Posted on 03/26/2004 5:30:41 PM PST by Stew Padasso
Blair to offer Libya military training
Tom Happold, Matthew Tempest and agencies Wednesday March 24, 2004
Tony Blair is to offer British military training for Libyan troops when he meets Muammar Gadafy tomorrow. A Downing Street spokeswoman said that the proposals were to show that Libya could defend itself without weapons of mass destruction.
Late last year Col Gadafy agreed to abandon his programmes to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and allow in international inspectors.
The offer of military cooperation, and the confirmation that British Aerospace are in "advanced negotiations" with Libya, has led to speculation that arms deals could be next.
Oxfam's Phil Bloomer called on Mr Blair to "ensure that British arms policy is not subverted by political expediency".
"Decisions on arms sales should be based on issues of conflict, human rights and poverty," he said. "Using them as a reward for short-term political cooperation smacks of the bad old days of British arms policy.
"While it is undoubtedly a good thing that Libya has said it will stop seeking weapons of mass destruction, it is conventional weapons that kill most people.
"Libya has an appalling record of selling weapons that fuel some of the world's worst conflicts, for example military helicopters to Liberia and suspected shipments to Somalia."
The Conservatives have also questioned the visit, which follows two decades of international isolation for the north African country, calling it insensitive to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing.
'Bringing Libya into the international mainstream'
A senior British official travelling with Mr Blair said the visit would seek to "continue the process of bringing Libya into the international mainstream and to make clear that we will be trying to get Libya's relationship with the EU developed in the months ahead".
Asked whether it was premature, he said: "Part of our agreement with Libya was that we and the US would act quickly to bring them back and show them the rewards of cooperation with the international institutions."
Commenting on the economic aspect of the trip, he said: "A number of British companies are interested in trade with Libya and it's possible that Shell will be able to sign a heads of agreement with Libya in the days ahead." "Shell are negotiating a heads of agreement for gas exploration off the Libyan coast," he added, and British Aerospace are in "advanced negotiations" with Libya.
Conservative objections
John Prescott clashed with the shadow foreign secretary, Michael Ancram, over the visit when he stood in for Mr Blair at prime minister's question time.
Describing the visit as "highly questionable", Mr Ancram told MPs: "This country has suffered, especially from Libya's support for terrorism - including the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, Libya's supply of arms to the IRA and their complicity in the murder of 200 people over Lockerbie.
"Welcome as Libya's commitment to disarmament is, we should never forget the victims of Gadafy's sponsorship of terrorism. Don't you at least agree that if the prime minister does meet with Col Gadafy, he should sup with a very long spoon?"
Mr Prescott replied: "You have to make a balance and I think the prime minister has got the balance right."
Long-term diplomacy
Tomorrow's visit is the culmination of long-term government efforts to improve relations with Libya, which resulted in Britain restoring diplomatic relations after Libya handed over Lockerbie suspects Abdel Baset al-Megrahi Al-Amin Khalifah Fhimah and accepted "general responsibility" for the killing of PC Fletcher in 1999.
Three years later, Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien became the first British minister to meet Col Gadafy since the 1969 coup which brought him to power. His visit was credited with leading to Col Gadafy's decision to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction.
After the shooting of PC Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in 1984, Britain backed America's bombing of the country in 1986. Two years later, Pan Am flight 103 was blown up by a terrorist bomb over the Scottish village of Lockerbie, killing 270, in what was seen as a retaliation for the US air strikes.
Lockerbie families' reaction
Despite the Tory concerns the leader of the Lockerbie campaign group, UK Families Flight 103, Jim Swire, welcomed Mr Blair's visit.
"This is obviously the next step in a process which we have been campaigning for over the past few years," he said.
"It started with the reinstatement of the British ambassador in Tripoli and the logical next step would be a prime ministerial visit to establish that Libya has been accepted back into the community of nations.
"It would also greatly diminish the chances of a backsliding of support for terrorism, so we are greatly in favour of such a move."
give 'em all the conventional arms they wnat- it let's westerners inside the country, allows the brits to get a first hand feel for reality on the ground, etc..
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