Events have moved. Circum
stances have changed. We have
changed with them . We should
not regret what has gone before,
for that was important to where
we are today . And today's Libya
has a leadership with which we
still have problems, but it is an
independent leadership providing no more of an opportunity to
other non - Arab forces than it
provides to us.
mies of the producing countries
themselves. Libya will be a major
driving force among the OPEC
countries.
It can be asked , in retrospect,
what were the benefits we gained
from our substantial assistance to
Libya in its early days ?
First , we must recall the
strong efforts made by the Soviet
Union in those days to have
established a Soviet trusteeship
over the former Italian colony of
Tripolitania . Our help to Libya
enabled it to emerge and survive
as an independent nation . This
gave us advantages in access to
and the utilization of key facili
ties during critical years fol lowing World War II . It provided
a base on which the Libyans and
private American firms could
build the important petroleum
industry that exists in that
country today.
is an example of the trends and
problems of the developing
world generally.
We have, without forgetting
our friends, adapted to change in
North Africa . We see its nations
as individual entities, each with unique characteristics, deter
mining its own future and its
own policies. We see our rela
tions with them as important to
our own interests . We can pre
serve those interests so long as
we are prepared to continue an
active role in the area and to find
foundations for our relationships
built genuinely on common in
terests.
LONG- RANGE VIEW
North Africa is a significant
area of the world, at the hub
where Europe, Africa , and the
Middle East meet. It lies on our
route of access to southern
Europe and the eastern Mediter
ranean . It is a significant source
of energy for Europe and will
increasingly become so for us. It
Department of State Publication 8622
African Series 51
Released January 1972
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20420 - Price 10 cents
# U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1972 486-391 / 13
UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA
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