Blix dismisses Bush claim that Iraq war forced Libya to give up WMD

[0007]

29-01-2004
Contrary to recent American claims that the war on Iraq forced Libya to give up its nuclear weapons program, former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said argued that diplomacy should be given most of the credit.

"I think the dialogue in Libya started before the war," Blix said, speaking in Stockholm at the first meeting of a new international commission on weapons of mass destruction, of which he is chairman.

"If the Iraqi affair injected a concern in Libya and Iran and North Korea... I really don't know," he conveyed, according to AFP. "One could instead say that the Libyan case shows that you can through diplomacy and through sanctions and through other means obtain a voluntary renunciation of weapons."

US President George Bush claimed last week that the war in Iraq forced Libya to suddenly announce late month that it was giving up its nuclear weapons program. (Albawaba.com)

http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=269283&lang=e&dir=news

[judge_smales]

1. Actually this is a French victory

they've been talking to him for 3-4 years about this.

Like Chimpey is going to admit that.

[0007]

2. Another little lie, 'eh junior?

[maggrwaggr]

3. And Ronald Reagan is responsible for the collapse of the USSR

that's another one I like.

It's a sunny nice day in LA and it's because of ME ME ME!!!

[Flagg]

4. Blix Rules

I love that guy

[0rganism]

5. Well, that's flying in the face of Perle's theory right there

Qaddafi was supposed to be the poster child for the success of preemptive example-making. Whatever will Richard do now?

Oh silly me. He'll lie like a rug. Never mind.

[Justice]

6. Blix Is One Courageous Man

Blix and Scott Ritter have been hammering away in the face of scorn from many people. But because they are credible and persistent, they keep getting interviewed, keep speaking out.

My hats off to them both for keeping the issues on the front burner.

[KissMyAsscroft]

7. Bush taking credit for this is utter bullshit...

Qaddaffi was in talks with the Clinton administration but the hold up was Libya having to accept responsibility for the Pan Am Lockerbie bombing. Once they finally admitted guilt and paid the families of the victims, that was it.

What Bush did was probably offer Qaddaffi an under-the-table deal if he said the reason he was cooperating was because of Iraq.

Of course you would have to have been asleep for years to believe this.

[louis-t]

8. I have posted this before...

Qaddafi really, really wants the sanctions lifted. The amount he is paying to the victims' families is a lot less than he stands to gain if he is allowed to trade with the world again. Libya was never on B*sh's list of evil empires, their so-called WMD programs really don't amount to much and he has not threatened anyone in almost 20 years. Once he replenishes his coffers, we then need to worry about him a whole lot more. That is, unless he truly has reformed himself. Riiiight.