Crs Report for Congress: Libya

ISBN-10: 1293246840
ISBN-13: 9781293246849
Series: Crs Report for Congress
Pages: 36
Language: English
Published: 2013-11
Publisher: BiblioGov
Authors: Christopher M. Blanchard, Congressional Research Service: The Libr

Description

On May 15, 2006, the Bush Administration announced its intention to restore full diplomatic relations with Libya and to rescind Libya's listing as a state sponsor of terrorism and a country not fully cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism efforts. The announcements mark the culmination of a period of improvement and rapprochement in U.S.-Libyan relations that began in December 2003, when the Libyan government announced its decision to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction and long-range missile programs. Full diplomatic relations were restored on May 31 when the United States upgraded its Liaison Office in Tripoli to Embassy status. An ambassador nominee has not been named. Observers expect that these changes will usher in a new era in the U.S.-Libyan relationship, which has been strained and hostile for much of the last 35 years. Administration officials have stated that normalization of U.S.-Libyan relations will provide greater opportunities for the United States to address specific issues of potential concern to Congress with regard to Libya, such as Libya's political and economic reform efforts, the development of Libya's energy resources, Libyan human rights practices, and Libya's engagement with Arab and African states. Presidential Determination No. 2006-14 (signed May 12, 2006) certified that the government ...