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| Africa: North | |
| Top U.S. Official Visits Libyan Leader | |
| 2004-03-24 | |
| U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Libya on Tuesday for talks with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, becoming the highest-level American official to visit this country since 1980. Burns' previously unannounced visit follows a recent warming of relations between Libya and the West as Gadhafi made extraordinary steps to shed his country's reputation as a rogue nation. "There are still a number of issues between the United States and Libya that we need to work on, that we need to try to clear up," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington. "The questions of terrorism, the questions of Libya's support for groups around Africa, the questions of human rights and other things that we need to take up with the Libyans." However, Boucher said, "this overall process is based on the very significant and dramatic steps that Libya has taken in deciding to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction." Burns arrived in Libya from Egypt, where he met with President Hosni Mubarak and then with European Union, Russian and U.N. officials to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian situation. He is the highest-level U.S. official to meet with Gadhafi since then-Deputy Ambassador William Eagleton called on the Libyan leader in 1980 to formalize a suspension of diplomatic relations. In other high-ranking visits, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected in Libya on Thursday, Gadhafi's son said. Seif el-Islam Gadhafi told reporters in Doha, Qatar, on Monday that Blair and his father would discuss Libya's drive to get U.S. sanctions lifted and the prospects of military cooperation with Britain and the United States. In London, Blair's office declined to comment on reports of a visit to Libya, saying the prime minister's travel plans are kept secret for security reasons.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 like Dave "That's not a foul. (*whack!*) That's a foul!" Cowens. I once played a game of ping-pong with the Cowens. I was purdy good but only leven year old, he, beat me like a step-child. He was good! Also he was nice to kids... but he has always played for keepers. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-03-24 7:35:02 PM |
| #7 No sweat, .com! No blood, no foul in my book. Just like Dave "That's not a foul. (*whack!*) That's a foul!" Cowens. |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-03-24 2:34:15 PM |
| #6 Raj - Oops! I thought you were the poster extolling Putty's wonderfulness just a couple of weeks ago. If not, puh-leeze accept my abject apology! My memory has deceived me, yet again! Arrrggghhh! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-24 12:37:19 PM |
| #5 Unfortunately, he has failed to live up to Fred's and Raj's faith in him. Fuck him, IMHO. While I may have held out hope for Russia before / around 9/11/2001, and maybe for a little while after that, subsequent events (stonewalling us at the U.N., uncovering GPS jammers et. al. sold to Iraq, etc. ad nauseum) I'd like to 'clarify' my position as no longer being a Russophile or anything remotely close to that. Maybe I got sucked in by |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-3-24 12:32:24 PM |
| #4 .com - I wish you'd quit holding back and say what you really think |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-3-24 9:48:49 AM |
| #3 Hmmm. I'm not sure how much Libya could actually do to help us regards oil prices, unfortunately. They're producing at current capacity now, from what I can glean: link with decent detail. BTW, as this link shows, it refutes the BS about Nigeria upping prod by huge amt in little time - that was some silly shit. It takes time, 5+ yrs, to build large-scale distilleries, cracking plants, etc. These are complex puppies and it depends upon the crude's components WHAT you build and how - it ain't all the same, so cookie-cutter facilities are not the answer... even if you have the best sweet light crude in the world. I DO believe that they would do so as facilities permit, however. KaDaffy certainly seems to be open to such suggestions, now. If we keep working on Iraqi production improvements and push Libya it may, indeed, bring about enough of a surplus to undermine OPEC. 2 Side Notes: 1) Now is when I wish Putty hadn't been such a backstabbing motherfucking asshole. Russia, with US help to modernize and upgrade facilities, could easily be overproducing enough, by now, to make OPEC toothless. Unfortunately, he has failed to live up to Fred's and Raj's faith in him. Fuck him, IMHO. 2) If the dumbass Venezuelans hadn't allowed a total asshole, Chavez, into office - there would be potential pressure available there,as well. Whether the world is ready for it or not, the time is FAST approaching to stop this blackmail and sabotage of the Western world's economies. Time to just take it away. How wonderful would this be for everybody but the Izzoid asshats? Let me count the ways... |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-24 6:56:10 AM |
| #2 Anyone see an How long till Wheelus opens up to replace Rota? |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-3-24 1:17:48 AM |
| #1 Didn't Bob rely on Mo's money and oil? And didn't Mo get his embassies in return? |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-3-24 12:47:58 AM |