Posted on 02/10/2004 11:14:58 AM PST by knighthawk
SIRTE, Libya - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi met Tuesday with Libya leader Moammar Gadhafi, and the United States said it had restored diplomatic contacts with the country. In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks with the Libyan foreign minister.
Tuesday's meetings mark Libya's progress toward re-entering the international fold after years of isolation. Gadhafi has been trying to shed this country's image as a rogue state.
The Italian premier was the first Western leader to visit Libya since Gadhafi promised Dec. 19 to end development of weapons of mass destruction, a bid to have U.S. economic sanctions lifted.
Blair's meeting with Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Shalqam was the highest-level contact between the two countries in more than 20 years. Britain said the visit could be followed by a face-to-face meeting between Blair and Gadhafi.
In Washington, a senior State Department official said the United States has two representatives working out of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli. Both are assisting Libya in efforts to disarm, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"We are not ready to announce the establishment of a diplomatic facility and the assignment of diplomatic personnel," the official said. "We are going to have a steady stream of U.S. personnel going in and out of Libya to help work this out (disarmament)."
In Brussels, Foreign Ministry spokesman Rudy Huygelen said the Belgium embassy in Tripoli has long operated a U.S. interests section but could not immediately confirm that Americans were working there.
Following Gadhafi's pledge, Libya is dismantling its nuclear and missile programs and has shipped thousands of pounds of parts to the United States for storage and conversion.
Berlusconi and Gadhafi embraced on the Italian leader's arrival in this coastal town, then entered a tent in the desert, where they were expected to discuss Mideast issues as well as business between their countries. Further details on the talks were not immediately available.
Berlusconi has ties with both the United States and Libya: He is a close political ally of President Bush, while Italy ruled this North African nation from 1911-41 and is today its largest trade partner.
In London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said after meeting Shalqam that "very useful discussions" were "tangible proof of the improving relations between Libya and the United Kingdom."
Shalqam described the visit as "a real breakthrough in our bilateral relations."
He repeated Libya's insistence that the weapons decision was not prompted by international pressure and said Libya did not follow through with producing the nuclear, biological or chemical arms.
"We had the equipment. We had the material, and the know-how, and the scientists. We never decided to produce these weapons," he said. "To have flour, water and fire does not mean you have bread."
Shalqam's visit follows three-way meetings in London on Friday involving senior officials from Britain, Libya and the United States. The U.S. Embassy said those talks were "very positive and thorough."
Last month, a U.S. congressional delegation met with Gadhafi and toured a Libyan nuclear reactor — a sign of improving relations after decades of animosity.
However, the United States has retained its 17-year embargo and has kept Libya on the list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
Earlier this month, the Bush administration told Libya some restrictions on commerce may be lifted if Gadhafi's country keeps scrapping its weapons programs.
The U.N. Security Council ended sanctions against Libya in September after Gadhafi's government took responsibility for the bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to families of the victims.
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