scoone
01-26-2004, 07:53 AM
Gaddafi Hails U.S. Ties, Hints at Secret Cooperation
Mon January 26, 2004 07:17 AM ET
ROME (*******) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi welcomed a thaw in ties with the United States in an interview published Monday and suggested their secret services were already working together against Islamic militants.
"Cooperation between Libya and the United States is good," Gaddafi told Italian daily la Repubblica Monday, a day after a delegation of U.S. lawmakers landed in Tripoli to talk about restoring ties and ending economic sanctions.
The Libyan government announced last month that it was abandoning programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, opening the way for better relations with the West.
Libya has also moved to resolve long-standing disputes over the bombing of a U.S. airliner over Scotland in 1988 and a French plane over Niger in 1989.
In the interview, Gaddafi hinted there could have been behind-the-scenes cooperation even before that against Islamic militants, including supporters of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban rulers.
"There are groups that are working against all of us ... it's possible that there has been cooperation between secret services, in particular regarding Libyan citizens who fought in Afghanistan (with the Taliban)," he said.
The U.S. delegation arrived on a U.S. Navy plane Sunday and its leader said it was the first U.S. military aircraft to land in Tripoli since Gaddafi overthrew the Libyan monarchy in 1969.
Gaddafi's gestures to the West have prompted some speculation that Libya could improve ties with its old foe Israel.
But the Libyan leader remained critical of the Jewish state in the interview, accusing it of possessing weapons of mass destruction and flooding Arab countries with drugs.
"I would say that there is a terrorism of individuals and a state terrorism; both need to be stopped. If someone destroys an inhabited building with an air-launched missile you cannot say that it is not terrorism," he said.
"The Israelis are throwing hashish along the Egyptian coast, in Syria and in North Africa. Maybe even the hashish that arrives in Libya comes from Israel. In fact, we're certain," Gaddafi said.
"I hope that on this point, the international community isn't deaf and blind as it has been on the point of Israeli weapons of mass destruction. It has hundreds of atomic (war) heads and a large chemical and biological arsenal."
Israel is believed to have about 200 nuclear warheads. The Jewish state does not discuss the issue, a policy it calls "strategic ambiguity."
http://www.*******.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VFYSCMFBOD3BECRBAEOCFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=4206488
Mon January 26, 2004 07:17 AM ET
ROME (*******) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi welcomed a thaw in ties with the United States in an interview published Monday and suggested their secret services were already working together against Islamic militants.
"Cooperation between Libya and the United States is good," Gaddafi told Italian daily la Repubblica Monday, a day after a delegation of U.S. lawmakers landed in Tripoli to talk about restoring ties and ending economic sanctions.
The Libyan government announced last month that it was abandoning programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, opening the way for better relations with the West.
Libya has also moved to resolve long-standing disputes over the bombing of a U.S. airliner over Scotland in 1988 and a French plane over Niger in 1989.
In the interview, Gaddafi hinted there could have been behind-the-scenes cooperation even before that against Islamic militants, including supporters of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban rulers.
"There are groups that are working against all of us ... it's possible that there has been cooperation between secret services, in particular regarding Libyan citizens who fought in Afghanistan (with the Taliban)," he said.
The U.S. delegation arrived on a U.S. Navy plane Sunday and its leader said it was the first U.S. military aircraft to land in Tripoli since Gaddafi overthrew the Libyan monarchy in 1969.
Gaddafi's gestures to the West have prompted some speculation that Libya could improve ties with its old foe Israel.
But the Libyan leader remained critical of the Jewish state in the interview, accusing it of possessing weapons of mass destruction and flooding Arab countries with drugs.
"I would say that there is a terrorism of individuals and a state terrorism; both need to be stopped. If someone destroys an inhabited building with an air-launched missile you cannot say that it is not terrorism," he said.
"The Israelis are throwing hashish along the Egyptian coast, in Syria and in North Africa. Maybe even the hashish that arrives in Libya comes from Israel. In fact, we're certain," Gaddafi said.
"I hope that on this point, the international community isn't deaf and blind as it has been on the point of Israeli weapons of mass destruction. It has hundreds of atomic (war) heads and a large chemical and biological arsenal."
Israel is believed to have about 200 nuclear warheads. The Jewish state does not discuss the issue, a policy it calls "strategic ambiguity."
http://www.*******.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VFYSCMFBOD3BECRBAEOCFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=4206488