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29 February 2004 |
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http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/world/8067481.htm |
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SIRTE, Libya - Declaring the nuclear arms race "crazy," Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Saturday that Libya abandoned its quest for weapons of mass destruction because it exposed the country to "danger" and was no longer needed. He urged other nations with nuclear capabilities to renounce their programs, too. "Any national state that will adopt this policy cannot protect itself. On the contrary, it exposes itself to danger," Gadhafi told African leaders at the end of a two-day summit on water, agriculture and defense issues. He said Libya had decided to follow the example set by South Africa, which declared in the late 1990s that it would not use its nuclear know-how to make weapons, so that "Africa will be free of weapons of mass destruction." "The nuclear arms race is a crazy and destructive policy for economy and life." It was Gadhafi's first public statement on Libya's nuclear program since he promised in December that he would give up efforts to build nuclear weapons. His comments come as Libya's relations with the United States are starting to thaw after a quarter century of enmity. Earlier this month, the United States opened an interest section in the capital of Tripoli, its first diplomatic presence in Libya since 1980. However, Libya remains on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and under economic sanctions, although the sanctions could be lifted if Libya dismantles its nuclear weapons program. That could open the way for a boom in Libya's underdeveloped oil and tourism industries.
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