US to re-establish diplomatic relations with Libya

2006-05-16

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said normalisation of diplomatic ties with Libya was in recognition of the nation's renunciation of terrorism and co-operation in the global war on terror.

(AFP, CNN – 15/05/06)

[Getty Images] Libyan citizens walk under a mural of Moamer Kadhafi in Tripoli. In 2004, the Libyan leader announced that his country was renouncing terrorism.

The United States has announced that it will formally re-establish diplomatic ties with Libya after a 25-year break.

According to a statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday (15 May), the United States will soon open an embassy in Tripoli. Libya will also be "omitted from the annual list of countries not co-operating fully with United States' anti-terrorism efforts", the statement said.

The top US diplomat said the full normalisation of relations is in "recognition of Libya's continued commitment to its renunciation of terrorism and the excellent co-operation Libya has provided to the United States and other members of the international community in response to common global threats faced by the civilized world since 11 September 2001".

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgham welcomed the US decision, hailing it as "a new page [between the two countries] in the interests of both peoples" in a statement to AFP. He added "this move was decided on several days ago and the two countries will publish an official statement to confirm the resumption of relations at the level of ambassadors starting today".

The United States formally cut ties with Libya in 1981 following the sacking of the US embassy in Tripoli two years earlier by Libyans supporting Iran's Islamic revolution. In 2003, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi took responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am passenger jet, which crashed near Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, most of them Americans.

The UN lifted sanctions on Tripoli after Kadhafi agreed to pay the families of the victims millions of dollars each in compensation. In 2004, he announced that his country was renouncing weapons of mass destruction, a step that led to warming up of relations between the United States. A "liaison office" was established 28 June that year, officially re-establishing formal relations.

Rice said the move should provide an example for Iran and North Korea, which the United States accuses of sponsoring terror activities.

Just as 2003 marked a turning point for the Libyan people, so too could 2006 mark turning points for the peoples of Iran and North Korea. We urge the leadership of Iran and North Korea to make similar strategic decisions that would benefit their citizens," Rice said.