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Libya and Britain: a Study of the History of British-Libyan Relations 1969-1979

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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Nottingham Trent Institutional Repository (IRep) LIBYA AND BRITAIN: A STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF BRITISH-LIBYAN RELATIONS 1969-1979 ALI ABDUSSALAM ABDULLA ALI A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of The Nottingham Trent University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2014 Abstract This thesis examines relations between Libya and the United Kingdom after 1969 when a new government came to power in Tripoli which seemed to pose a direct threat to a number of key British interests. The thesis is grounded on a careful reading of secondary literature which has been integrated into newly available official documents available in the National Archive. The main claim to originality is in the light these documents throw on our understanding of that relationship. The thesis uses a case study approach which examines specific themes in UK-Libya relations which include arguments over arms sales, the oil economy and the role of oil companies, and relations over the Irish question and the problematic Libyan supply of weapons and support to the IRA in the 1970s. It inevitably touches on relations between both governments and the United States, but that is not a main focus of the study. These areas have been chosen for study because they represent the most significant areas of bargaining and conflict between Libya and the UK in the time period, according to both the secondary literature and press debate at the time and the newly available documentation. The author has been aware of the limitations of using the National Archives, especially where material has newly arrived for view. These include the scope of official ‘weeding’ before documents are made available to conserve space and to avoid repetition, but also to exclude sensitive material relating to intelligence and cognate I aspects of relations with other governments. These limitations qualify, but do not undermine, the conclusions drawn. The main findings of the research refine our existing understanding of Libya-UK relations, important given that there is only a limited literature on the topic, and that no previous published work explores them using the National Archives. The archive material helps one to conclude that Straw’s (2010) argument that the basis of UK-Libya relations was always ‘strategic interest’ is partly sound but ultimately mistaken. Other important factors such as trade also mattered, and energy issues were at the same time ‘strategic’ and ‘trade-related’ for both sides. At least as important, mutual misunderstandings and a certain amount of confusion about the intentions of the other party (and what they could find negotiable) also shape the relationship, although strategic interest remains an important factor. The thesis also reveals for the first time differences in the evaluation of Libyan policy and intentions at different levels of the UK government, demonstrating that the bureaucratic politics of the British system of foreign policy making shaped some of the British responses to Libyan actions. Equally, although the evidence suggests that Gaddafi dominated Libyan policy making, it is clear that the elite surrounding him also played some part in policy making and in defining responses to British actions and announcements. Above all, the thesis demonstrates the complexity of the dynamics of UK-Libya relations in the time period studied, and that both sides consistently tended to believe that they had more influence over the other than was in fact the case. II Dedicated To To my Father and my beloved Mother To my brothers: Emhemed and Yousif Salhab To my sisters To my late brothers: Abdullah and Hassan Salhab III Acknowledgement First of all, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Dr Christopher Farrands, Dr Imad El-Anis and Dr Nick Hayes for their guidance, support, and constructive comments which enabled me to complete this thesis I would also like to thank staff members at the Nottingham Trent University Boots Library. I owe my deepest gratitude to the people who work in the inter-library loan department. I would like also to extend thanks and appreciation to staff at the British National Archives in Kew, Staff at the Company Records of British Petroleum, and similarly those who work in the Modern Records Centre of Warwick University, and the British Library in London, who were extremely helpful and made material available to finish my thesis. Special mention goes to Jane Bonnell, Liaison Librarian for her support in finding online material through the Nottingham Trent University library system. Also special thanks to my friend Hamid Alahirsh for his help with my thesis proof reading. I am indebted to the Libyan Government and in particular the Ministry of High Education which has sponsored me throughout the period of my study. Finally personal thanks go to those individuals who have always shown an interest in my studies and thereby have encouraged me to persevere. IV Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... I Dedicated To ............................................................................................................... III Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................... IV Contents ....................................................................................................................... V Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. IX Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Originality ................................................................................................................. 5 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 8 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 10 Historiography ......................................................................................................... 12 Looking ahead: the overall thesis narrative ............................................................. 21 Summary Structure of Thesis .................................................................................. 23 Chapter one .......................................................................................................... 23 Chapter two ................................................................................................................. 23 Chapter Three ...................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Four ........................................................................................................ 24 Chapter Five ......................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Six .......................................................................................................... 25 Chapter One: 1969: Libyan regime change and its new policy orientation ................ 28 Libyan foreign policy (influences and trends 1969-1979) ...................................... 28 The Impact of Nasserism and Palestine issue on Gaddafi’s policy ......................... 29 Gaddafi's ambitions, ideology and practices ........................................................... 33 Britain's view of Libyan foreign policy in theory and practice 1969-1979 ............. 43 The British-Libyan dispute over the Arab-Israeli conflict................................... 48 British-Libyan conflict of interests over the Mediterranean ................................ 57 British-Libyan conflict of interests in Africa ....................................................... 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 64 Chapter Two: Evaluation of British-Libyan relations after 1969 and the outstanding issues ........................................................................................................................... 66 Britain evaluates its relations with Libya after 1969 ............................................... 66 V Libyan claims against the British government ........................................................ 74 British arms contracts with the monarchy 1968-69 ................................................. 75 Chieftain Tanks .................................................................................................... 75 An air defence system .......................................................................................... 76 The Libyan financial claim .................................................................................. 77 British-Libyan negotiations on resolving the outstanding issues ............................ 78 British-Libyan negotiation over the financial problem ........................................... 81 British-Libyan negotiations to the resolve arms contracts disputes ........................ 84 1- Chieftain Tanks contract ................................................................................. 84 2- The Air Defence Scheme................................................................................. 90
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