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Rice's 'historic visit' to Libya of significance
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-06 20:45 Libya model of US diplomacy The Iraq war, denounced at home and abroad during the terms of US President George W. Bush, has become a hot potato for the republicans in the pending US presidential elections.
Notably, changes in Libya's attitude to the US 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 US 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 US companies' growing interest in Libya's lucrative energy sector. According to US official statistics, Africa's crude export to the US reached 2.23 million barrels in 2006, surpassing the Middle East to become US'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 US 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 US could be since Libya is among the Arab world with unprecedented anti-US atmosphere. |
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