Libya's Qaddafi Gave Condi Rice $212,000 In Gifts, Including A Diamond Ring

Scroll down for the State Department report

In its final months in office, the Bush administration made out pretty well in odd and exotic gifts from foreign leaders - including diamond jewelery, a taxidermied lion, and Israeli bike shorts.

One of the most generous gift-givers was Libya's Moamar Qaddafi, who seemed particularly grateful for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Tripoli last year, giving her gifts with a total value of $212,225, including a diamond ring and a locket with his own picture inside, according to a newly-released State Department report.

The gifts sometimes show familiarity with the interests of the receiver. President George W. Bush, for example, a known biker, received mountain bikes from two leaders (Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Janez Jansa of Slovenia) while Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave Bush the aforementioned shorts, decorated with Bush's name and Israeli flags.

Often, however, the gifts were symbolic, if opulent, of the donor nation. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, of Thailand gave the President a series of books, including the title, "Glorious Celebrations of the Reign: Celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne." The lion came from Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

There are strict rules about the acceptance of gifts by public officials but when it comes to foreign leaders, diplomatic concerns take priority. For each of the gifts, the reasons cited for the acceptance of the gift was listed as "non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government." By law, officials are required to turn such gifts over to the U.S. government, even the brown leather Hermes saddle given to President Bush by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

You can read the entire report here:

2009-15022_PI -

Comments

[oceanofconsciousness]

With the debt Bush ran up, too bad there weren't more gifts, like a few hundred Saudi oil wells.

[Frogfoot]

So the goal of this article is? Obviously to make people think that the gifts were kept by the recipients. Nice.

[FilthyHarry]

"Libya's Qaddafi Gave Condi Rice $212,000 In Gifts, Including A Diamond Ring"... and the clap.

[CubfanBudman]

Talk about palling around with terrorists­...

[Frogfoot]

So the goal of this story is? Obviously to make people think the gifts were kept by the recipients. Nice.

[MNinWI]

"By law, officials are required to turn such gifts over to the U.S. government, even the brown leather Hermes saddle given to President Bush by French President Nicolas Sarkozy." From the article-did you not read it?

[cosmicbullfight]

Not really. There was a similar story to this when Bush left the WH. It's always fun, when an administration ends, to see what gifts were given. I liked the silly exercise equipment the PM of Singapore gave Bush. I think an ab roller was involved.

[XLintLuvR]

Umm...yes. That's exactly the goal of the story. At no point in the story did it say that they were sent to a museum, just that they should have been. What was the point of your comment? To make it appear as though there doesn't seem to be something that just feels wrong about the leader of a nation that was on the top of state sponsored terror list begins showering the last admiinstrations with gifts after being taken off the list and not required to pay the penalties to the victims' families that sued and won over the downing of that jet? Is that the point you were trying to make because it really seemed to not hit me and regardless of whether they kept it or not, it just really appears uncomfortable that W found it convenient to help them out when they benefitted off the sale of oil and not paying the victims families. Good job though!

[Pumpsie]

If I were George, I would have tried to keep that Hermes saddle. That sounds like it was actually covetable. The stuffed lion and the locket with Quaddafi's picture...­not so much.

[gcallaghan]

Moamar, you chump, Condi doesn't roll that way

[MNinWI]

hmm-what way does she roll?

[gcallaghan]

( Y )

[cosmicbullfight]

Yeah, she's a MUCH cheaper date.

[blackrome]

He hit that.

[robXdion]

eeeewwwww!!!

[BankerTee]

lol

[AmandaBC]

"For each of the gifts, the reasons cited for the acceptance of the gift was listed as "non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government­.""

In other words, the mother of all lame excuses...

[TakeSake]

Go-in' to the cha-pel and I'm - go-nna get ma-rried..­.