| Prime Minister Blair shook hands with Colonel Gaddafi Yesterday, the Libyans rolled out the red carpet for British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who arrived in Tripoli. The handshake between Blair and Gaddafi was the culmination of Libya's rapprochement with the West. The negotiations took place in a tent against the backdrop of the desert in the vicinity of the capital. The previous visit of this rank took place in 1943, when Winston Churchill visited Libya.
Since March 2003, at secret negotiations between representatives of Libya, Great Britain and the United States, Tripoli was persuaded to renounce the creation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their means of delivery and support for international terrorism. Gaddafi's long-awaited statement followed in December. In exchange, the West promised a gradual lifting of sanctions, primarily the still-current US ban on investment in the oil and gas industry.
Yesterday Blair exhorted Gaddafi to ensure the country's security without possessing weapons of mass destruction. The guest offered assistance in training the Libyan military in the UK, including at the prestigious Sandhurst Academy - where Gaddafi himself trained three years before he came to power in 1969. Blair also offered his interlocutor mediation in the dialogue between Libya and the EU.
Blair's critics, such as Conservative Michael Ankram, say the prime minister's visit is "ill-timed." They recall that Gaddafi supported terrorists for decades, supplying weapons to the separatists of the Irish Republican Army and extremist Palestinian groups.
At yesterday's negotiations, Gaddafi emphasized that he "considers it a common cause to fight against al-Qaeda, extremism and terrorism, which threaten not only the Western world, but also the Arab world." Blair responded: “Let us extend a hand of partnership to states that want to renounce terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, as Libya bravely did. We cannot forget the pain of the past, but we must move forward."
The main “pain” is gradually subsiding - Libya has already pledged to pay $10 million for each of the 270 dead passengers on the Pan Am plane that was blown up in 1988 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie. Having agreed to the conditions of the West, Gaddafi directly told his people that he had bought a peaceful life for them: “Allah does not like money. But with it, we will put Libya on its feet.”
This time, Gaddafi agreed to the arrival of Scotland Yard officers in Tripoli to investigate the murder of constable Yvonne Fletcher. She was shot dead from the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. According to Blair, Libya's latest steps are "a model of diplomatic success."
The United Kingdom's largest oil and gas corporation is returning to Libya. As part of Prime Minister Tony Blair's official visit to Libya, the Anglo-Dutch concern Royal Dutch/Shell Group entered into an agreement with the Libyan state-owned National Oil Corp. cooperation agreement. This agreement is the first step towards establishing a long-term strategic partnership with the Libyan oil and gas industry. Royal Dutch/Shell Group was active in Libya in the 50s and in 1974, in the late 80s, was engaged in exploration of oil and gas fields in this country. Today's agreement gives the company the right to participate in the exploration of gas deposits on the Libyan shelf and the development of liquefied natural gas enterprises. At the first stage, the volume of investment is estimated at $200 million with the prospect of increasing the cost of the project to $1 billion. "TIME FOR NEWS" Alexander SAMOKHOTKIN |
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