Libya welcomes lifting the American sanctions imposed on it
Libya-USA, Politics, 9/21/2004

Libya welcomed lifting some of the American economic sanctions that used to be imposed on it.

Foreign media official at the Libyan foreign ministry Jum'a Abu al-Khair said that this American decision is a positive result of the contacts made by the USA and Libya and the calm-dialogue diplomacy.

Abu al-Khair considered that lifting the American sanctions falls in the interests of the two countries, noting that this is made complete after the two sides fulfilled their obligations.

On Monday evening, the White House announced that the US President George W. Bush lifted some of the economic sanctions used to be imposed on Libya.

According to this decision, the American president George W. Bush has abrogated the national emergency status taken by the USA against Libya in 1986 because of the obligations made by the Libyan authorities to abrogate its program to the development of mass destruction weapons.

Among the lifted sanctions were a decision which banned since 1985 the imports of refined oil products from Libya.

Also lifted were trade sanctions pertinent to movements. This new decision will allow the resumption of direct air flights for passengers and releasing $ 1.3 billion in frozen Libyan assets in the US for Libyan companies.

In this regard, the US energy secretary Spencer Abraham said that Libya is an example to be followed in the issue of dismantling nuclear weapons.

This came, however, following the meeting between the American official in Vienna with the Libyan deputy prime minister Matouk Matouk who extended an invitation to him to visit Tripoli.

This meeting is the highest at the political level between the two countries since the normalization which followed Libya's announcement giving up developing mass destruction weapons by the end of 2003.

The two countries resumed diplomatic relations by the beginning of July. The US Department Of State permitted the Americans to visit Libya due to the interests shown by the American companies for oil there.

Previous Stories:
  Washington might lift trade embargo form Libya today   (9/20/2004)
  American-Libyan meeting on abrogating the sanctions   (9/18/2004)
  Senator Dole in Libya to improve relations   (9/11/2004)

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