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| Libyan leader Muammar
Gaddafi has made a long journey in from the
cold |
|
2003: Libya gives up chemical
weapons |
Artificially 1969:
The Libya has
made a surprise announcement undertaking to destroy its arsenal of weapons
of mass destruction.
The government of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has also agreed to
allow weapons inspectors into Libya immediately and unconditionally to
oversee the elimination.
Under the agreement, Libya, which is included on the US list of state
sponsors of terrorism, will dismantle its weapons of mass destruction and
limit the range of its missiles to no more than 300 km (186 miles).
It emerged that Tripoli has already allowed US and British experts to
see elements of the weapons programmes during two trips to Libya in
October and December this year.
In its statement today, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said: "[Libya]
believes that the arms race will neither serve its security nor the
region's security and contradicts [Libya's] great concern for a world that
enjoys peace and security."
The statement has been welcomed by the British Prime Minister, Tony
Blair, and the US President, George W Bush, who made televised addresses
almost at the same time.
President Bush said the agreement, signed after nine months of secret
negotiations, would "make the world and America a safer place, and the
world more peaceful".
He went on to hint that tough US sanctions on Libya would be scrapped
if Tripoli kept its word.
Mr Blair praised the decision as "historic" and "courageous".
"It shows that the problems of proliferation can be tackled through
discussion and engagement," he said.
He revealed that Libya had approached Britain in March with an offer to
open discussions on WMD.
Until then, intelligence officers had suspected that it was working on
chemical and biological weapons but had never been able to confirm it.
Mr Blair said Libya had acknowledged it was working towards developing
a nuclear weapon, and had got close to achieving its objective.
The breakthrough is the latest in a series of developments which have
thawed previously frosty relations between Libya and the West.
One of the most significant was Tripoli's admission of responsibility
in August this year for the Lockerbie air disaster in 1988, in which 270
people died.
Colonel Gadaffi agreed to pay $2.7bn compensation to relatives of those
killed in the attack, paving the way for UN sanctions against Libya to be lifted in
September.
