The US announced this week that it will send teams to help Libya destroy chemical weapon stockpiles:
President George W. Bush signed an order to let US companies work with Libya to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons, which Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has undertaken to do voluntarily.
In another order, the president waived restrictions on Libya so it can refurbish eight C-130 aircraft the nation bought from the United States in the 1970s. Libya owns the aircraft but never took possession of the planes, which are stored in the United States.
Bush’s actions Wednesday waived certain restrictions of the Arms Export Control Act, which prohibits defense exports to Libya because it is on the State Department’s list of states that sponsor terrorism. The waivers are in keeping with the US commitment to unblock Libyan property in the United States in response to Libya’s disarming.
Last year, the United States moved toward normalizing trade and investment with the North African state, allowing the import of Libyan oil.
