Blair welcomes Libya's decision to give up WMD

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 20, 2003

Blair welcomes Libya's decision to give up WMD

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday that he welcomed Libya's announcement to dismantle thecountry's weapons of mass destruction capabilities, claiming that it was a "courageous" decision.

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday that he welcomed Libya's announcement to dismantle the country's weapons of mass destruction capabilities, claiming that it was a "courageous" decision.

"This decision by (Libyan leader) Col. Gadhafi is a historic one and a courageous one and I applaud it," Blair said in a televised broadcast from Durham, northern England.

"Libya has now declared its intent to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction completely and to limit the range of Libyan missiles to no greater than 300 kilometers (186 miles)," Blair said.

"Libya came to us in March following successful negotiations on Lockerbie to see if it could resolve its weapons of mass destruction issue in a similarly cooperative manner," he said.

Stressing that Libya's declaration to give up weapons of mass destruction meant that the country would be entitled to rejoin the international community, Blair also said that Libya had confirmed it wanted the process of dismantling the weapons program to be "transparent and verifiable."

In Washington, US President George W. Bush, who said that countries that abandon weapons of mass destruction faced better relations with the United States, said Gaddafi had agreed to immediate, unconditional weapons inspections.

The United States and its allies have long suspected that Libya had secret chemical and biological weapons programs, while Libya denied such allegations and said it had only facilities for pharmaceutical or agricultural research.

The United Nations Security Council ended UN sanctions against Libya after the Libyan government took responsibility for the bombing of a Pan Am passenger jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, and agreed to pay families of the 270 victims about 2.7 billion US dollars.

Bush says Libya agrees to dismantle WMD

US President George W. Bush announced Friday that Libya had agreed to eliminate all its nuclear and chemical weapons programs, saying it was "a development of great importance."

"Today in Tripoli the leader of Libya, Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi, publicly confirmed his commitment to disclose and dismantle all weapons of mass destruction programs in his country," Bush said at the White House.

"He's agreed immediately and unconditionally to allow inspectors from international organizations to enter Libya," Bush said. These inspectors will account for all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs, and will help oversee their elimination, he said.

Bush revealed that talks leading to the announcement began about nine months ago, when British Prime Minister Tony Blair and he were contacted through personal envoys by Colonel Qadhafi. "He communicated to us his willingness to make a decisive change in the policy of his government," Bush said.

"Colonel Qadhafi's commitment, once it is fulfilled, will make our country more safe and the world more peaceful," Bush said.

Bush's announcement came minutes after a similar statement Blair made in London.

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