U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left Tripoli Friday night, concluding the first visit by a U.S. top diplomat in over 50 years to a "pariah" state once shunned by Washington.
The historic visit during which Rice had a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi has attracted worldwide attention and is of profound significance.
STRENGTHENING TIES WITH LIBYA
Rice is the highest-ranking U.S. official who has visited Libyasince then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1957 and also the firstsecretary of state who has visited Libya since John Foster Dulles in 1953, at a time when she was not born.
The U.S.-Libya relations got soured in 1969 when Gaddafi seized power in a coup.
From 1980, Washington had no diplomatic relations with Tripoli. But in late 2003, Libya pledged to abandon its programs for weapons of mass destruction, stop exporting terrorism and compensate the families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and other attacks.
Afterward, Libya was given a reprieve from the UN and Western sanctions.
In January this year, Libyan Foreign minister Abdel-Rahman Shalgam visited the U.S. and the two countries agreed earlier this month a comprehensive deal that Tripoli would compensate U.S. and Libyan victims in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
These moves have completed a nearly five-year effort to rebuild ties between the U.S. and Libya, paving way for Rice's visit.
"The relationship has been moving in a good direction for a number of years now and I think tonight does mark a new phase," Rice said after meeting with Gaddafi.
LIBYA MODEL OF U.S. DIPLOMACY
The Iraq war, denounced at home and abroad during the terms of U.S. President George W. Bush, has become a hot potato for the republicans in the pending U.S. presidential elections.
During his last year in White House, Bush was seen quite eager to display his diplomatic achievements by pushing for solving the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsular, promoting the Palestine-Israel peace process and advancing ties with Libya.
Notably, changes in Libya's attitude to the U.S. were described as a result of deterrent effects of Iraq war, aiming at justifying its policy on Iraq and winning votes for the Republican party.
At a press conference following the meeting with Gaddafi, Rice said the U.S. and Libya "are off to a good start" as the two countries "are establishing a way forward."
"We did talk about learning from the lessons of the past," Rice said. "We talked about the importance of moving forward. The United States, I've said many times, doesn't have any permanent enemies."
Through Rice's visit, the Bush administration could possibly set Libya as an example for its diplomatic success.
OIL ATTRACTION
Rice's visit also came amid U.S. companies' growing interest in Libya's lucrative energy sector.
According to U.S. official statistics, Africa's crude export to the U.S. reached 2.23 million barrels in 2006, surpassing the Middle East to become U.S.'s biggest oil source.
As the ninth largest oil reserves in the world, Libya's proven oil reserves are close to 39 billion barrels.
In recent years, European companies have had much greater access to do business in Libya and Rice's visit means no doubt more opportunities for the U.S. companies.
To improve bilateral ties, Libya paid heavily politically despite high rewards from the United States. However, it remains uncertain how close its tie with the U.S. could be since Libya is among the Arab world with unprecedented anti-U.S. atmosphere.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article