Libyan President Gaddafi

WASHINGTON, December 30 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Despite toeing its line, the United States refused Monday, December 29, to ease diplomatic pressure on Libya, warning its long-time foe there was a long way to go before normalizing relations.

"We're looking to Libya to get out of the terrorism game and get out of the WMD game," said State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.

"They have made some very important and noteworthy statements regarding their intention to do so…[But] It is a long process," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted him as saying.

"We need to make sure that there is follow through on these commitments. 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.

The aggressive rhetoric came despite Libya's dramatic announcement that it was giving up its weapons programs. Tripoli went far beyond that by accepting to sign an additional protocol to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows snap visits to nuclear facilities.

It came also as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei told the Associated Press on Tuesday, December 30, that U.N. inspectors do not need American help in scrapping Libya's nascent nuclear program.

"I am not familiar with anything they plan to do on a bilateral basis. But as far as I'm concerned, we have the mandate, and we intend to do it alone," he said.

ElBaradei said during a visit to Tripoli Monday that Libya was prepared to allow U.N. inspectors access as if it had already signed the additional protocol to the NPT.

He said he "and his team went to four nuclear sites previously unvisited and all of them were in the Tripoli area".

The IAEA got down to the nitty-gritty with Libyan officials on Sunday, December 28, with Tripoli giving assurances before the IAEA mission that the visit would take place with good access for the media.

But reporters have so far had little contact with the IAEA team or Libyan officials.

Tripoli was under international sanctions for years over the 1988 bombing of a U.S. airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie that killed 270 people.

But the United Nations lifted its embargo in September after Tripoli agreed to pay $2.7 billion in compensation and accept responsibility for the bombing. U.S. sanctions still remain in place.