BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States on Friday appeared cool to a Libyan request urging quick US action to lift its sanctions against Libya, linking the removal of sanctions to acomplete severance with terrorism and dismantling of its nuclear arms program.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the same day expressed satisfaction with the cooperation Libya provided during its first-ever inspections of the North African country's nuclear sites.     

    LIBYA SHOULD BE REWARDED: PM

    Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanim said in an interview in Tripoli with The New York Times on Thursday that the United Statesshould reward Libya for scrapping its nuclear arms program, namelylifting US sanctions against it.

    Ghanim warned that unless the United States lifted sanctions by May 12, Libya would not be bound to pay the remaining six million US dollars promised to each family of victims killed in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December1988, the US paper said.

    "The agreement says that eight months after the signing, if American sanctions are not removed, then the additional 6 million US dollars for each family of victims will not be paid," Ghanim was quoted as saying.

    The Libyan prime minister added senior Bush administration officials know the deadline and, if it's broken, its consequences set in the agreement with Lockerbie victims' families.

    Libya would like to "accelerate to the maximum" the dismantlingof its nuclear, chemical and biological arms programs, Ghanim said.

    The United Nations lifted its embargo in September last year after Libya agreed to pay 2.7 billion dollars in compensation to the families of the 270 Lockerbie victims and accept responsibility for the incident. The US sanctions remain in place.

    Libya has paid four million dollars to each family of the victims and the remaining 6 million dollars for each family will be subject to removal of US sanctions.     

    US COOL TO LIFTING SANCTIONS

    The United States said Friday that it will not remove sanctions imposed on Libya until Tripoli fulfills its commitments to sever any connection with terrorism and dismantle its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.

    "As far as the subject of lifting sanctions goes, our focus is on Libyan actions and Libyan performance," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.

    "We've made it clear that as Libya moves forward in fulfilling its commitments to divorce itself from any connection to terrorismand to abjure and dismantle its WMD programs, we would be willing to discuss bilateral relations," Ereli said. "But it hasn't gotten beyond that at this point."

    Ereli noted the US government is not a party to the agreement between the Lockerbie families and the Libyan government.

    "I would caution you to avoid making the connection between what the agreement calls for and what the US government may or maynot do," he said.

    "Our actions or our policy is based on Libyan actions and what steps Libya takes to follow through on its commitments," Ereli said. "That's what we're looking at, and that's what's going to dictate how we respond and how we move forward."

    Four days earlier, the Bush administration had warned Libya of a "long process" for both sides to normalize relations despite Tripoli's decision to abandon WMD programs.

    "It is a long process. We need to make sure that there is follow through on these commitments," Ereli told reporters on Monday.

    "As there is follow through, we are willing to discuss with them the issue of improved bilateral relations, but we're not there yet," he added.     

    IAEA SATISFIED WITH LIBYAN COOPERATION

    IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said on Friday the UN nuclear watchdog is satisfied with the cooperation Libya provided during the checks.

    The IAEA team inspected nine of the 10 military-related nuclearfacilities in the North African country, Gwozdecky said.

    Libya provided "complete and sufficient" cooperation during theteam's inspections, the spokesman said.

    The one site left unchecked this time is a uranium storage facility and has been included in plans for a second inspection mission of the UN nuclear watchdog, Gwozdecky added.

    The IAEA will study the findings of the inspections and has notyet made any conclusions on Libya's nuclear arms program, Gwozdecky said.

    Diplomats in Vienna said the IAEA has reached an understanding with the United States on differences over inspections in Libya. US Secretary of State Colin Powell and IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei agreed in telephone talks to resolve the differences through diplomatic means.

    The United States has insisted it take a leading role in inspecting Libya's nuclear sites, but ElBaradei has made it clear the IAEA intends to "do it alone." Enditem