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Bush set to visit Libya in first half of 2004
We knew this...
Libya is preparing for defense cooperation talks with the United States, leading to a visit by President Bush early next year.
Be a good kickoff for the 2004 campaign.
Libyan officials said the United States has agreed to review Tripoli’s defense requirements in wake of an agreement by Col. Muammar Khaddafy to eliminate his nation’s medium-range missile and weapons of mass destruction arsenal. The officials said the two countries plan to begin formal talks on Libya’s defense and security requirements over the next few months. The officials said Britain and the United States will lift sanctions from Libya by April 2004. They said this would pave the way for a visit by U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Tripoli during the first half of next year.
So far this talk all seems to be coming from the Libyan side.
"The United States has promised to protect us from any attack," Khaddafy’s son, Seif Al Islam, said in an interview with the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily on Dec. 24.
Aside from your internal terrorist groups, who are we defending you against?
Mexico. They've had it in for Libya all along...
Al Islam, who is being groomed to succeed his father as Libya’s ruler, said Tripoli and Washington have held defense cooperation talks, including the prospect of joint exercises. But he denied immediate plans to renew such efforts.
Boy, wouldn’t those exercises spin up a few turbans.
In the interview, Al Islam said Libya will end the development program of a medium-range missile that can fly 800 kilometers. He said that in 1986 Tripoli canceled a plan to attack a U.S. military base in an island off Greece.
That would have been either Iraklion or Souda Bay, Crete.
"Mahmoud? Y'know that idea you had for an attack on Iraklion?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't think it's a good idea."
"Me, neither. Let's see if we can get next to some of Il Duce's bodyguards, instead."
The plan was to retaliate for a U.S. air strike earlier that year that he said killed more than 200 Libyans.
If they had attacked Crete, we would have added about three zeros to that number.
U.S. industry sources said Libya has discussed a range of projects with at least one American defense contractor. The sources said Tripoli has expressed interest in upgrading and replacing many of the aging U.S. military platforms procured in the 1970s. They include aircraft, helicopters and artillery.
They still have some of those?
Yeah, but it's hard to fly them after they've been bronzed...
Libyan officials, in an assertion echoed by Al Islam, said the Bush administration planned to send a U.S. military team to Tripoli to review Libya’s defense needs. Al Islam said such a visit would take place soon. "There will be a joint military and security cooperation agreement with the United States," Al Islam said.
I guess Fred can begin plans for that reunion at Wheelus.
Posted by: Steve 2003-12-30
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=23542