Libya to Join US and UK In 'War on Terror'

The Financial Times of London ^ | Friday March 26, 2003 | Christoper Adams

[threat matrix]

Libya on Thursday brought to an end decades of international isolation as a pariah state with a promise to join forces with the United States of America and the United Kingdom to fight the global war against terrorism.

It is to provide intelligence to help root out Al Qaeda and on Thursday secured a gas exploration deal with Shell that could be worth billions of dollars.

Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister, held two hours of talks with Col. Muammer Gadaffi in a bedroom tent a few miles outside of Tripoli, the first time a British leader has set foot in the country since 1943.

He emerged afterwords to declare the Libyan leader an important ally and urged other Arab countries to follow Tripoli's example.

The historic talks sealed a dramatic and rapid transformation of Libya's standing in the international community, a process that started in earnest in December when it unexpectedly renounced its pursuit of weapons of mass destuction.

That decision followed more than a year of secret negoiations with Britain and the US.

[quant5]

I was just down in Manhatten on business with a friend and client who I have known now for a few years. He spent a better part of an 1 1/2 over beers trying to convince me how much better Kerry would be as president and how much he hated Bush.

I was amazed and pointed out the fact of what Bush did to the terrorists in Afghanistan who blew up half the city. Also, it doesn't matter how good Kerry does with the economy or the environment after another major attack which he could not prevent. At least Bush is now killing the terrorists which is the only thing they understand.

[koba37]

Amen, Ditto, Well Said!!!!!!!!!! Carter is an idiot.

[Bismarck]

Hey, what about sending Libyan troops to Iraq? Overall Libya has a decent, well-prepared army. If Gadaffi really wants to help out the US/UK, then he should also help out in rebuilding and developing Iraq's infrastructure and national security.

[firebrand]

The U.S. is on to this guy like a fly on cake.

[DUMBGRUNT]

I would have to say Angie Dickenson has to be JFKs best "conquest."

[Destro]

Musharraf has not given up Pakistan's nuclear program. Only selling the program to other nations.

[texasflower]

Arabs are treacherous evil liars.

Are you talking about Libya? Libya is in North Africa.

[Conservative til I die]

hear Arafat is going to replace Tom Ridge as Director of Homeland Security. Arabs are treacherous evil liars. The White House doesn't believe or trust Khadaffy.

Gee, no kidding. Welcome to reality. It's not about us getting the warm fuzzies about Qadaffi/Khadaffy/Gadhafi/whatever, but that his actions, no matter how much for self-gain, benefit us.

If we used pure goodness as a criteria to making allies, we'd be fighting alone.

[Conservative til I die]

We really trust them that easily?? How naive.

Yeah, because the photo ops that you see in the papers are really the full story, face value.

And yeah, like our intelligence/military/defense experts just fell off the turnip truck yesterday and have placed blind trust in Kadaffy.

You're the naive one.

[Conservative til I die]

Are you talking about Libya? Libya is in North Africa.

Yeah, but isn't Qadaffy Arab?

[texasflower]

He was born in Libya, but his early years probably were much like Arab bedouins.

Born the youngest child of a nomadic Bedouin peasant family in the desert region of Sirte in 1942, the young Gadhafi received a traditional religious primary education, and from 1956 to 1961 he attended the Sebha preparatory school in Sidra.

Best I can tell, Sidra is pretty close to the heart of Libya.

(I had to look this up, this isn't knowledge I had stored in my brain somewhere!)

[speekinout]

I don't imagine Bush will put too much trust into this partnership.

Not likely. But Bush will pass out some rewards. Qaddafi has passed on a lot of info and given over munitions that we didn't know he had. Even if that's all he does, he will get some reward. A lifting of trade sanctions, a seat at the table with Bush & Blair - enough to keep him thinking that cooperation beats the heck out of sharing a cell with Saddam or a cave with bin Laden.

[RightWhale]

to provide intelligence to help root out Al Qaeda and on Thursday secured a gas exploration deal

Does anybody in Iran, Turkey, or France see how this works?

[yonif]

Libya continues to send money to such terror organizations as the PLO. Qaddaffi is fooling the world, just like Arafat did in the 1990s. This dictator is no ally in the war on terror. Qadaffi is a terrorist with blood on his hands.

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

"Libya to Join US and UK In 'War on Terror'

WOW! Great post. Thank you!
It only goes to show how a public a$$ kickin changes minds.
Now if Seria will get a clue we could get the ball rolling a bit faster. Bush start the trend to free the world of tyrants.

If only someone could free the world of Democrates and the French, but that may be asking too much!
heehee kidding

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

"Arabs are treacherous evil liars."

Yep, something tells me this isn't right. Hope I'm wrong. I hope we don't start trusting this guy too much.

Yes, something's up. The whole thing is just too pat. When an offer sounds too good to be true, you can be sure it is just that.

[VOA]

Libya to Join US and UK In 'War on Terror'

Man, things are just really confusing in the post USSR fell...now we've
got to move France from the Allies list to the obnoxious nusiance list...
and move Libya from the dangerous enemy list to the Allies list.

[Fledermaus]

And I bet in 1989 after the Berlin Wall came down you were equally suspicious.