Libya's Gaddafi set for historic trip to Italy

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will make his first trip to former colonial ruler Italy this week in the most open acknowledgement yet that the two nations have put their bitter past behind them to forge deeper investment ties.

Italy's $5 billion reparations deal last year for more than 30 years of colonialism paved the way for the visit, which comes almost a century after Italian ships arrived off Tripoli in 1911 claiming to rescue Libya from Ottoman rule.

Libya now is pumping its petrodollars into major Italian companies like UniCredit and Eni, in addition to supplying a quarter of Italy's oil imports and helping curb the inflow of illegal migrants.

"This trip is very symbolic, because here is Gaddafi who has been saying for 40 years how badly Italians have treated Libyans and how in the end Libya would win out," said Dirk Vandewalle, a professor at Dartmouth College in the United States and Libya expert.

"All of that has come to fruition because Italy, like the rest of the world, is courting the regime for obvious economic reasons. It vindicates Gaddafi to Italians and also to Libyans."

All of that has come to fruition because Italy, like the rest of the world, is courting the regime for obvious economic reasons. It vindicates Gaddafi to Italians and also to Libyans

Dirk Vandewalle, a professor at Dartmouth College

Address to Italians

Gaddafi’s message to ordinary Italians takes center-stage in the four-day visit starting on Wednesday, with a spate of public appearances that includes addressing students and 700 Italian women.

He also meets Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi—who flew to Libya last year to sign the landmark compensation deal—and senior politicians and business leaders.

Italian business will be closely watching to see if the visit boosts Libya's growing tally of Italian investments, as the oil producer's $65 billion sovereign wealth fund weighs a stake in Italian power producer Enel.

Libya's investment drive in Italy has only just begun and Italian firms can also hope for lucrative contracts in post-sanctions Libya as among the fruits of warmer political ties, analysts say.

For all of Gaddafi's rants against his nation's former colonial master, the two countries maintained economic ties through the years.

"Rhetorically, there's always been antagonism between the two countries, but despite all the controversy and the bad relations, it has been business as usual," Vandewalle said.

"This trip certainly indicates that the regime is yielding to a lot more pragmatism and finally acknowledging that the relations between the two countries remain important."

Meeting with Libyan Jews

Meanwhile, Gaddafi requested a reconciliation meeting with leaders of the Libyan Jewish community living in Rome, Italy, that may be a first step towards settling the matter of Libyan Jews' restitution claims.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the date proposed for his meeting with the heads of the Jewish community is next Shabbat.

But Shalom Tshuva, deputy president of the Jewish community in Rome, and leader of the Libyan Jewish community in the city, said, "Libya's Jews and Rome's Jews will not bend and will not desecrate Shabbat. If another date is not set, the meeting will not take place."

A meeting between representatives of the Libyan Jewish community and the Libyan ambassador to Rome was set for Monday morning to try and resolve the issue.

During Monday's meeting, the Libyan Jews also plan to inquire on whether Gaddafi is interested in this meeting simply for propaganda purposes, or whether he sincerely plans to advance efforts to reach a solution to their restitution claims on property that was confiscated when the Jews were expelled from Libya at the end of the Six-Day War.

This trip certainly indicates that the regime is yielding to a lot more pragmatism and finally acknowledging that the relations between the two

Dirk Vandewalle, a professor at Dartmouth College