Libya announces to abandon WMD

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

Libya announces to abandon WMD

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Libya has announced that it will eliminate all its weapons of mass destruction. In a statement issued on Friday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said the country had decided "on its free will" to "completely eliminate the internationally banned weapons of mass destruction."

Libya said it would also quit programs for developing chemical and nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, adding that it would retain only missiles with a range no greater than 300 kilometers (186 miles).

The Libyan news agency Jana Tripoli quoted Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Shalqam as saying Libya had shown United States and British weapons experts "the substances, equipment and programs that could lead to production of internationally banned weapons."

These included "a centrifuge machine and equipment to carry chemical substances," he said.

US President George W. Bush welcomed Libya's move on Friday, saying that with the renunciation, Libya had begun "the process of rejoining the community of nations."

Bush also urged Libya to carry out its commitments, adding that the United States and Britain would make sure Libya kept its word.

In a televised broadcast from Durham, northern England, British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed Libya's determination to dismantle weapons of mass destruction capabilities through a "transparent and verifiable" process. He described it as a "courageous" decision.

The United Nations Security Council ended sanctions against Libya in September after the Libyan government assumed responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie air disaster and agreed to pay 2.7 billion US Dollars to the victim's families.

But the United States has kept its 17-year embargo in place and has been holding Libya on the list of nations that sponsor terrorism.

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