Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived in Tripoli on 31 August on a three-day official visit to the Libyan capital to attend the 40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Minister for Privatisation Syed Naveed Qamar also accompanied him.
Pakistan and Libya enjoy close brotherly and friendly ties, the seeds of which were sown by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto with the OIC summit in 1974, in which Libya President Muammer Qaddafi also participated. Libya has traditionally been a strong supporter and ally of Pakistan, with the two supporting each other on various international fora.
Libya, an oil rich state and the current chair of African ,Union has a strategic location as it lies in the vicinity of the Europe on the Mediterranean Sea. However, Libya's strategic importance for Pakistan has been enhanced by recent events. Since Libya signed "a comprehensive claims settlement" with the United States in August 2008, Libya's relations with the US and the rest of the world have witnessed a positive change.
The agreement provided a process for compensating the victims of attacks, ranging from the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, to the US air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986. It thus removed a final hurdle to Libya establishing normal diplomatic and economic ties with the West and opened the way for the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Tripoli in September 2008.
Since then, private US companies expressed interest in investing in Libya and in November 2008, the US Senate confirmed Gene A. Cretz as the first US Ambassador to Libya in over 35 years. Libya's significance is enhanced by the fact that on October 16, 2007, Libya was voted to serve on the United Nations Security Council for two years, starting January 2008. Besides, it is set to join the nuclear co-operation deals with Canada, France and also possibly the US.
A bulwark of secular government and anti-fundamentalism in a North Africa that is struggling to contain the spread of Islamic extremism, Libya is of strategic importance to Europe and the US, beyond its oil riches, notwithstanding the overwhelming significance of its energy resources.
Fully aware of its growing importance in an oil-starved world, Libya is expected to use that advantage to the full and it will no doubt guard, with Gadhafi at the forefront, its sovereign rights vociferously and assiduously.
Thus, Prime Minister Gilani's first ever official visit to the North African country was attuned to recent international developments concerning Libya specifically and more generally, an opportunity for him to meet with fellow world leaders.
The Prime Minister met with Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi, his Libyan counterpart Baghdadi Ali Al Mahmudi, ministers and notables during which he held talks on issues of mutual interest. At an Iftar party hosted by Pakistan Ambassador Jamil Ahmed Khan, on Monday night, Prime Minister Gilani stressed the need for increased trade and investment co-operation between Pakistan and Libya in various fields, including oil and gas, housing, construction, tourism, agro-industry and defence for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The Pakistani business leaders, who were representing major Libyan companies in construction and oil and gas sectors, including Mecko, CKT, Camco, ENI and Zveltina, discussed with Prime Minister Gilani the prospects of business opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in the fields of oil and gas, agro industry, tourism and construction-related industries.
They assured the Prime Minister of full co-operation and support in promoting trade and economic co-operation between the two brotherly countries. The Prime Minister said as the Libyan government was investing US $147 million for the construction of housing units, over next five years, Pakistan can export cement and other related material to Libya.
The Pakistani business leaders also pointed out some problems and delays in the issuance of visa by Libyan authorities for Pakistani businessmen. The Prime Minister said he would raise the issue with the Libyan side. He said that the Libyan Labour Minister would soon undertake a visit to Pakistan, which would help boost the export of Pakistani manpower to Libya.
The Prime Minister said that with Pakistan having a good gas distribution system and Libya working on exploration, the two countries can also share each other's expertise in the oil and gas sector. He said Pakistan's PPL and the OGDCL are interested to get a licence for exploration in Libya.
Among the world leaders visiting Tripoli for the celebrations, Prime Minister Gilani met with President George Abella of Malta, Philippines President Mrs Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and President Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka. Since Malta is a member of the European Union, as well as the Commonwealth, Prime Minister Gilani sought the support and co-operation of President Abella in getting GSP Plus facilities for Pakistani products to the EU market.
As Pakistan, along with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with the EU was seeking a GSP Plus status to have greater market access European markets, Malta can be a hub for the access of Pakistani products to North Africa and Europe. The Malta President said his country would fully support the Pakistani case for GSP Plus at the forthcoming EU ministerial meeting Stockholm. There was also an agreement on the need for exchange of trade delegations to achieve enhanced trade and economic co-operation.
In his bilateral meeting with the Philippines President Mrs Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Prime Minister discussed the prospects of enhanced bilateral co-operation in diverse fields. The two-way trade between the two countries has witnessed a significant increase during the last two years, with Pakistan's exports to Philippines reaching $92.8 million in the July-March period of 2007-08, as against $31 million realised in the whole year of 2006-07.
The Philippines President stated that her country was interested in procuring the supply of pharmaceuticals for the local market. It was agreed that their private sectors need to interact to help facilitate the enhanced export of medicines from Pakistan to Philippines. The two countries have been supporting each other's view point, on various issues, at the international fora, with the recent example of their close co-operation for an inter-faith dialogue at the UN.
Prime Minister Gilani also sought the co-operation and support of Philippines for Pakistan in getting the full dialogue partner status at ASEAN. Pakistan, which is following a look-East vision, became the sectoral dialogue partner at ASEAN in 1997, whereas Philippines has basic membership of ASEAN since 1967.
Pakistan, during the recent OIC FMs meeting in Damascus, supported Philippines' bid for getting an Observer status at the OIC. Prime Minister Gilani also invited the Philippines President to visit Pakistan. The last visit of a Philippines President to Pakistan was in 1997.
In his fourth meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka on Tuesday, the Prime Minister expressed Pakistan's strong desire to further strengthen multi-faceted ties and co-operation in various fields, including trade, education, pharmaceuticals, engineering, railways, diplomatic training and defence. The two leaders appreciated the fact that bilateral trade between the two countries had experienced a quantum jump after the Free Trade Agreement.
They agreed to broaden the scope of FTA to services and investment. Pakistan's exports to Sri Lank reached $214 million in 2007-08, as against $97.8 million in 2003-04, after the FTA between the two countries became effective in 2005. Prime Minister Gilani also assured the Sri Lankan President that once the investigations into the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore are completed, Pakistan would share this information with Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Gilani said that Air Blue would start flights to Colombo, adding, that the Foreign Minister would also meet the Sri Lankan Aviation Minister during his visit to Colombo for the RCD (Regional Co-operation Development) meeting in October this year. Besides his meetings with world leaders, Prime Minister Gilani's visit to Tripoli was a follow up to President Zardari's visit in May 2009, during which one agreement and six MoUs were signed.
On 2 May 2009 Pakistan and Libya signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and an agreement on extradition, employment, human resource development, higher education, culture and information, political consultations and abolition of diplomatic visas. Under the MoU, on labour and manpower, Pakistan will export to Libya about five to ten thousand manpower in the next two years to work in different fields.
According to the MoU on political consultations, the Foreign Offices of two countries would hold dialogues on issues of diplomatic importance. Under the MoU on Human Resource Development, Pakistan would offer professionals including doctors and engineers to Libya to contribute to their development.
Whereas under the MoU signed on higher education, Pakistan would offer scholarships to Libyan students. Under the MoU on visa abolition, diplomats and officials will be exempt from visas. The single Agreement signed was on exchange of prisoners, inked by Pakistan's Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and Libyan Minister of Planning Dr Abdul Hafeez al-Zalitni.
(The writer is Special Assistant to the CM Sindh for Press and Media) waqar_mehdi2000@yahoo.com