Germany trained Libyan forces, provided jamming equipment

Looks like the Germans provided the jamming equipment used by the Qadhafi regime in recent days, as well as special forces training. Not a nice way for the German military to regain importance.

The Good News: The Art of Thinking Praxis: Libya and Germany

No sooner was the embargo lifted, than German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder landed in Tripoli with an entourage of 25 businessmen. In passing he praised what he called the 'political change' in Libya. But his main reason for visiting was the promotion of German business. Openly so, and with the support of much of the German political spectrum, from his own center-left SPD, through the pro-business FPD to the conservative CDU. So he shook hands, made introductions, closed deals. He was photographed in an elaborate tent, and at an oil well, looking equally out-of place in both locations.

What didn't emerge until four years later was that, alongside oil and engineering negotiations, Schroeder was fixing up a deal whereby elite German commandos would train the Libyan security services.

This caused controversy when it emerged in 2008. Not as military support for a dictator -- the €43m of German jamming equipment bought by Libya in the last 2 years has raised few eyebrows -- but because it was coming being provided by German security personnel.

In fact, the Byzantine structure of the deal shows everybody knew they were bending the rules to breaking point. The German officers would receive €15,000 each, paid by a private security firm which in turn got a €1.6m cheque from Libya. They would take time off from their elite anti-terrorist unit. Their superiors thought they were vacationing in Tunisia, though the German embassy in Libya knew their real purpose. The officers set up shop in a barracks in Tripoli, where for 6 months they taught their Libyan counterparts how to storm buildings, board ships and operate out of helicopters.

Also, this is a piece on the last four years of Franco-Libyan rapprochement including Sarkozy's attempts to sell him the Rafale.

Comments

[MitSchoko]

As a German I am sometimes so ashamed of my country.

[Dan]

[Author of the linked post here]

I've tracked down the source of that 'jamming equipment' figure. It's actually "Electronic equipment, not specified elsewhere on the EU Common Military List, and specially designed components therefor"

So, unless the EU Observer have some specific knowledge beyond what's in the report, I don't think we can really say whether it's jamming equipment or other electrical equipment.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:009:0001:0417:EN:PDF
[Libya is page 160; key is on p. 7; the 'jamming equipment' is category ML 11]

[plumbing]

This is the time that Libyan people will have more powerful army. Good thing that there is Germany who can trained them. I hope that this will be a start of a better communication with Libya and Germany.