"I can assure you that the U.S. sanctions against Libya will be lifted and that normal relations will be established," Weldon said (C)

TRIPOLI, January 25 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – U.S. congressmen held talks with Libyan officials Sunday, January 25, on their first visit to Tripoli in more than 30 years to pave the way for renewed diplomatic relations with the one-time enemy state.

A U.S. military plane carrying a delegation led by Republican Representative Curt Weldon touched down in Tripoli one day after the arrival of Tom Lantos, the senior Democrat on the House international relations committee.

"We're very excited and pleased about the direction your leader has taken. We want to be friends," Weldon told the Libyan officials who welcomed them at Tripoli airport, reported Reuters.

The visit, the first since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi assumed power in 1969, reflects a dramatic shift in U.S. policy towards Libya after Tripoli announced last month it was abandoning programs to develop weapons of mass destruction.

"This visit is historic, we are seeking the establishment of official ties between the two countries," Weldon said through an interpreter.

"I can assure you that the U.S. sanctions against Libya will be lifted and that normal relations will be established with the Libyan people," he asserted.

Weldon said his message to the Libyans was that if they take further unspecified steps, then friendship could follow.

"We are here to say that this continued process will allow us to eventually have normal relations and to bring with it improvements in the quality of life for the people of this nation," he told reporters.

"We can come together for a new beginning, a new relationship that's based on peace. To accomplish that, we've got to have trust, we've got to build confidence and I would say that Libya has taken that first step," added the American legislator.

"We want to continue that momentum and we are confident that if that happens, then some time in the future, the sanctions will be lifted," he added.

Weldon said: "We want to see the American corporate community come back to Libya, to create jobs and wealth, but all of that action will be dependent upon the success of Libya in coming together with our country and in meeting certain timeframes." 

Not Official

The American congressman said it would be up to President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell to fix a timeframe for the resumption of ties, while stressing he did not officially represent the administration.

Diplomatic ties were broken off in 1981 and the United States imposed sanctions against Tripoli in 1986.

But Gaddafi’s surprise announcement last month after nine months of secret talks with British and U.S. intelligence and his agreement to a compensation deal for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has seen the West begin opening its arms to what it used to brand a "rogue" state.

Weldon said he had established contact with the Libyan authorities during a meeting in London earlier this month with Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam.

His bipartisan delegation held talks Sunday with the head of the Libyan parliament, Zenati al-Zenati, and was also due to meet Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem during its stay.

A statement released by Weldon ahead of the visit said the delegation also expected to hold talks with Gaddafi.

"Colonel Gaddafi has taken a significant step in renouncing his weapons of mass destruction program," Weldon said.

"During our face-to-face meeting, we will encourage him to completely comply with international inspectors. At the same time, we will reassure him that once Libya lives up to its end of the bargain, we can finally begin the process of normalizing our relationship."

A team from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, last week joined U.S. and British inspectors in Libya to oversee the country's dismantlement of its weapons programs.

Meanwhile, Lantos held talks with Trade and Economy Minister Abdel Kader Belkheir and is also expected to meet Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgham, as well as business leaders, academics and members of the American expatriate community.

To London

In another sign of improving ties with the West, Shalgham is set to travel to London on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, the first by a Libyan foreign minister in more than 20 years.

Tripoli and London reestablished diplomatic relations in 1999. They were broken in 1984 after a British policewoman was allegedly shot dead from inside the Libyan embassy in London.

Shalgam will meet with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Prime Minister Tony Blair and might also be received by Queen Elizabeth II, officials in London said.