Bush Scraps Most U.S. Sanctions on Libya

[denverbill]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=3&u=/nm/20040920/pl_nm/libya_usa_sanctions_dc

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday formally ended the U.S. trade embargo on Libya to reward it for giving up weapons of mass destruction but left in place U.S. terrorism-related sanctions.

Bush's action was partly symbolic because he had effectively suspended most commercial sanctions in April, allowing U.S. firms to invest in Libya and buy its oil for the first time since 1986.

However, his decision to end them outright reflected confidence that Libya had given up the pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological arms and that verification procedures were in place to ensure it stayed that way, U.S. officials said.
<snip>
Awww. Isn't that special. Libyan terrorists, sponsored by Khadafi kill 300 people, but now, we're willing to let bygones be bygones. Maybe we should try to patch things up with Osama next. How many people does a terrorist have to kill before he becomes irredeemable? 400? 1000?

[21winner]

1. The oil leases are due to expire.

That's what this means.

[Snazzy]

2. US skies will soon feature a Libyan airline

Yep, so about the oil.

[Snazzy]

3. Libyan in Pak attacks

Libyan in Pak attacks
MASSOUD ANSARI
Karachi, Sept. 19: A Libyan hunted by Pakistan because of his senior role in the al Qaida terrorist network has taken charge of its sleeper cells in Britain and the US, Pakistani intelligence officials believe.

Abu Faraj al Libbi, said to have taken over as third in command of al Qaida when his mentor, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was captured last year, has sent coded messages to “several” Islamic militants in Britain over the past 10 months, according to Pakistani officials.

Security officers who have interrogated recently captured militants say that Abu Faraj, who is now believed to be al Qaida’s top operational chief, masterminded and financed assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf, the country’s military ruler, last December.

They have now revealed that Abu Faraj, who was once Osama bin Laden’s personal assistant, is also in frequent contact with al Qaida members and supporters abroad, particularly in Britain and America. They have identified two people — both of whom are in British custody — as recipients of coded messages from Abu Faraj.

....

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040920/asp/foreign/story_3779346.asp

[Snazzy]

7. Libya takes issue with role of U.S. military

Sept. 16, 2004, 9:17PM

Libya takes issue with role of U.S. military
By LYNN J. COOK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Libya's prime minister kicked off Thursday's OPEC's world oil conference with a surprisingly political speech that jangled some attendees' nerves.

Shokri Mohamed Ghanem expressed concern over the sensitive nature of oil prices and the lack of stability in many countries where vast oil reserves are found. Then, without specifically citing Iraq, the Libyan prime minister took issue with U.S. military presence in the Middle East and support for Israel in a speech to an audience of world energy leaders.

"Unfortunately, most of these countries are made less stable by the actions of the big powers, denying people in some producer countries their rights of self-determination and the right to live in peace and tranquility," he said while addressing the forum Petroleum in an Interdependent World. "The creation and the continuous military and financial support of Israel was and is a serious geopolitical mistake. It not only violated the rights of the Palestinian people but put the whole area in turmoil," he said.

...

A Libyan delegation will travel to Houston this fall.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/energy/2799598

[Snazzy]

4. Libyan Leader calls on U.S. to abolish miltary and arm American citizens

Qadhafi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Libyan Leader calls on U.S. to abolish miltary and arm American citizens
Posted: 09/19
From: mathaba

Libya's leader called on the Americans to abolish the American army and replaced it by the American armed people, who only defend America, and abolish American police to be replaced by peoples' security, in this case the world will benefit because in such a case America will have a new paradigm to present to the world, and if it wanted to impose it, it is doing something new and useful.

The Leader regretted that with such might America now has no model to offer to the world, because it is not a Jamahiriya, for parties are very old instruments, the traditional army is a very old war instrument, parliaments are very old tools which do not express the masses. He said most people don't go to the polls, they neither elect a president nor a minister. Only a minority goes to the ballet boxes, he stressed. Once no body goes to the ballets the ballet boxes will remain empty.

The Leader called on American academics and intellectuals, and University scholars, to adopt the Third Universal Theory, because intellectuals, and university scholars in America, once they adopted the theory, and studied the Green Book, they will realize it is the guide to the masses of this era. And once they called for America to turn into a popular force, to the state of the masses and abrogate old classical institutions, we would benefit from America's political and economic power, in disseminating something useful, new and acceptable.

....

and so on from our new pal (hey, he's got oil!--whaddayaknow).

http://mathaba.net/x.htm?http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=72324

[Snazzy]

5. WaPo: Bush Lifts Sanctions Against Libya

Bush Lifts Sanctions Against Libya
Families of Pan Am Bombing Expected to Be Compensated

By George Gedda
Associated Press
Tuesday, September 21, 2004; Page A17

President Bush yesterday removed a ban on commercial air service to Libya and released $1.3 billion in frozen Libyan assets in recognition of "significant" steps to eliminate its deadliest weapons programs.

In response, Libya is expected to disburse $1 billion in compensation payments to 269 families of the victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing.

Libya, which has acknowledged responsibility for the bombing, had conditioned release of the money on an end to the two sets of U.S. sanctions. It had established a Wednesday deadline for Bush to act.

...

Still on the books is Libya's inclusion on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, which substantially restricts commercial activities between the two countries.

State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli said terrorism remained a concern and cited reports that Libya may have been involved in an attempt on the life of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.

....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36763-2004Sep20.html

[Snazzy]

6. Nice hat

[Aidoneus]

8. Now where are the recriminations for Reagan bombing people as they slept?

When will Bush apologize and pay up in the same fashion for his predecessor's terrorist acts in such regards? al-Qaddhafi is a hypocrite for not pressing these matters with his new best friends while they themselves, far grander hypocrites, give orders. You know, they handed out medals for that. Apparently bombing people in their homes at night is considered a greatly heroic act, because the air force is still doing it.

We can talk about the "terrorist" act of blowing Iran Air 655 out of the skies later. There were medals for that too.