Rice's "historic visit" to Libya of profound significance

by Zhang Yanyan

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Chinese media) -- U.S. Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice left Tripoli Friday night, concluding the first visit by a U.S.

top diplomat in over 50 years to a "pariah" state once shunned by Washington.

The historic visit during which Rice had a landmark

meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi has attracted worldwide attention and

is of profound significance.

STRENGTHENING TIES WITH

LIBYA

Rice is the highest-ranking U.S. official who has

visited Libyasince then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1957 and also the

firstsecretary of state who has visited Libya since John Foster Dulles in 1953,

at a time when she was not born.

The U.S.-Libya relations got soured in 1969 when

Gaddafi seized power in a coup.

From 1980, Washington had no diplomatic relations

with Tripoli. But in late 2003, Libya pledged to abandon its programs for

weapons of mass destruction, stop exporting terrorism and compensate the

families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and other attacks.

Afterward, Libya was given a reprieve from the UN and

Western sanctions.

In January this year, Libyan Foreign minister

Abdel-Rahman Shalgam visited the U.S. and the two countries agreed earlier this

month a comprehensive deal that Tripoli would compensate U.S. and Libyan victims

in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

These moves have completed a nearly five-year effort

to rebuild ties between the U.S. and Libya, paving way for Rice's visit.

"The relationship has been moving in a good direction

for a number of years now and I think tonight does mark a new phase," Rice said

after meeting with Gaddafi.

LIBYA MODEL OF U.S.

DIPLOMACY

The Iraq war, denounced at home and abroad during the

terms of U.S. President George W. Bush, has become a hot potato for the

republicans in the pending U.S. presidential elections.

During his last year in White House, Bush was seen

quite eager to display his diplomatic achievements by pushing for solving the

nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsular, promoting the Palestine-Israel peace

process and advancing ties with Libya.

Notably, changes in Libya's attitude to the U.S. were

described as a result of deterrent effects of Iraq war, aiming at justifying its

policy on Iraq and winning votes for the Republican party.

At a press conference following the meeting with

Gaddafi, Rice said the U.S. and Libya "are off to a good start" as the two

countries "are establishing a way forward."

"We did talk about learning from the lessons of the

past," Rice said. "We talked about the importance of moving forward. The United

States, I've said many times, doesn't have any permanent enemies."

Through Rice's visit, the Bush administration could

possibly set Libya as an example for its diplomatic success.

OIL

ATTRACTION

Rice's visit also came amid U.S. companies' growing

interest in Libya's lucrative energy sector.

According to U.S. official statistics, Africa's crude

export to the U.S. reached 2.23 million barrels in 2006, surpassing the Middle

East to become U.S.'s biggest oil source.

As the ninth largest oil reserves in the world,

Libya's proven oil reserves are close to 39 billion barrels.

In recent years, European companies have had much

greater access to do business in Libya and Rice's visit means no doubt more

opportunities for the U.S. companies.

To improve bilateral ties, Libya paid heavily

politically despite high rewards from the United States. However, it remains

uncertain how close its tie with the U.S. could be since Libya is among the Arab

world with unprecedented anti-U.S. atmosphere.

Rice arrives in

Libya

CAIRO, Sept. 5

(Chinese media) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday

for a landmark meeting with Libyanleader Muammar Gaddafi, the pan-Arab

al-Jazeera TV channel reported.

Upon touching down, Rice, the first U.S. secretary of

state to visit Libya since 1953, said that it is a proof that the United States

had no "permanent enemies, " according to the TV correspondent. Full story

U.S.-Libya ties open "new chapter",

says White House

WASHINGTON,

Sept. 5 (Chinese media) -- The United States spoke highly of its improved relations

with Libya on Friday when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice kicked off her

landmark visit to Tripoli.

"The secretary's trip to Libya signifies a new chapter in

our bilateral relations," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. Full story

Rice arrives in Tunis after her

historic Libya visit

CAIRO,

Sept. 6 (Chinese media) -- U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived, on Saturday

night, in Tunis, where is her second stop as part of a tour of the Arab Maghreb

states, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported on Saturday.

The report said that Rice came from Tripoli, capital of

Libya. That is the first stop of her North-Africa tour, where she arrived on

Friday and had a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. Full story