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Libyan FM denies WMD agreement related to Iraq war

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Feb 10, IRNA -- Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdulrahman Shalgam, 
denied Tuesday that the agreement by his country to destroy Weapons of
Mass Destruction program was due to the US-led war against Iraq. 
Speaking at a joint press conference with British Foreign 
Secretary Jack Straw in London, Shalgam insisted that the dialogue 
with the UK and the US started in 1992, "many years" before the Iraq 
war. 
He said that Libya had the expertise, programs and all the 
components to produce Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) but had 
decided not to because it did not want to. 
The Libyan Foreign Minister was speaking after holding a historic 
meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair - the highest-level 
talks between the two countries since Muammar Gadaffi took over power 
in Tripoli 35 years ago. 
The visit was described as a milestone in British-led moves to 
rehabilitate Libya into the international community and comes after 
Gadaffi announced in December that his country would destroy any 
Weapons of Mass Destruction programs. 
Straw confirmed reports that Blair was considering meeting the 
Libyan leader in Tripoli "as soon as convenient" but said that no 
date had been set. 
He described the visit as "tangible proof" of improving relations 
between Libya and Britain and said "good progress" had been made on 
the WMD agreement. 
"We have always regarded Libya as a good country," Straw told 
journalists. "We regret the fact that there have been difficulties in 
the relationship, which is a separate matter, and we are now looking 
forward to putting those difficulties behind us," he said. 
With regard to the shooting of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher 
outside the Libyan Embassy in 1984, Shalgam said that his government 
was prepared to assist on all issues in the spirit of friendship and 
cooperation. 
But he also suggested that Libya had issues still outstanding 
with the UK, including the assassination plan by British intelligence 
to assassinate Gadaffi, as claimed by former UK agent David Shaylor. 
HC/216 
End