Global Security Newswire

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgam said yesterday that his country had all the materials needed to develop weapons of mass destruction, but did not actually do so (see GSN, Feb. 9).

“We have had the equipment, we have had the material and the know-how and the scientists, (but) we never decided to produce such weapons,” Shalgam said. “To have flour, water and fire doesn’t mean you have bread,” he added.

As an example, Shalgam said Libya had purchased “a small amount of 1 percent enriched uranium,” but said that the material needed to be further enriched before it could be used in a nuclear weapon.

Shalgam also said that Libya’s stockpile of biological agents would be turned over to a U.N. Security Council permanent member, probably the United Kingdom or the United States (Michael Evans, London Times, Feb. 11).

Meanwhile, following progress made in dismantling Libya’s WMD programs, the United States has opened an interest section there, the Washington Post reported today.

During talks last week with Libyan officials in London, U.S. officials outlined a three-phase process for resuming normal relations, according to the Post. U.S. officials hope to complete the first phase by the end of the month. The second and third phases will involve the lifting of presidential executive orders against Libya and the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, as well as the removal of Libya from the list of terrorism-sponsoring countries, according to the Post.

U.S. officials yesterday outlined additional rewards planned this month for Libyan progress in dismantling its WMD programs, including an end to the U.S. travel ban and an ease on sanctions to allow U.S. oil companies to begin renegotiating contracts with Libya (Robin Wright, Washington Post, Feb. 11).

The United Kingdom also plans to push for an end to the European Union arms embargo against Libya, the Financial Times reported today (Adams/Khalaf, Financial Times, Feb. 11).

In addition, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is prepared to meet with leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi, but outstanding disputes must be resolved first, according to the London Telegraph.

One such dispute is the 1984 killing of a British police officer by a shot fired from the Libyan Embassy in London, the Telegraph reported.

“We need to take this step by step,” said a Blair spokesman said. “We have made considerable progress. We want to see that progress continue.  It’s within that hoped-for progress that the possibility of further visits can be considered,” the spokesman said (Anton La Guardia, London Telegraph, Feb. 11).