Word: libya
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...Libyans agreed in principle to throw its WMD projects wide open to an MI6-CIA team of technical experts. But besides the distraction of the Iraq War, progress was held up by Gaddafi's insistence on guaranteed incentives - like military cooperation and a complete end to sanctions - if Libya followed through and not only admitted but dismantled its WMD programs. When Gaddafi grew nervous, Seif al Islam says he reassured his father about the West's intentions, telling him, "'Trust me.'" As he recalls his own faith in the process, he claims, "I could smell...
...British air marshal flew in to Tripoli on a Royal Air Force plane and handed Gaddafi a personal letter from the British Prime Minister formally agreeing to Gaddafi's conditions for proceeding. That paved the way for the visit of the MI6-CIA technical team to inspect all of Libya's top-secret WMD sites and report back to their governments...
...before they could arrive, the secret negotiations were thrown in jeopardy when Italian authorities, acting on information from U.S. officials, seized the BBC China cargo ship in the Mediterranean carrying thousands of components for Libya's illicit uranium-enrichment facility. As only a handful of top U.S., British and Libyan officials knew about the secret talks, the discovery provided the public with smoking gun proof of Libya's covert nuclear program. According to Seif al Islam, MI6 officers immediately flew from London to Tripoli to assure the Libyans that the incident need not affect the secret disarmament plans. The seizure...
...Seif al Islam dismisses the assassination charges, but acknowledges that the Libyan agent was part of an effort to provide support to Saudis opposed to the Al Saud regime. Libya, he contends, has longstanding complaints of its own about Saudi support for Libyan Islamic extremists, including one who tossed a dud hand grenade at Gaddafi in 1995. Libyan support for Saudi dissidents accelerated after Abdullah scolded Gaddafi at an Arab summit in March 2003 during a session broadcast live throughout the Arab world. "You can say there was an activity," says Seif al Islam, "but not to kill the crown...
...Rice's announcement represents a stunning achievement for Seif al Islam, a driving force behind the risky venture of reaching out to the West. He has also been an influential - and at times almost solitary - advocate for reform and human rights in Libya. Sitting on a sofa in his private gym, he described frank discussions with his father - "there is a margin for exchanging views" - but reveals the gap is wide...