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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000771 

NOFORN 
SIPDIS 

STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND INR. 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/29/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV LY PINR
SUBJECT: A GLIMPSE INTO LIBYAN LEADER QADHAFI’S ECCENTRICITIES 

CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 


¶1. (S/NF) Summary: Recent first-hand experiences with Libyan 
Leader Muammar al-Qadhafi and his staff, primarily in 
preparation for his UNGA trip, provided rare insights into 
Qadhafi’s inner circle and personal proclivities. Qadhafi 
appears to rely heavily XXXXXXXXXXXXX reportedly cannot travel with his senior Ukrainian nurse, Galyna 
Kolotnytska. He also appears to have an intense dislike or fear 
of staying on upper floors, reportedly prefers not to fly over 
water, and seems to enjoy horse racing and flamenco dancing. 
His recent travel may also suggest a diminished dependence on 
his legendary female guard force, as only one woman bodyguard 
accompanied him to New York. End Summary. 

QADHAFI’S PERSONALITY REFLECTED IN HIS PHOBIAS 

¶2. (S/NF) Muammar al-Qadhafi has been described as both 
mercurial and eccentric, and our recent first-hand experiences 
with him and his office, primarily in preparation for his UNGA 
trip, demonstrated the truth of both characterizations. From 
the moment Qadhafi’s staff began to prepare for his travel to 
the United States, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX of 
his 40-year rule, various proclivities and phobias began to 
reveal themselves in every logistical detail. When applying for 
Qadhafi’s visa, XXXXXXX asked whether it was necessary 
for the Leader to submit a portrait of himself that fit consular 
application regulations, noting that his photo was displayed 
throughout the city and that anyone of hundreds of billboards 
could be photographed and shrunken to fit the application’s 
criteria. When the rule was enforced, XXXXXXXXX 
reluctantly conceded to take a portrait of the Leader 
specifically for the visa application. 

¶3. (S/NF) When XXXXXXX began to search for proper 
accommodations for Qadhafi, XXXXXXXX informed us that the Leader 
must stay on the first floor of any facility that was rented for 
him. (XXXXXXXXXX separately told U.S. officials in Washington that 
Qadhafi could not climb more than 35 steps.) XXXXXXXX cited this 
requirement as the primary reason that the Libyan residence in 
New Jersey was selected as the preferred accommodation site 
rather than the Libyan PermRep’s residence in New York City. XXXXXX also sought to find accommodations with room to pitch 
Qadhafi’s Bedouin tent, Qadhafi’s traditional site for receiving 
visitors and conducting meetings, as it offers him a non-verbal 
way of communicating that he is a man close to his cultural 
roots. 

¶4. (S/NF) Qadhafi’s dislike of long flights and apparent fear of 
flying over water also caused logistical headaches for his 
staff. When discussing flight clearances with Emboffs,XXXXXXX
explained that the Libyan delegation would arrive from Portugal, 
as Qadhafi “cannot fly more than eight hours” and would need to 
overnight in Europe prior to continuing his journey to New York. XXXXXXXX also revealed in the same conversation that Qadhafi 
does not like to fly over water. Presumably for similar 
reasons, Qadhafi’s staff also requested a stop in Newfoundland 
to break his travel from Venezuela to Libya on September 29. 
[Note: The Government of Canada recently confirmed that the 
Libyan delegation canceled plans to stop in Newfoundland. End 
Note.] 

DEPENDENCIES: RELIANCE ON A SELECTIVE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS 

¶5. (S/NF) Qadhafi appears to be almost obsessively dependent on 
a small core of trusted personnel. This group includes 
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX coordinate the logistics of Qadhafi’s 
visit. XXXXXXXXXX balanced the UNGA preparations between equally 
frenetic preparations for the August 31 African Union (AU) 
Summit and September 1 celebration of Qadhafi’s coup. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At large events such as the August 31 AU Summit and 
September 1 celebrations, XXXXXXXXX every last 
detail of these complex gatherings, ranging from the overall 
program to the position of the press pool. At UNGA, XXXXXXXXX Qadhafi to the podium at the UNGA and XXXXXXXXXX his papers and props upon the conclusion of 
the Leader’s remarks. Long-time Qadhafi Chief of Staff Bashir 
Salah appears to play an equally important role in Qadhafi’s 
personal retinue, and XXXXXXX via an 
old-fashioned green phone XXXXXXXX. It is next to a 
red phone, which presumably connects to Qadhafi himself. We 
constantly hear that National Security Adviser and son, 
Muatassim, also plays a key role as his father’s confidante and 
handler during travel abroad. Muatassim also seems to have been 
tasked with insuring that the Leader’s image is well-preserved 
through the full array of carefully-planned media events. 

¶6. (S/NF) Finally, Qadhafi relies heavily on his long-time 
Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska, who has been described as a 
”voluptuous blonde.” Of the rumored staff of four Ukrainian 
nurses that cater to the Leader’s health and well-being, XXXXXXXXXXX emphasized to multiple Emboffs that Qadhafi 
cannot travel without Kolotnytska, as she alone “knows his 
routine.” When Kolotnytska’s late visa application resulted in 
her Security Advisory Opinion being received on the day 
Qadhafi’s party planned to travel to the U.S., the Libyan 
Government sent a private jet to ferry her from Libya to 
Portugal to meet up with the Leader during his rest-stop. Some 
embassy contacts have claimed that Qadhafi and the 38 year-old 
Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship. While he did not 
comment on such rumors, a Ukrainian political officer recently 
confirmed that the Ukrainian nurses “travel everywhere with the 
Leader.” 

PREFERENCES - FROM DANCING TO HORSEMAN 

¶7. (S/NF) In addition to the personality quirks revealed through 
Qadhafi’s travel to New York, the Qadhafi’s preferences for 
dancing and cultural performances were displayed over the last 
month. The three-day spectacle of his 40th anniversary in power 
included performances by dance troupes from Ukraine, Tunisia, 
Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as musical performances by 
bands from Mexico, Russia, New Zealand, and a number of other 
nations. Qadhafi appeared particularly enthralled by Tuareg 
horse racing during two of the events, clapping and smiling 
throughout the races. The flamenco dancers that participated in 
his celebratory events appeared to spark a similar interest, as 
Qadhafi decided to stop in Seville (for a “personal trip” 
according to the Spanish Ambassador here) on his way back to 
Libya from Venezuela specifically to attend a flamenco dance 
performance. [Note: That stop has reportedly been scrapped for 
unknown reasons. End note.] 

NO NEW YORK PHOTO OPS - QADHAFI LEAVES FEMALE GUARDS AT HOME 

¶8. (S/NF) While Qadhafi’s reported female guard force has become 
legendary, it played no role in his travels to New York. Only 
one female guard was included among the approximately 350-person 
strong Libyan delegation to New York. This is the same female 
bodyguard who sticks close to Qadhafi in his domestic and 
international public appearances and may, in fact, play some 
sort of formal security role. Observers in Tripoli speculate 
that the female guard force is beginning to play a diminished 
role among the Leader’s personal security staff. 

¶9. (S/NF) Comment: Qadhafi’s state visits and appearances at 
various conferences and summits, both at home and abroad, have 
revealed greater details about his personality and character. 
While it is tempting to dismiss his many eccentricities as signs 
of instability, Qadhafi is a complicated individual who has 
managed to stay in power for forty years through a skillful 
balancing of interests and realpolitik methods. Continued 
engagement with Qadhafi and his inner circle is important not 
only to learn the motives and interests that drive the world’s 
longest serving dictator, but also to help overcome the 
misperceptions that inevitably accumulated during Qadhafi’s 
decades of isolation. As  XXXXXXX told us, pointing to a 
larger-than-life portrait of Qadhafi, “When you have been 
isolated for so long, it is important to communicate.” End 
comment. 


CRETZ