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| Africa: North |
| U.N. Votes to Lift Sanctions on Libya |
| 2003-09-13 |
| Substantial EFL UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday lifted 11-year-old sanctions on Libya after Moammar Gadhafi’s government took responsibility for bombing a Pan Am jet over Scotland and agreed to pay the victims’ families $2.7 billion. I’ll believe they took responsibility when they offer up the head honchos that ordered the bombing. The council’s decision to end the ban on arms sales and flights to Libya was more symbolic than substantive because the sanctions have been suspended for over four years. But Libya wanted a formal end to sanctions to help restore its standing in the international community. Thirteen of the 15 council nations voted to lift sanctions but the United States and France abstained - Washington to protest against Libya’s human rights violations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and Paris to pressure Libya to finalize a deal to increase compensation to victims of the 1989 bombing of a French UTA jetliner. French didn’t veto -- was there an under the table understanding, or did they just realize how bad they would have looked? U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham said Libya had met the U.N. requirements for sanctions to be lifted. But he warned Libya and the world community not to view the U.S. abstention ``as tacit U.S. acceptance that the government of Libya has rehabilitated itself.’’ He said U.S. sanctions would remain ``in full force’’ and accused Gadhafi of actively developing biological and chemical weapons and upgrading its nuclear infrastructure. Libya is also seeking ballistic missiles to deliver weapons of mass destruction and is receiving assistance, including from unnamed countries ``that sponsor terrorism,’’ he said. Who’d like to name the unnamed countries? ``The United States will intensify its efforts to end Libya’s threatening actions,’’ Cunningham warned. But close ally Britain, which sponsored the resolution, and many other council members expressed hope that Gadhafi’s government would open a new Sorta. |
| Posted by:Steve White |