Brussels, 21/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - As the uprising against Colonel Kaddafi in Libya appeared out of control in the early evening of Monday 21 February, rumours were circulating around 6.00pm that the colonel had already left the country, but Catherine Ashton's circles described this as “unfounded hearsay”. The EU called for an immediate end to the bloody repression of the demonstrations against the regime. “The legitimate aspirations and demands of people for reform must be addressed through open, inclusive, meaningful and national Libyan-led dialogue”, said EU foreign ministers in a conclusions document published on Monday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ashton said she hoped the Libyan government would hear the message and enter peaceful dialogue.
The very cautious line taken by the EU27 is due to a split that emerged at the start of the meeting between the vast majority of member states that feel that the anti-Kaddafi uprising by the people is an opportunity for freedom and democracy in the country and other countries, like Malta, Italy and the Czech Republic, which call for the EU to be less forthcoming because they fear the arrival of masses of illegal immigrants from Libya on their shores. Colonel Kaddafi has openly threatened to cease all cooperation with the EU in stemming illegal immigration and even to actively encourage people to go to Europe if the EU decides to support the uprisings against him. Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, says that the EU mustn't give the wrong impression that it is exporting EU-style democracy but should help and support peaceful reconciliation without interfering. He added that he was highly concerned about the “threat of an Islamic Arab Emirate at the borders of Europe.” Taking a similar line, the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, warned of the catastrophe that would emerge if Colonel Mouammar Kaddafi were overturned, saying that if the EU got involved, it would only complicate matters. The Czech foreign minister urged the Libyan authorities to enter political dialogue with the opposition with a view to carrying out the necessary reforms. (H.B./transl.fl)