http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060515/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_libya U.S. to Renew Diplomatic Ties With Libya By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 10 minutes ago The Bush administration has decided to restore normal diplomatic relations with Libya for the first time in over a quarter century after taking Moammar Gadhafi's country off a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, State Department officials said Monday. "This is not a decision that we arrived at without carefully monitoring and assessing Libya's behavior," Assistant Secretary of State David Welch said. Welch said the United States will soon upgrade its diplomatic office in Tripoli to a full embassy. The move culminates a process that began three years ago when Tripoli surprised the world by agreeing to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. There have been no normal relations with Libya since 1980. The State Department for several years listed Libya among nations the U.S. government considered as official sponsors of terrorism. Libya was held responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, which claimed 270 lives, most of them American. But Libya has made a decisive move away from terrorism in recent years, officials said. Removing Libya from the list of countries the United States considers to be state sponsors of terrorism means a 45-day public comment period will begin on Monday, after which Libya would be removed from the list. The establishment of normal relations may have come sooner were it not for allegations that Gadhafi's regime was behind an attempt on the life of Saudi's Arabia's King Adbullah when he was crown prince several years ago. Hints that a U.S. move was afoot were evident when the State Department decided to summon family members of the victims of the Pan Am 103 to Washington for a briefing next week on "U.S.-Libyan relations." The administration's decision also comes at a time when it is attempting to shore up relations with major oil producers because of high prices and a shortage of supplies. Libya has substantial oil reserves. Gdhafi was once known here as perhaps the most dangerous man in the Middle East. President Reagan ordered air attacks against Libya in 1981 and 1986, the latter because of suspected Libyan sponsorship of a terrorist attack at a West Berlin disco frequented by American soldiers. Two Americans died there. Since 2003, however, Libya has been held up as a model by the administration for the way aspiring nuclear weapons powers should behave. The American attack on Iraq made Gadhafi wonder whether he would be next. In December 2003, he agreed to surrender his weapons of mass destruction facilities and agreed to allow them to be shipped for storage in the United States. Rep. Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said the administration's decisions were fully warranted. "Libya has thoroughly altered its behavior by abolishing its program to develop weapons of mass destruction and ending its support for terrorism," Lantos said.
Remember back in High School when you would get into a fight with a guy but when it was over you were like cool with the dude for the rest of the year.
Wow, I've lived in Libya. This is very good for the country; however I don't understand the change of heart? It makes absolutely no sense, what has changed that would make Gadhaffi more appealing.
Maybe he figured out that being dictator of Libya is enough, he doesn't have to be the leader of all Islam. As long as he keeps inside his borders and delivers the oil he can live a pretty good life. Saddam could have done the same if he would have stayed out of Kuwait but he had to ne the new Nebuchadnezzar.
It would appear so - I think there is some localized decisionmaking but there is no free press and no democratic process for governance above the local level.
He has rejected terrorism? How did achieve the credibility? http://www.zmag.org/Zmag/articles/ShalomLyb2.html
Not sure what you're saying here? Libya: Rejecting terrorism - good news. Rejecting WMD program - good news. Normalizing relations with the West - hopefully good news.
so pre-war saddam/iraq: no ties to terrorism, no wmd, despotic regime, no relations with west = pre emptive attack/civil war libya/Gadhafi : reject terrorism, no wmd, despotic regime, normalized relations with west = hug
How did Gadhaffi reject terror? What is the process a country has to go though to be labeled as such? I don’t understand how you can conclude that he rejected terrorism...just look at his past…
firstly, leader of Islam? WTF? He is far from religious…it’s all about politics for him. There is misconception that Libyans are religious fanatics as seen in Hollywood movies…far from the truth… secondly, he has always lived a very good life, what he is doing now is finally something positive for his people (I hope). He should have never nationalized the oil companies, his country would be so much further along.
Those were my thoughts, but some of y'all seem a little bummed George isn't doing the premtive WOT thing again.
Libya rejected terrorism - don't think Saddam did that. Libya voluntarily gave up WMD program including allowing the whole apparatus to be shipped out of Libya - Saddam didn't do that. One wants to rejoin the world community by giving up greater hegemonic ambitions, one didn't. Both are/were despots - that's about the extent of the comparison. The two big developments of rejecting terrorism and WMD are both good. Dealing with a despot - some you engage some you remove. This seems like decent development.
