Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, following up on a promise to end his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, has shipped some 27,500kg of nuclear and missile components to the US in a bid to break out of diplomatic isolation.
Bush administration officials indicated Qaddafi could expect some easing of economic pressure in return if he continued on a cooperative track.
But one official said that Libya had not proved that it no longer supported terrorism.
As a result, the State Department is not ready to cancel Libya's designation as a terror sponsor, the official said on condition of anonymity. Therefore, at least some economic sanctions will remain in place.
An US transport plane carrying the components arrived on Tuesday at an airport outside Knoxville, Tennessee, with the equipment. It included stock to enrich uranium, centrifuge parts and guidance sets for long-range missiles, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
The equipment will probably undergo evaluation at the Oak Ridge nuclear-weapons plant in Tennessee, the major storehouse in the US for highly enriched bomb-grade uranium.
The "most sensitive documentation" associated with Libya's nuclear program arrived by plane last week, McClellan said.
Also, the spokesman announced that Libya had begun destroying chemical munitions.
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander labeled the shipment "a critical first step in securing nuclear materials and equipment to make sure they don't end up in the hands of terrorists."
Qaddafi, seeking a lifting of US economic sanctions, promised on Dec. 19 to end development of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction.
"The world can see that Colonel Qaddafi is keeping his commitment," McClellan said.
However, the White House gave no indication it was ready to ease the US economic squeeze on Libya, nor did the State Department say Libya's designation as a supporter of terrorism would be canceled.
"As they take these essential steps and demonstrate its seriousness, its good faith will be returned and Libya can regain a secure and respected place among the nations," McClellan said.
He said that the shipments were "only the beginning of the elimination of Libya's weapons."
Representative Tom Lantos, the senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, met on Monday in Tripoli with Qaddafi for 90 minutes and reported that the Libyan leader intended to follow through on his pledge.
Lantos said he would urge Representative Henry Hyde, the committee chairman, to join him in a bipartisan appeal to the Bush administration to show "good faith" in Qaddafi by ending a ban on travel to Libya.
Qaddafi's turnabout, promoted by Britain with US support, is being cited by the White House as a triumph in the campaign to halt the spread of nuclear technology.
After Qaddafi's pledge to abandon his quest for weapons of mass destruction, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, "The next step is to make sure we have a clear understanding of what Libya possesses."
Powell said the administration intended to pursue aggressively reports that Libya obtained much of its nuclear technology from Pakistan.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese