by Zhang Yanyan
BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice left Tripoli Friday night, concluding the first visit by a U.S.
top diplomat in over 50 years to a "pariah" state once shunned by Washington.
The historic visit during which Rice had a landmark
meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi has attracted worldwide attention and
is of profound significance.
STRENGTHENING TIES WITH
LIBYA
Rice is the highest-ranking U.S. official who has
visited Libyasince then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1957 and also the
firstsecretary of state who has visited Libya since John Foster Dulles in 1953,
at a time when she was not born.
The U.S.-Libya relations got soured in 1969 when
Gaddafi seized power in a coup.
From 1980, Washington had no diplomatic relations
with Tripoli. But in late 2003, Libya pledged to abandon its programs for
weapons of mass destruction, stop exporting terrorism and compensate the
families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and other attacks.
Afterward, Libya was given a reprieve from the UN and
Western sanctions.
In January this year, Libyan Foreign minister
Abdel-Rahman Shalgam visited the U.S. and the two countries agreed earlier this
month a comprehensive deal that Tripoli would compensate U.S. and Libyan victims
in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
These moves have completed a nearly five-year effort
to rebuild ties between the U.S. and Libya, paving way for Rice's visit.
"The relationship has been moving in a good direction
for a number of years now and I think tonight does mark a new phase," Rice said
after meeting with Gaddafi.
LIBYA MODEL OF U.S.
DIPLOMACY
The Iraq war, denounced at home and abroad during the
terms of U.S. President George W. Bush, has become a hot potato for the
republicans in the pending U.S. presidential elections.
During his last year in White House, Bush was seen
quite eager to display his diplomatic achievements by pushing for solving the
nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsular, promoting the Palestine-Israel peace
process and advancing ties with Libya.
Notably, changes in Libya's attitude to the U.S. were
described as a result of deterrent effects of Iraq war, aiming at justifying its
policy on Iraq and winning votes for the Republican party.
At a press conference following the meeting with
Gaddafi, Rice said the U.S. and Libya "are off to a good start" as the two
countries "are establishing a way forward."
"We did talk about learning from the lessons of the
past," Rice said. "We talked about the importance of moving forward. The United
States, I've said many times, doesn't have any permanent enemies."
Through Rice's visit, the Bush administration could
possibly set Libya as an example for its diplomatic success.
OIL
ATTRACTION
Rice's visit also came amid U.S. companies' growing
interest in Libya's lucrative energy sector.
According to U.S. official statistics, Africa's crude
export to the U.S. reached 2.23 million barrels in 2006, surpassing the Middle
East to become U.S.'s biggest oil source.
As the ninth largest oil reserves in the world,
Libya's proven oil reserves are close to 39 billion barrels.
In recent years, European companies have had much
greater access to do business in Libya and Rice's visit means no doubt more
opportunities for the U.S. companies.
To improve bilateral ties, Libya paid heavily
politically despite high rewards from the United States. However, it remains
uncertain how close its tie with the U.S. could be since Libya is among the Arab
world with unprecedented anti-U.S. atmosphere.
Rice arrives in
Libya
CAIRO, Sept. 5
(Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday
for a landmark meeting with Libyanleader Muammar Gaddafi, the pan-Arab
al-Jazeera TV channel reported.
Upon touching down, Rice, the first U.S. secretary of
state to visit Libya since 1953, said that it is a proof that the United States
had no "permanent enemies, " according to the TV correspondent. Full story
U.S.-Libya ties open "new chapter",
says White House
WASHINGTON,
Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United States spoke highly of its improved relations
with Libya on Friday when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice kicked off her
landmark visit to Tripoli.
"The secretary's trip to Libya signifies a new chapter in
our bilateral relations," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. Full story
Rice arrives in Tunis after her
historic Libya visit
CAIRO,
Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived, on Saturday
night, in Tunis, where is her second stop as part of a tour of the Arab Maghreb
states, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported on Saturday.
The report said that Rice came from Tripoli, capital of
Libya. That is the first stop of her North-Africa tour, where she arrived on
Friday and had a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. Full story
