US renews diplomatic relations with Libya

The United States resumed direct diplomatic ties with Libya today after a 24-year break.

The news came as the Bush administration pursued reports that Moammar Gaddafi had taken part in a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.

The announcement was made in Tripoli by Assistant Secretary of State William J Burns, after talks with Gaddafi, and also at the State Department.

Burns inaugurated a new US liaison office in Tripoli in what was the latest move by the Bush administration to reciprocate for Gaddafi’s promise last December to dismantle his chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes.