Libya seeks reward for scrapping weapons

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=426323§ion=news

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya has made clear it wants to come in from the cold after decades as a pariah state, and the United States and Britain have promised to reward its decision to abandon banned weapons programmes.

Almost 15 years to the day since its agents brought down a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Muammar Gaddafi's state opened the prospect of an end to sanctions and a return of U.S. oil firms with a pledge on Friday to stop seeking weapons of mass destruction. Britain said it had been close to an atomic bomb.

Some U.S. officials cautioned that Libya's move, the culmination of secret negotiations launched around the start of the U.S.-led Iraq war and announced less than a week after U.S. forces captured ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, still left it too early to say when, or if, Washington will lift sanctions.

Britain suggested Saddam's fate could have been different if he had cooperated. U.S. President George W. Bush, who also accuses Iran and North Korea of seeking nuclear arms, said he hoped other leaders would follow the example of Gaddafi, a man once described by one of Bush's predecessors as a "mad dog".

snip> And this little tidbit:

Bush immediately praised Libya, saying: "Its good faith will be returned." He also said the United States and Britain would work to ensure Tripoli lived up to its commitments.

Snip> Hmmm, no UN weapon inspections? US & UK will assure?

Liby has very large gas deposits and LNG
conference was held this week in DC.

Continuing to look up data.

Libya's proven oil and gas reserves are impressive:
30 billion barrels of oil and 45 trillion cubic feet of gas
as of early 2002. But, these reserve numbers probably
substantially understate what Libya actually has
because of the extended hiatus in multinational
oil company exploration and development activities
in the country. Not only has oil production declined,
but the country has not developed its enormous gas
potential, either for its own use (which would free
up more oil for export) or for export.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ifc/ly/

in the article, I guess maybe Saddam wasn't willing to sell out the oil, or maybe Shrub didn't make him the same offer, seeing how SH tried to kill his dad and all. :eyes:

Britain suggested Saddam's fate could have been different if he had cooperated. U.S. President George W. Bush, who also accuses Iran and North Korea of seeking nuclear arms, said he hoped other leaders would follow the example of Gaddafi, a man once described by one of Bush's predecessors as a "mad dog".

European critics of the invasion of Iraq remarked pointedly that it showed peaceful diplomacy could bring about disarmament.

I'd never heard of this before. Another booddoggle
est. at $30B for sucking water out of the Sahara.

"Should geologists present the proof that mining water
in Libya has a direct effect on the Nile bed the Egyptian] army will try to put an end to the GMR".

http://www.rosegeorge.com/frameworks/generic/public_users/morearticles.asp?ArticleID=59

Hydrocarbons and water, What the world will
be fighting over.

granted here, sort of how they used to see their oil. This GMMR does not sound like a good thing politically or environmentally.

Do you suppose this could lead to another huge contract for the Hellaburnin types?

development of the sites and the contracts have never been reassigned, these companies have been lobbying hard to get US sanctions lifted and Libya removed from the states who support terror list now that UN sanctions have been lifted. IIRC, Libya has taken the seat in the UN Human Righs Committee that formerly belonged to the US.
This crap with Libya started under Reagan back in the early to mid 80's.

From the CIA Factbook:CIA Factbook

Libya
Background:
Since he took power in a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system - a combination of socialism and Islam - which he calls the Third International Theory. Viewing himself as a revolutionary leader, he used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, even supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. Libyan military adventures failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987. Libyan support for terrorism decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. Those sanctions were suspended in April 1999.

Lubya petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2111.html

Oil Production:
1.429 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Compare to:
Iraq 2.452 million bbl/day (2001 est.); note - production was disrupted as a result of the March-April 2003 war (2001 est.)
Venezuela 3.08 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil, Proved Reserves:
Libya 29.75 billion bbl (37257)
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2178.html

Compare to:
Iraq 113.8 billion bbl (37257)
Venezuela 63.95 billion bbl (37257)

Natural Gas, Proved Reserves:
Libya 6.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2180.html

Compare to:
Iraq 2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Venezuela 31.71 billion cu m (2001 est.)

is giving Chavez so much heat. Thanks for the info and welcome to DU! :hi:

:hi:

on edit: this is a genuine, heartfelt "Thanks" and not intended to increase my post count.

He did mastermind the downing of the Lockerbie plane and murder close to 300 people.