Gaddhafi's secret service had excellent relations with the CIA and the MI6. This was widely assumed but is now supported by new evidence.

But the NYT's report on Files Note Close C.I.A. Ties to Qaddafi Spy Unit depicts a wrong premise of the  cooperation between those services. It opening paragraph states:

Documents found at the abandoned office of Libya’s former spymaster appear to provide new details of the close relations the Central Intelligence Agency shared with the Libyan intelligence service — most notably suggesting that the Americans sent terrorism suspects at least eight times for questioning in Libya despite that country’s reputation for torture.

The CIA folks never had qualms about other countries torturing as it is doing just the same when no subcontractor is available to do it for them. Indeed a country that tortures is of much more value to the CIA than a country that has reservations about such crimes. A correct version of that paragraph would therefore read:

Documents found at the abandoned office of Libya’s former spymaster appear to provide new details of the close relations the Central Intelligence Agency shared with the Libyan intelligence service — most notably suggesting that the Americans sent terrorism suspects at least eight times for questioning in Libya because of that country’s reputation for torture.

Interestingly the piece contains a new detail about Abdelhakim Belhadj aka Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq, a former terrorist and now military commander of Tripoli. As it turns out the CIA captured, tortured and abducted him to Libya at the request of the Libyan government:

When Libyans asked to be sent Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq, another member of the group, a case officer wrote back on March 4, 2004, that “we are committed to developing this relationship for the benefit of both our services,” and promised to do their best to locate him.

Two days later, an officer faxed the Libyans to say that Mr. Sadiq and his pregnant wife were planning to fly into Malaysia, and the authorities there agreed to put them on a British Airways flight to London that would stop in Bangkok. “We are planning to take control of the pair in Bangkok and place them on our aircraft for a flight to your country,” the case officer wrote.
…
In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Belhaj gave a detailed description of his incarceration that matched many of those in the documents. He also said that when he was held in Bangkok he was tortured by two people from the C.I.A.

Oceania is now no longer at war with the jihadists of Eurasia but has declared war on its dictator-friends in Eastasia. From now on the CIA will listen to all requests from Abdelhakim Belhadj and will capture, torture and abducted to Libya anyone he will ask to have delivered to him.

That of course only as long as Abdelhakim Belhadj will agree to torture others at the CIA's request.