Libya Vows to Give Up Banned Weapons

Bush and Blair Hail Results of Nine Months of Secret Talks

President Bush said that Libya's offer to surrender weapons would open the path to better relations with the United States. (Manuel Balce Ceneta -- AP)

Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi has promised to surrender his country's weapons of mass destruction and halt its nuclear development program in a bid to end nearly two decades of international isolation, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced last night.

Libya will "immediately and unconditionally" allow international inspectors to enter the country to track unconventional weapons and oversee their destruction, said Bush, describing nine months of secret negotiations among U.S., British and Libyan officials.

A team of U.S. and British intelligence agents and weapons specialists made two trips to Libya, officials said, where they were allowed to visit 10 secret weapons sites, were shown chemical-warfare agents and discussed details with Libyan scientists. The Libyans said they had been working to develop a nuclear fuel cycle intended to provide fissile material for atomic weapons.

The announcement, made without warning in a choreographed sequence in Tripoli, London and Washington, continues a dramatic turnaround begun earlier this year when Libya took responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and agreed to pay as much as $10 million to the family of each of the 270 dead.

By describing the agreement himself, and praising Gaddafi for the decision, Bush staked a measure of his own credibility on Gaddafi's willingness to follow through. He pointedly contrasted the recent efforts of Gaddafi -- called an "evil man" by President Ronald Reagan, who ordered an airstrike on Gaddafi's desert headquarters -- with the actions of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

"Leaders who abandon the pursuit of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them will find an open path to better relations with the United States and other free nations," Bush said. "Libya has begun the process of rejoining the community of nations."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who spoke with Gaddafi for a half-hour Thursday, said the Libyan leader had made a "courageous decision." He declared that "Libya's actions entitle it to rejoin the international community."

The Libyan foreign ministry issued a statement admitting that the country had sought to develop unconventional weapons, but had now agreed "of its own free will" to eliminate them and restrict itself to possessing missiles with a range no greater than 300 kilometers -- about 180 miles.

"Libya's belief," the statement said, "is that these arms do not serve its security nor the security of the region."

Bush and Blair, who have faced popular criticism for invading Iraq in the name of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, said the negotiations with Libya demonstrated their willingness to use diplomacy as well as "decisive action."

They noted the multilateral effort aimed at freezing Iran's nuclear program and preventing North Korea from advancing its atomic arsenal. Iran signed an agreement this week with the International Atomic Energy Agency that permits surprise inspections of its nuclear sites.

"For anyone who is a hawk on weapons of mass destruction, this is a welcome event," said Ashton Carter, assistant secretary of defense during the Clinton administration and an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. "We should hope that our resolve over Iraq's WMD had something to do with convincing the Libyan leadership to take this course."

White House officials said they felt certain that the brewing military confrontation with Iraq influenced Gaddafi's decision to reach out. Their British counterparts acknowledged the value of strong action, but also maintained that Britain's decision to reestablish diplomatic relations with Libya in 1999 was a factor.

Another significant factor, U.S. officials said, was that Libya had become aware that U.S. and British intelligence had developed direct, verifiable knowledge of weapons materials possessed by Gaddafi.

The U.S. hand in the negotiations was bolstered, officials said, by a previously undisclosed interdiction under the Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-led agreement with allies allowing searches of planes and ships suspected of carrying banned weapons or missile technologies. Officials provided no further details.

The United States, Britain and Libya held a series of meetings at a secure location in England. Final details were arranged at a meeting this week in Britain that included officials from the CIA and the National Security Council.

U.S. officials did not publicly discuss the lifting of sanctions against Libya, which have prevented U.S. oil companies from reclaiming their interest in the country's lucrative but antiquated oil industry. The U.S. companies have long been eager to return to the North African nation, but have been stopped by the Pan Am Flight 103 case and the ongoing punishment of Libya for its weapons program and terrorist past.

"Libya can regain a secure and respected place among the nations, and over time, achieve far better relations with the United States," Bush said.

Bush made no mention the crash of Pan Am Flight 103 or the families of those who died.

Susan Cohen, whose daughter was killed when a bomb exploded as the jetliner flew above Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, said she was disturbed by Bush's omission and by the agreement announced yesterday.

"It was a total betrayal," Cohen said. Gaddafi "blew up a plane. God knows, if this can happen, Osama bin Laden can come back."

Bob Monetti, who lost his 20-year-old son aboard the flight, said he remains suspicious of Libya's motives but is willing to give Gaddafi a chance.

"Most of us are in a 'Let's-see-what-goes-on attitude.' If, in fact, they have changed their stripes, maybe we should just get on with it," said Monetti, president of Families of Pan Am 103. "I still don't believe it, but it could actually be happening. It's in our financial interest that some of this happen, and we're still really skeptical about it."

Officials in Washington said the startling developments with Libya began in mid-March -- shortly before the U.S.-led assault on Iraq began March 19. Libya approached Britain seeking talks about its weapons of mass destruction. Through envoys, Gaddafi said he was willing to make a "decisive change," Bush said.

Delicate talks had been underway for two years over the Pan Am case. In the following months, the U.S. and British governments mobilized diplomats, intelligence officers and proliferation specialists to assess Libya's weapons programs and, eventually, to talk directly with Gaddafi's own experts.

As proof of their seriousness, the Libyans invited their counterparts to travel to Libya and inspect sites -- and even the weapons. Experts from the United States, Britain and the United Nations spent a total of three weeks in the country during trips in October and December.

As described by the administration, intelligence officials were given what amounted to a tour of Libya's covert weapons sites and laboratories. Experts met with scientists at research centers that could support biological weapons research and also examined missile research facilities.

"The Libyans were quite open. They provided access to facilities. They provided substantial documentation about their programs, and we were able to take samples and to take photographs and other evidence," a senior U.S. official said.

The official said the Libyans showed the visitors equipment in storage that could outfit a backup chemical weapons production line to reinforce or replace the facility near Rabta, where mustard gas was produced more than a decade ago.

They also revealed "dual-use" chemicals that can be used for peaceful purposes or for weapons, both mustard gas and nerve agent. All the while, the Libyans pledged to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and "committed to destroy all chemical warfare stocks and munitions," the official said.

British officials said that experts were given access to research projects, including uranium enrichment that could be used for nuclear weapons. They asserted Libya intended to develop a nuclear fuel cycle and had made progress in developing the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

A senior U.S. government expert said Libya worked with North Korea to develop extended-range SCUD missiles.

"This is an intelligence victory, it's a diplomatic victory and it's a victory for allied cooperation," said the official, who briefed reporters after Bush spoke.

Much of the information about the chemical, biological and missile programs was well-known before the exchange of information, but the nuclear disclosure was startling and "a little odd," said Joseph Cirincione at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said it made little sense for Libya to embark on a slow and costly nuclear weapons program and wondered how much of the nuclear research was new or simply left over from earlier, now discarded programs.

"Today's announcement is a further step in making the world a safer place," added Blair, who said Britain would continue to pursue talks with Iran and North Korea to end their weapons programs. "Today's decisions show that recent events and political determination are opening up possibilities which just a few years ago would have been unthinkable," he said.

"Today's announcement shows that we can fight this menace through more than purely military means; that we can defeat it peacefully, if countries are prepared, in good faith, to work with the international community to dismantle such weapons. Those countries who pursue such a path will find ready partners in the U.S. and in the U.K., as Libya will see."

"It's a big accomplishment," said Gary Samore, a weapons expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "The Libyan nuclear program was never considered a serious threat. But it's widely believed that for many years -- going back to the Reagan years -- Libya was working on chemical weapons. For them to commit to joining the chemical weapons convention is an important step. It's in keeping with Gaddafi's efforts to patch up relations with the West."

Frankel reported from London. Staff writers Mike Allen, Glenn Kessler, Vernon Loeb and Robin Wright contributed to this report.