Spain Expels Libyan Diplomat, Arrests Colonel

Spain expelled a top Libyan diplomat Friday and arrested a Spanish army colonel who asked Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi for money to finance extreme right-wing activities, a government spokesman said.

Saad Ismail, identified by Spanish authorities as the consul general, left Madrid for Casablanca, Morocco, on Friday afternoon. He was the fourth Libyan embassy employee expelled from Spain in less than a month.

Socialist government spokesman Javier Solana said the Libyan diplomat arranged a secret meeting between Kadafi and Carlos Meer de Rivera, the arrested Spanish colonel.

Extremists of All Kinds

“This proves that the Libyan regime supports both extreme right and extreme left activities,” Solana told reporters. “I think we can conclude that the Libyan regime is giving support to extremists of all kinds in Spain and other countries and, in saying all kinds, I mean extreme right and extreme left.”

Solana said that Spain is considering breaking off relations with Tripoli over the incident, which was discovered by the Spanish secret service during an investigation of Meer de Rivera’s activities.

The Libyan embassy issued a statement Friday afternoon denying the Spanish government’s charges.

“To accuse a diplomat accredited in this country since 1979 in such a manner is not in keeping with the exemplary conduct of the official,” the statement said.

Charges Not Specified

Solana said that Meer de Rivera, 56, until Friday the military governor of the province of Avila, was taken to a military prison outside Madrid. Solana did not specify the charges against the officer, but a government statement said he and Ismail met with Kadafi in Libya several months ago.

Solana said officials were fairly certain Meer de Rivera had not received any Libyan funds.

Although Ismail was listed as the No. 2 Libyan diplomat, Foreign Ministry sources believe he was in charge of the embassy, which the Libyan government calls the People’s Bureau.

Ismail told several reporters he never met Meer de Rivera, although the government statement said the Libyan accompanied the Spanish officer to Paris and arranged for his travel documents before they proceeded to Tripoli.

Solana said it is believed Meer de Rivera acted alone. Other sources said connections between the Spanish extreme right-wing and Libya go back to the late 1970s.

Linked to Far Right

Meer de Rivera, known for his close links to ultra-right groups, was the defense lawyer for an army officer involved in a 1981 coup attempt in which civil guards stormed Parliament and held lawmakers hostage for 18 hours. He held several high government posts under the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.

Allegations of Libyan support for Basque guerrillas waging a 17-year-old war for independence in northern Spain have frequently appeared in the Spanish news media, but the government says it has no evidence of such backing.

Spain expelled 11 Libyans, including one diplomat and two other embassy employees, on April 25 because of their alleged involvement in terrorist plots. In retaliation, Libya ordered 40 Spaniards out of Libya a week later.