 The Libyan and U.S. flags will soon be flying in Washington and Tripoli to mark a new page in diplomatic ties after decades of enmity, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son said in an interview. "The American flag will be raised in Libya and the Libyan flag hoisted in the United States in the next few days," Seif al-Islam said, apparently referring to the opening of embassies.
Diplomatic relations were restored in June 2004 after a 24-year rupture following Gadhafi's surprise announcement the previous December that he was giving up the quest for weapons of mass destruction. However, a senior U.S. official said in Washington that he was not aware of any imminent opening of a U.S. Embassy in Libya. "I think there are some issues to be resolved as far as I understand," he said. Currently the two nations are represented in each other's capital by liaison offices. "I think that we have certainly come a long way from where we were in our relationship with Libya, but there are certainly issues that still need to be addressed and we're working with Libya on these issues," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "If they continue to make progress along the pathway that we have laid out, we, again, will meet their acts of good faith in return," McCormack told reporters.
| I think they'll continue to make progress, as long as Saif doesn't have any unfortunate helicopter accidents. The rest of the family doesn't seem any smarter than Pop, and some seem to be worse. I'm guessing he's the one who convinced Muammar that the world had changed out from under him and that tin-hat dictators have become passe. This is an interesting story to watch. I wish Libya had some sort of news outlet other than JANA, so we could get more than an occasional glimpse. |
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