Israel and Libya hold secret meetings

In signs of a potential thaw in relations between historic enemies, Libyan and Israeli officials have held at least two meetings in recent months, Israeli media reported today.

One involving a high-ranking Israeli diplomat took place in Europe last month and the other meeting, which took place several months ago, included an Israeli MP from the ruling coalition and Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s son, the MP said.

Once a pariah in the West, Gaddafi has worked to remake his image in recent years, toning down his anti-Israel rhetoric and trying to build a reputation as an African statesman.

Last month, he abruptly renounced efforts to build weapons of mass destruction and opened his country’s weapons production facilities to international inspection. That move was widely seen as linked to new pressures in the region following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Israeli newspapers reported today that Ron Prosor, a senior aide to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, met Libyan officials in Paris on December 23.

Israel TV said the meeting took place in Vienna three days later and the talks might lead to a visit to Libya by an Israeli delegation.

The Yediot Ahronot newspaper said Libya has expressed an interest in opening business and commercial contacts with Israel, without obligating itself to establishing diplomatic relations.

“It’s still a very long way down the road before Israel and Libya can establish diplomatic relations,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The Libyan leader has to demonstrate in action that he is headed toward real negotiation.”

The statement said Shalom would take advantage of every opportunity to improve Israel’s relations with Arab countries and said media reports on the possible Libya contacts were “causing Israel damage” and getting in the way of that goal.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled would not comment on the reports of the meeting, but said Prosor accompanied Shalom on a visit to Europe in late December.

Peace moves with Libya would be a significant achievement for Israel.

Peace treaties with its neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, and Saddam Hussein’s defeat have ended many of the international threats against Israel. Many Arab nations – from Morocco to Gulf states – have informal or low-level ties to the Jewish state. Only Syria, Iran and, to a lesser extent, Libya remain as pressing international threats.

Ilan Shalgi of the Shinui Party, part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s governing coalition, said today that he and Ephraim Sneh, an from the opposition Labour Party, met Saif Ali Salam Gaddafi in an undisclosed European capital in August.

Shalgi said 10 people took part in the meeting, including a number of Palestinians, whom he declined to name.

Israeli-Libyan relations were not discussed at the meeting, Shalgi said. He said the talks revolved around possible solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Gaddafi’s son proposing that Israelis and Palestinians live together peacefully in a single state.

Both the Israeli and Palestinian participants rejected this approach, in favour of a two-state solution to their conflict, Shalgi said.

“Saif Gaddafi impressed me very much,” he said. “He is a very serious man, speaks excellent English and has considerable self-confidence.”

The younger Gaddafi is widely regarded as the leading candidate to succeed his father.