GERMANY: US SAYS ANY LIFTING OF SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA WILL DEPEND ON DISMANTLING OF LIBYA'S ARMS PROGRAMME
Record ID:
647471
GERMANY: US SAYS ANY LIFTING OF SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA WILL DEPEND ON DISMANTLING OF LIBYA'S ARMS PROGRAMME
- Title: GERMANY: US SAYS ANY LIFTING OF SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA WILL DEPEND ON DISMANTLING OF LIBYA'S ARMS PROGRAMME
- Date: 12th February 2004
- Summary: (U6) BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 12, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF U.S. UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE JOHN BOLTON SPEAKING AT MEDIA CONFERENCE 0.02 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN BOLTON, SAYING: "There's no deadline or timetable that we're operating under. The responsibility really is now with the government of Libya to carry through on the commitments that they made in their December 19th statements." 0.16 3. SMV JOURNALISTS LISTENING 0.19 4. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) BOLTON, SAYING: "Libya opened up to experts from the United States and the United Kingdom to visit Libya twice for a three-week period during October and December of last year, took them to all of the facilities that we were aware of engaged in nuclear and chemical and other weapons of mass destruction programs. Showed the experts the programs, let them interview their scientists and since the December 19 announcement have let American and British experts and representatives from the IAEA and the OPCW into their countries to dismantle these programmes. Contrast that with the Iranians, who have to be exposed time and time again in their deceptions of the IAEA and the international community who still to this day won't fully admit to what their activities are. Now is there any doubt in your mind that the difference in behaviour of Libya on the one hand and Iran on the other, tells you something about their respective commitments to giving up nuclear weapons. I think the answer is clear." 1.34 5. WIDE OF BOLTON SPEAKING AT MEDIA CONFERENCE 1.36 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA414S2BM5QZZ8EJC06RBMICL1L
- Story Text: U.S. Undersecretary of State, Bolton, says any
lifting of sanctions against Libya, will depend on the speed of
Tripoli's dismantling of arms programmes.
The United States is considering lifting sanctions
on Libya but the timing will depend on how fast Tripoli
dismantles its weapons programmes, U.S. Undersecretary of
State John Bolton said on Thursday (February 12).
In a dramatic move to shed its rogue state image, Libya
announced in December it was renouncing weapons of mass
destruction and would cooperate with the United States and
Britain in abandoning its programmes.
With ties rapidly warming, Washington confirmed on
Tuesday (February 11) it had re-established a diplomatic
presence in Tripoli after more than 20 years and said
Libyan diplomats would set up in Washington soon.
But on Thursday, Bolton refused to be drawn on how fast
the United States would be willing to lift sanctions -- a
key issue for U.S. oil companies which are currently unable
to operate in Libya -- and remove Tripoli from its list of
state sponsors of terrorism.
Unless Washington takes those two steps by May, Libya
is entitled under a compensation deal reached last year to
halve the $10 million payout it has promised to relatives
of each victim of the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing.
Bolton would not say whether the sanctions -- which
include travel restrictions and bans on direct trade and
U.S. imports of Libyan crude oil -- would go by then.
"There's no deadline or timetable that we're operating
under. The responsibility really is now with the government
of Libya to carry through on the commitments that they made
in their December 19th statements," he told a news
conference in Berlin.
He said a second group of experts would arrive in Libya
this weekend to work on dismantling elements of its nuclear
and chemical programmes.
Progress on the nuclear issue would be discussed at a
meeting of the board of governors of the U.N. nuclear
watchdog in March, he said.
The United States has treated Libyan leader Muammar
Gaddafi as an international pariah for more than two
decades. A Libyan secret agent was convicted over the
Lockerbie bombing over Scotland which killed 270 people.
Washington has welcomed Libya's surprise decision to
disarm and end its international isolation, hailing this as
a triumph for its tough line on states suspected of
pursuing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Bolton compared Libya's actions to those of Iran which,
he said earlier, still not carrying through on its
commitment to eliminate their nuclear weapons.
"Libya opened up to experts from the United States and
the United Kingdom to visit Libya twice for a three-week
period during October and December of last year, took them
to all of the facilities that we were aware of engaged in
nuclear and chemical and other weapons of mass destruction
programs. Showed the experts the programs, let them
interview their scientists and since the December 19
announcement have let American and British experts and
representatives from the IAEA and the OPCW into their
countries to dismantle these programmes," Bolton said.
"Contrast that with the Iranians, who have to be
exposed time and time again in their deceptions of the IAEA
and the international community who still to this day won't
fully admit to what their activities are. Now is there any
doubt in your mind that the difference in behaviour of
Libya on the one hand and Iran on the other, tells you
something about their respective commitments to giving up
nuclear weapons. I think the answer is clear," he added.
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