Britain invites Libyan foreign minister to visit London

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Britain invites Libyan foreign minister to visit London

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British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday that Libya's foreign minister Abdulrahman Shalgam is to visit London in the wake of Colonel Gaddafi's decision to abandon his programs for making weapons of mass destruction.

Straw told MPs that the Libyan minister would visit for talks on a range of issues. Last month's Libyan weapons announcement showed the success of the policy of engaging with Libya. "We have, I believe, established a relationship of trust," said Straw.

Last month Libya surprised the international community by announcing it was giving up any ambitions it had of acquiring weapons of mass destruction and would allow UN inspections to its nuclear sites after nine months of secret talks with London and Washington.

But Straw did not give a precise date for the Libyan minister'svisit.

He said Libya had been "on the way" to developing a nuclear weapon, as well as working on chemical and biological projects.

But it had now accepted "very intrusive" inspections, with the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) already visiting a number of sites and due to report in March.

"Over the last five years, we have built a relationship with Libya through active diplomacy which has enabled us together to take an important step towards reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction and to enhancing international peace and security," Straw said.

Straw said Britain would help Libya dismantle its arms programsand ease the country's return to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog.

Britain now had "corresponding responsibilities to enable Libyato come fully into the mainstream of the international community,"he added.

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