Gaddafi: Working with US 'good'
2004-01-26 20:56
Rome - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi welcomed the co-operation between his country and the United States in fighting terrorism, in an interview published in Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica on Monday.
"Co-operation between Libya and the United States is good," he said.
Eight US lawmakers arrived in Tripoli on Sunday for the first visit by a US delegation since Gaddafi seized power in 1969,
Kadhafi said his country's renunciation in December 2003 of efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, made after months of secret negotiations with Washington and London, was not a tactical move.
"Since September 11 (2001) everything has changed. We live in a difficult world and we should adapt to what is happening," he said, adding that there was "nothing extraordinary" in Libya working with other nations.
Inspectors from the United States, Britain and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, have already begun working in Libya to oversee the dismantlement of the country's programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction.
Despite the slight thaw in relations with the United States, the Libyan leader maintained his criticism of Israel.
"There is terrorism by individuals and by states. Both of them should be stopped. If somebody destroys a house with a missile launched from an aircraft, you can't say that's not a terrorist act," said Gaddafi.
"There isn't much difference between a missile and a homemade bomb such as the explosive belts used by Palestinians. They are the same, except the missile is more dangerous," he said.