US objects to Arafat's flight to Libya
Libya-Palestine-USA, Politics, 7/11/1998

The US delegate to the United Nations organization's sanctions committee opposed a Palestinian request for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to fly to Libya this Saturday.

The Palestinian official had to fly to Tunis before continuing his trip by road to Libya, which is facing an international air embargo since 1992.

Arafat who is visiting Libya for the first time since 1994 went to the Egyptian airport of El-Arich, close to the Gaza Strip, where he boarded the plane for Tunisia, Palestinian official sources said.

The United Nations had authorized Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to travel by air Thursday to Libya but the US as a member of the UN sanctions committee stressed that no more exceptions will be allowed.

US Secretary of State Albright said "President Mubarak went through the procedure at the UN, through the Sanctions Committee, saying that he had wanted to make a humanitarian visit, that he had a doctor going with him; he approached it through the appropriate channels. We felt that a one-time humanitarian visit was appropriate, but we are not going to go along with any further visits by anyone for the purpose of just paying courtesy calls on Mr. Gaddafi."

Arafat will visit Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi who underwent on Monday a surgery for a broken hip.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt denies Libyan trip by President Mubarak was not authorized   (7/10/1998)
  Tripoli criticizes U.S. call for partnership with North African countries   (6/20/1998)
  Tripoli accuses US of obstructing Lockerbie settlement   (4/29/1998)

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