 1
June 2006
The United States recently
restored full diplomatic ties with Libya, rewarding the
longtime pariah nation for scrapping its weapons of mass
destruction programs and signaling incentives for Iran and
North Korea should they do the same.
Culminating a years-long
rapprochement with the OPEC member, Washington will reopen
an embassy and remove Libya from a list of state sponsors
of terrorism.
U.S.-Libya relations turned
around after Tripoli decided in December 2003 to give up
its weapons program, and the two nations have repeatedly
said since then they would work to restore ties as Libya
followed through on its pledge.
"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," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is
leading international pressure on the two countries to
limit their nuclear programs, said in a statement.
Libya, which is led by
one-time U.S. antagonist Muammar Gaddafi, badly needs
foreign investment in its energy industry. The OPEC member
welcomed the move, with its Foreign Ministry called it a
"significant step" toward improving all areas of bilateral
cooperation.
 And
Ali Aujali, the Libyan Liaison Office chief in Washington,
said the decision would benefit U.S. oil companies because
it meant an end of U.S. sanctions against Libya.
"Now I think they can
compete with the other companies and they can go ahead
with their job in Libya," he said.
As ties warmed, U.S.
companies such as Marathon Oil Corp., Conoco Phillips and
Amerada Hess Corp. last December agreed to terms letting
them resume oil and gas production in Libya after a
19-year absence.
As an interim step in 2004,
the United States ended a broad trade embargo placed on
Libya in 1986.
The U.S. 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, effectively cutting off ties.
A leading Democrat on U.S.
foreign policy also praised the decision as signaling an
incentive to Iran.
"Libya has thoroughly
altered its behavior," Rep. Tom Lantos, the ranking
Democrat on the House International Relations Committee,
said in a statement.
"In taking these actions,
the United States dramatically demonstrates to the
remaining rogue states -- and particularly to Iran -- that
our country takes note of positive changes in behavior and
is more than willing to reciprocate," the California
Democrat added.
But 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.
"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.
However, these developments
come despite a recent speech by Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi which
aired on Al-Jazeera TV in April, 2006. The speech was
inflammatory towards Europe and the US. Despite the
recent unfortunate Danish cartoons episode, depicting the
defamation of the Prophet Muhammad, which caused such
anger in Islamic countries, Qadhafi’s speech went mostly
unreported.
Mr. Qadhafi began by
stating “Some people believe that Muhammad is the prophet
of the Arabs or Muslims alone. This is a mistake. Muhammad
is the Prophet of all people. He superseded all previous
religions. If Jesus were alive when Muhammad was sent, he
would have followed him. All people must be Muslims”
He then goes on to say “In
any case, the holy texts of the West, of Europe and
America (i.e. the Bible) call for hatred, there is no
doubt about it. This text is corrupt and inhumane. The
so-called Old Testament and New Testament are neither Old
Testament nor New Testament - because both testaments were
superseded, and they are forged. They were written by hand
hundreds of years after Jesus”.
As the speech goes on
Qadhafi mentions that “the Bible that exists today is a
forgery”. One wonders what an Islamic nation today would
make of a Western leader making such a comment on the
Koran. He goes on to predict Europe will become a muslim
continent with a few decades, stating that at present,
“there are 50 million muslims in Europe” and Allah
mobilizes the Muslim nation of Turkey, and adds it to the
European Union. That's another 50 million Muslims. There
will be 100 million Muslims in Europe.
He ends his inflammatory
speech by saying “Europe is in a predicament, and so is
America. They should agree to become Islamic in the course
of time, or else declare war on the Muslims”.
AC
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