
Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AF ASEC AM AE AG AR AS AU AORC AJ AMGT AGMT AFIN APER ABUD ATRN AEMR ACOA AEC AO AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC AL ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY
BR BM BRUSSELS BL BK BA BO BILAT BTIO BEXP BH BE BX BU BIDEN BY BG BF BB BC BBSR
COUNTER CH CO CG CE CA CASC CU CLINTON CI CVIS CDG CIA CACM CDB CS CBW CD CV CMGT CJAN CF CN CAN CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CY CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON COUNTERTERRORISM
DA DJ DEAX DR DHS DOE DEA DK DISENGAGEMENT DS DOD
ECON EG EAID EFIN ELAB EUN ETRD EU EXTERNAL ENRG ETTC EPET EINV EMIN ECIP ECPS EINDETRD EAGR EN EZ ER ET ES EUC EI EAIR EIND EWWT ELTN EREL ECIN EFIS EINT EC ENVR ECA ELN EINVETC ENIV EINN ENGR EUR ESA ENERG EK ELECTIONS ECUN EINVEFIN
FR FJ FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FARC FBI FMLN
GTMO GOI GM GG GV GH GA GE GT GR GTIP GCC GAZA GZ
HILLARY HA HU HR HUMAN HO HYMPSK HURI HK HSTC
IS IR IZ INRB IAEA IN IT ID IO IV ICTY IQ ICAO INTERPOL IPR IRAJ INRA INRO IC IIP ITPHUM IWC ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IMO IF ILC IEFIN INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF ITALY ITALIAN
JAMES JO JA JOSEPH JP JOHNNIE JUS
KDEM KJUS KCOR KOLY KIPR KNNP KU KWBG KPAL KN KS KZ KAWK KISL KPAO KCRM KSEC KGHG KIFR KTFN KDRG KV KSUM KWAC KAWC KDEMAF KFIN KGIC KTIP KOMC KHLS KSPR KGCC KPIN KG KBIO KHIV KSCA KE KFRD KPKO KNUC KMDR KPLS KUNR KIRF KIRC KACT KRAD KCOM KMCA KHDP KVPR KDEV KWMN KTIA KPRP KCIP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KBCT KICC KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KMPI KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KTBT KCRS KRVC KREL KR KPWR KMIG
LY LE LG LH LU LI LO LOG LT
MARR MOPS MCAP MNUC MZ MO MASS MY MEPP MA MR ML MX MIL MTCRE MPOS MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MG MASC MCC MK MTRE MP MDC MAR MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MD MAPS MUCN MASSMNUC
NATO NI NZ NG NU NO NL NIPP NPT NE NS NAR NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OTR OVIP OVP OREP ODIP OPDC OPRC OIIP OFFICIALS OSAC OAS OEXC OFDP OTRA OSCE OPIC OECD OPCW OSCI OIE
PREL PGOV PTER PHUM PINR PAK PREF PL PBTS PHSA PARM PO PINS PK PINT PROP PE POGOV PINL POL PBIO PSOE PKFK PGOF PARMS PA PM PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRAM POLITICS PEPR PSI PU POLITICAL PARTIES PECON
QA
RS RU RO RW REGION RP RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE
SP SY SOCI SCUL SNAR SA STEINBERG SENV SF SO SR SG SW SU SL SMIG SN SHUM SZ SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI
TIP TERRORISM TI TU TC TRGY TX TS TBIO TW TSPA TH TR TT TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TPHY TK TNGD
UN US UK UG UNSC UP USEU UNMIK UV UZ UY UNGA UNO USUN UE UNESCO UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS UNAUS
VZ VT VE VTPREL VN VM
WTRO WTO WA WI WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG
XF XA XG XT XM XR XS XL XK XH XY XC XZ XW XD
YE YM YI
ZI ZU ZP ZR ZB ZF ZK ZANU ZOELLICK ZA

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 09TRIPOLI59, SWISS AMBASSADOR: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH LIBYA IS DEAD

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09TRIPOLI59.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09TRIPOLI59 | 2009-01-27 14:02 | 2011-02-01 21:09 | SECRET | Embassy Tripoli
Appears in these articles: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/libya-wikileaks/

`

    VZCZCXRO5960
    OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV
    DE RUEHTRO #0059/01 0271415
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    O R 271415Z JAN 09
    FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4365
    INFO RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0030
    RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
    RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1386
    RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0741
    RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0873
    RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0816
    RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 4889

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 TRIPOLI 000059

    SIPDIS

    DEPT FOR NEA/MAG

    E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/26/2019
    TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON KTIA SZ LY
    SUBJECT: SWISS AMBASSADOR: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH LIBYA IS DEAD

    REF: A) 08 TRIPOLI 994, B) 08 TRIPOLI 592, C) 08 TRIPOLI 926, D) 08 TRIPOLI 851  TRIPOLI 00000059  001.2 OF 003

    CLASSIFIED BY: John T. Godfrey, PolEcon Chief. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

    ¶1. (C) Summary: Despite concluding a bilateral investigation into the events surrounding last July's arrest in Geneva of Hannibal al-Qadhafi, son of Muammar al-Qadhafi, the Swiss Ambassador judges that Swiss-Libyan relations are "dead".  A senior Swiss delegation recently visited Tripoli, but was unable to overcome an impasse regarding differing interpretations of the legality of Swiss police officers' actions and the timeliness of the consular notification.  Characterizing the affair as an exercise in saving face for the al-Qadhafi family, the Ambassador said he now realizes the initial Swiss position was too soft, and that Switzerland has little leverage with which to negotiate a satisfactory resolution.  The GOL has so far not taken action to enforce an order that all Swiss companies cease operations in Libya before January 31; several of those companies intend to raise a complaint under the terms of a Swiss-Libyan Investment Protection Agreement.  The Swiss embassy expects Hannibal's older brother, Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi to conduct quiet bilateral talks on the margins of the Davos Summit later this week, but hold little hope that there will be a breakthrough. The Libyans have also inexplicably decided to send their charge back to Bern, an action the Swiss are unable to decipher.  The GOL apparently seems content to sacrifice their relationship with Switzerland in the near to mid-term in what it views as a campaign to protect the al-Qadhafi family's image.  Doing so is a high-stakes approach, however, as it risks providing other European countries with ready evidence that deals with Libya can easily be voided if the notoriously ill-behaved and capricious first family changes its mind.  That is not a message EU members will welcome as they gear up for another round of EU Framework Agreement negotiations in Tripoli next month.  End summary.

    NO AGREEMENT ON FACTS OF THE CASE

    ¶2. (C) Swiss Ambassador Daniel von Muralt (strictly protect) told the Ambassador on January 26 that a January 21-22 visit  by a senior Swiss delegation had failed to resolve the diplomatic crisis that has raged between Tripoli and Bern since Muammar al-Qadhafi's son, Hannibal, was arrested in Geneva last July . The bilateral commission charged with investigating the incident concluded its work without achieving consensus on the language of its final report.  While Swiss negotiators were prepared to criticize Geneva police for using "unnecessary and humiliating" measures to detain Hannibal, the Libyans have insisted on a finding of legal culpability for the officers involved (ref A). Libya is also seeking a Swiss admission that Geneva authorities violated Hannibal's human rights and their duties under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.  Von Muralt told the Ambassador the Geneva police notified the Libyan People's Bureau (embassy-equivalent) within 50 hours of Hannibal's arrest, well within the 5-day window for notification that the Swiss consider to be the norm; however, the GOL has insisted that the Convention calls for notification within 24 hours. (Note: The GOL rarely provides consular notification in arrest cases involving foreign nationals or access for foreign missions to their detained citizens.  End note.)

    ¶3. (C) Insisting that the Libyans continued to misrepresent the basic facts of the case, von Muralt presented the Ambassador with a three-page note, apparently written by Geneva canton officials, describing the events surrounding the arrest (ref B).  GOL negotiators decried Hannibal's inhumane treatment, claiming he was removed from the hotel premises with a hood over his head after police officers broke down the hotel room door.  In fact, police entered with a hotel key and Hannibal was escorted - wearing only handcuffs, not a hood - to an armored Mercedes usually reserved for visiting heads of state.  Defending what the GOL has characterized as an "aggressive" response by police, von Muralt cited Hannibal's previous arrests in Paris (for allegedly beating his pregnant girlfriend and then brandishing a firearm when stopped by traffic police) and in Rome (for attacking an individual with a fire extinguisher and injuring police officers).  Officers in Geneva waited outside the hotel door for an hour and a half for Hannibal to surrender before deciding, based on his history of violent behavior, to take action lest the situation become more explosive.  Adding insult to injury was the rumor circulating that Saudis (with whom Qadhafi has had troubled relations) had photographed Hannibal's arrest and distributed the images around.

    WITH NO SENSE OF IRONY, LIBYA TAKES SWITZERLAND TO TASK ON RULE OF LAW

    ¶4. (C) Libya now seems intent on slowing reconciliation on legal grounds.  Bemused, but insulted that the GOL would doubt the  TRIPOLI 00000059  002.2 OF 003   competency and transparency of Switzerland - a model "state of laws" - von Muralt explained that the Swiss federal government could not assume original jurisdiction of the Geneva case.  Even if the GOL was disappointed with a Geneva court's hypothetical ruling on the legality of police action, Libya could appeal to Swiss federal courts in Bern, and then to the EU Court of Justice.  According to von Muralt, Switzerland does not recognize a legal precedent in international law defining consular notification without delay, but in practice notifies within five days.  Swiss authorities notified the Libyan People's Bureau within 50 hours of Hannibal's arrest and allowed him to make a telephone call.  As reported ref B, he tellingly chose not to call his father, whose wrath he had previously endured after his arrests in Paris and Rome, but rather his sister, Aisha al-Qadhafi, who arrived in Geneva within 48 hours of his arrest and immediately undertook a media campaign in which she accused Swiss authorities of having acted inappropriately.  Von Muralt joked that he was tempted to tell the Libyans to try their luck at the Hague on the issue of consular access.

    SWISS GIVE A YARD, LIBYA DEMANDS A MILE

    ¶5. (S/NF) Acknowledging that the Swiss diplomatic response and misperception of the Libyan playbook had exacerbated the situation, von Muralt pointed fingers at the DFA, up to the level of Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey.  Bern's misunderstanding of Libya's cultural perspective - one simply does not arrest or otherwise publicly disgrace a member of the al-Qadhafi family - compounded by the readiness of the al-Qadhafi family to stake the bilateral relationship on a face-saving mission, led to a situation in which "[the Swiss] gave the tips of our finger and they want our whole arm". Alluding to the GOL's aggressiveness, von Muralt added, "We started off much too soft and are probably too soft now - if we stay in this situation, they will continue to increase their demands".  He didn't expect the Swiss Federal Government to develop a coordinated response to the crisis, due in part to Calmy-Rey's reticence to offend her Geneva constituency.  (Note: Von Muralt summarized the Minister's position by quoting her as having said "Geneva will be Geneva," which he laughed off as being "typically Swiss" thinking.  End Note.)

    PROGNOSIS: RELATIONSHIP "DEAD" OR ON LIFE SUPPORT?

    ¶6. (C) Von Muralt was not hopeful that the two sides could find a way forward, calling the diplomatic relationship "dead" and saying it was nearly pointless to maintain a mission in Tripoli as Swiss diplomats could not process visas, undertake commercial advocacy or perform normal diplomatic functions.  On the other hand, he noted positively that Khaled Qa'im, Undersecretary-equivalent at the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (MFA-equivalent) regularly called him in as a "back-channel" after visits from Bern.  Two Swiss nationals whom the GOL has refused to give permission to leave the country (because they are under investigation for alleged commercial misdeeds) are still living at the Swiss Embassy compound and Swiss DCM Francois Schmidt told us the GOL has continued its campaign of harassment of Swiss officials.

    ¶7. (C) With respect to the deadline for Swiss companies to cease operations in Libya and liquidate their assets fast approaching (it nominally expires on January 31),  von Muralt doubted that the Libyans would strictly enforce the ban.  Unnamed Swiss executives were considering lodging a complaint under an Investment Protection Agreement between the two countries, though they would have little recourse if Libya ignored their grievance.  The best the Swiss could hope for, in von Muralt's view, would be for the GOL to realize that the al-Qadhafi family's game had put other potential international agreements, especially a EU Framework currently under negotiation - in jeopardy.

    WITH LITTLE LEVERAGE, SAIF MAY BE LAST HOPE

    ¶8. (C) After six months of meeting Libya's demands, Switzerland has little leverage left with which to negotiate.  According to von Muralt, Switerland's DFA realized too late that visa issuance was a powerful carrot they failed to dangle before joining the Schengen area in December. (Note: Before the kerfuffle began last July, the Swiss embassy here issued approximately 10,000 visas to Libyans, who traveled regularly to Switzerland to take advantage of safe banking and advanced medical facilities.  End Note.)  Nationalizing Libyan-owned Tamoil, which has two refineries and over 300 filling stations  TRIPOLI 00000059  003.2 OF 003   in Switzerland, could only happen if the Swiss government declared a constitutional state of emergency, and seizing privately-held bank accounts was too dangerous a game to play. At the same time, Libya can do little more to damage the relationship: all direct flights between the two countries have been cancelled and commercial activity has largely wound down. According to von Muralt, Libya would be hurt more by a Tamoil shutdown due to Swiss flexibility and the fungibility of petrol on the world market.  With the relationship on its last legs, the Swiss embassy hopes Hannibal's older brother, Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, can effect a breakthrough during meetings on the margins of this week's Davos Summit.  .

    ¶9. (C) Comment: Swiss diplomats here see the negative trajectory since last July as a product of Hannibal's misrepresentation of what actually occurred, sister Aisha's enmity to the West, and the al-Qadhafi family's willingness to use the tools of state in a misguided attempt to protect the family name, whatever the cost.  A large part of the clan's willingess to do so stems from the fact that to compromise with the Swiss would be a tacit acknowledgment that Hannibal's behavior was less than exemplary.  Rumors that a constitution may be considered for adoption and questions about succession make family matters particularly important in the context of Libyan domestic politics.  Unless a high-level (i.e., Qadhafi family member) interlocutor can help ease the tension, the GOL seems content to sacrifice their relationship with Switzerland in the near to mid-term in what it views as a campaign to protect the al-Qadhafi family's image. Doing so is a high-stakes approach, however, as it risks providing other European countries with ready evidence that deals with Libya can easily be voided if the notoriously ill-behaved and capricious first family changes its mind.  That is not a message EU members will welcome as they gear up for another round of EU Framework Agreement negotiations in Tripoli next month.  End Comment.
    CRETZ

`