WASHINGTON, 16 May 2006 — The United States restored full diplomatic ties with Libya yesterday, rewarding the longtime pariah nation for scrapping its weapons of mass destruction programs.
Culminating a gradual rapprochement, the United States will reopen an embassy and remove Libya from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement.
“We are taking these actions in recognition of Libya’s continued commitment to its renunciation of terrorism and the excellent cooperation 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 Sept. 11, 2001,” she said.
The two countries have not had full ties for more than 25 years, but relations dramatically improved after Libya decided in December 2003 to give up its weapons program. In 2004, the United States ended a broad trade embargo placed on the oil-producing nation in 1986.
The US Embassy in Libya was set on fire by a mob in 1979. After declaring Libya a “state sponsor of terrorism,” a designation which triggers sanctions, the United States closed its embassy there in 1980.
Libya welcomed the move, with its Foreign Ministry calling it a “significant step” toward improving all areas of bilateral cooperation.
Ali Aujali, the Libyan Liaison Office chief in Washington, said the decision would benefit US oil companies. “Now I think they can compete with the other companies and they can go ahead with their job in Libya,” he said.
Some of the American relatives of those killed in the 1988 Pan Am airliner bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, which Libya accepted responsibility for, voiced outrage and complained they had not been told in advance.
“I think it is absolutely appalling. This is an administration that has done everything wrong. It is a dangerous move and now they have rewarded the terrorists,” said Susan Cohen, whose 20-year-old daughter was killed in the attack. “The only reason they are doing this is oil,” she added.
Hours after Rice’s announcement, Washington banned all US arms sales to Venezuela, citing the major oil supplier’s lack of help in the fight against terrorism.
The move comes after years of antagonism between leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Washington on issues ranging from trade to oil prices that have dragged relations to their worst state in decades.
The United States is concerned about Chavez’s friendly relationship with Cuba and Iran, two countries it says sponsor terrorism, and his failure to stop Colombian leftist guerrillas using Venezuelan territory, a State Department official said.
The United States decided to punish Venezuela by adding it to a blacklist of countries who are considered to “not fully cooperate” against terrorism.
