Straw to welcome Libyan counterpart to British shores
The Government is to welcome Libyan Foreign Minister Abdulrahman Shalgam to British shores, it was announced yesterday.
The decision to hold the meeting on a range of bilateral and international issues was made in light of Libya’s willingness – announced last month- to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programmes.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Commons that Libya’s new openness paved the way for greater international peace and stability.
“This agreement represents a successful outcome for the engagement by the US and the UK with Libya over a long period,” he told MPs.
“We have, I believe, established a relationship of trust which has enabled Libya first to renounce terrorism and now to renounce the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.”
Libya has admitted responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
Should the meeting of foreign ministers take place, officials said Tony Blair may meet his Libyan counterpart within the next few months, but the location was unlikely to be Britain.
Michael Ancram, Tory foreign affairs spokesman, questioned whether Libya’s Col Gaddafi could be trusted unreservedly: “Do you really believe that with all the evidence of irrationality, dishonesty and totalitarianism, that on this occasion Gaddafi can genuinely be trusted?”
US President George W Bush on Monday refused to lift sanctions against Libya, arguing that Col Gaddafi must verifiably end his chemical and nuclear weapons programs.
Mr Bush said. “Libya’s agreement marks the beginning of a process of rejoining the community of nations, but its declaration of December 19, 2003, must be followed by verification of concrete steps.”
