Word: tripolis
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Libya's boldest move to repair relations with the West came in 2003, when it announced the scrapping of its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs - an act the U.S., Britain, and other Western governments had demanded as prerequisite for renewing relations with Tripoli. Bilateral contacts have increased since, including partnerships between Western and Libyan intelligence services that Gaddafi and European officials credit for thwarting terror attacks on both sides of the Mediterranean. Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair traveled to Tripoli in May to hail Libya's "completely transformed" behavior, and predicted that the flourishing security and defense relationship...
...invest in Libya's oil-rich economy. Resolution of the Bulgarian stand-off also removed the last major hurdle for full normalization of diplomatic ties between Libya and the European Union. And the U.S. also wants in on the act: Last month, Washington named its new ambassador to Tripoli, and plans to send Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit soon...
...personal involvement of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cécilia in freeing six medics who faced execution in Libya on trumped-up murder charges earned cheers from many. But it also generated grousing from E.U. officials who suggest Sarkozy cut in on their low-key negotiations with Tripoli in the final stretch to break the tape himself and get the credit...
...starved Gaddafi on Sarkozy's most recent trip to Africa if the prisoners were still detained. That diplomatic carrot, along with promises to normalize E.U.-Libyan relations, got the medics on France's Bulgaria-bound presidential jet--alongside Cécilia--some 36 hours before Sarkozy's state visit to Tripoli began. There is an economic motive for France's power play as well: among the topics explored was how French companies could develop the Libyan economy better than their U.S., British or German rivals...
...stand-in with the prisoners following their release. French officials deny such cynicism is involved, and say all anyone wants is freedom for the Bulgarians. Still, some effort was made to ensure European officials were associated with Sarkozy's last diplomatic push: the French delegation that flew to Tripoli Sunday included EU External Relations Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner - who was also given the task of making most of the press statements...