HISTORICAL VISIT OF THE FRENCH DEFENCE MINISTER IN LIBYA: THE NEW STRATEGIC COOPERATION BETWEEN FRANCE AND LIBYA - February 16, 2005 Since few weeks, French newspapers are developing a new anti-Libyan campaign, leading by the Zionist press, like the radical Zionist “Proche-Orient Infos”. The reasons are very simple: they want to stop the new strategic cooperation between Libya and France. But they fail! Because this revolution in the strategic situation in Africa and Mediterranean is an increasing reality. The French press is very shy this week over the arrival of the French Defence Minister in Tripoli this February 4, Michele Alliot-Marie, in a visit to the Great Jamahiriya. She was received at the Airport by the Assistant Secretary of the General Peoples Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation and Director of the Central Institution for Researches and Purchases of the Armed People. Responsible for the Technical and Navy Affairs, Director of Logistics department at the Armed People, and the director of the European Department at the General Peoples Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation also took part in the welcoming ceremony. A number of officers of the Armed Peoples, ambassador and members of French embassy in the Great Jamahiriya were also at the airport to welcome the French minister. The Libyan-French talks began immediately, in the February 4 night in Tripoli; attended by General Abu Baker Younis Jaber and the French Defence Minister. The talks were made by the Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation and Director of the Central Institution for Researches, Industries and Purchases of the Armed People, the Responsible for the Technical and Navy Affairs, the Director of Logistics and Production department at the Armed People, and the director of the European Department at the General Peoples Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation. For the French side it was attended by Under-Secretary of the Defence Ministry, the political advisor to the French Defence Minister, Director of General Department of armament, assistant Director of Strategic Affairs Department at the Ministry and ambassador of France in the Great Jamahiriya. The talks discussed the ways and means to develop and promote the relations between the two countries especially in the military field. The purpose of the talks was discussions with the specialists of the Armed People related to the bolstering of bilateral cooperation in defence and the modernisation of the Libyan Army. After this talks, the Leader of the Revolution, Moammar Qaddafi, received Michele Alliot-Marie. The French Minister conveyed in the beginning of the audience, the greeting and profound appreciation of President Jacques Chirac to the Leader of the Revolution and the renewal of his interest in realizing further consolidation and development of the Libyan-French relations. The French Defence Minister told the Leader that her visit comes at the behest of President Chirac, and based on his keen interest to embody the mutual trust and the productive and constructive developments witnessed by cooperation relations between the two countries, which are old relations. " We have to work together in the face of all challenges to establish strong strategic relations between the two countries in all fields", she said. Then, she offered gift to the Leader, it was sword of the Polytechnic Academy, the French High School that graduates the most elite French officers, and the sword that symbolizes knowledge, wisdom and power. The audience was attended by members of the delegation accompanying the French Defence Minister, the Director of the Central Institution for Researches and Purchases of the Armed People and the Secretary of the Libyan people's Bureau in France. Specialist considers this new cooperation in military and geostrategic affairs as a revolution.  Luc MICHEL/BRUXELLES.