The Obama administration on Tuesday increased US support for Libya's new leaders as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made an unannounced visit to Tripoli and pledged millions of dollars in new aid.
Hillary Clinton is greeted on her arrival in Tripoli Photo: REUTERS
2:47PM BST 18 Oct 2011
11 Comments
U.S. officials said the fresh aid Clinton is bringing totals about $11 million (£7m) and will boost Washington's contribution to Libya since the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi began in February to roughly $135 million.
The officials told reporters travelling with Clinton that it is evidence of the administration's commitment to working with the National Transitional Council as it consolidates control over the entire country and moves to hold free and fair elections.
Clinton met on Tuesday with Mahmoud Jibril, who has taken over as Libya's prime minister, and interim leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.
"Now the hard part begins," Clinton said heading into the meeting, a reference to the country's transition to democracy.
As part of the new aid package, the U.S. will relaunch several educational programs, including Fulbright scholarships and English language training, and help fund an archeological project that will survey eastern Libya, the officials said. In addition, they said Clinton will be stressing the importance of good governance, inclusion, democratisation and diversifying Libya's economy so it no longer is almost entirely dependent on oil revenue.
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Officials said Clinton would also raise the case of the Lockerbie bombing with Libyan officials. Last month, Scotland asked Libya's new authorities to help track down those responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town. It killed 270 people, most of them American.
The only person charged with the bombing – former Libyan intelligence officer Abdel Baset al-Megrahi – was freed on compassionate grounds in 2009 because of illness. His release infuriated the families of many Lockerbie victims.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Clinton's public events in Tripoli, which also were to include meetings with civic leaders that have been kept secret for security reasons.
Most of the new money will go toward finding and destroying thousands of Gaddafi-era shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles that are unaccounted for since the fighting began. Clinton and other senior U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed the importance of dealing with stockpiles of Libyan weapons.
The State Department already has sent 14 weapons experts to Libya and is looking for other countries to contribute to the effort. The new U.S. contribution of some $10 million means Washington will have spent $40 million on the effort alone since the former rebels began making major military progress, according to the officials.
The dollar amount of the medical portion of the new assistance is not yet known but will go to a multipronged program to assist former rebel troops badly wounded in fighting with Gaddafi loyalists, the officials said. There have been about 15,000 wounded during the conflict so far, about 1,500 of whom are now amputees and require specialised care that is not available in Libya.
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Showing 11 comments
Bojan Vukovic
50 minutes ago
Is carpet bombing of Bin Walid part of that "aid package"?
Btw, how come there is no news today from the frontlines? No new videos? Guess CIA embeded reporters to busy running with the rest of the rats... Recommended by 0 person
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ram2009
Today 06:40 PM
She has arrived to take ownership of the country. The Libyans certainly have been liberated. The Libyan Kharzai will need to be protected long term by FUKUS mercs.
jakeinjapan
Today 04:15 PM
Now lets let the Libyan people test out this new democratic system with a proper election... oh that's right .. they are not allowed one..
I think they may have had a better system for the people under Gaddafi than they will be getting under these U.N hired mercenaries..
No more interest free loans or cheap fuel under this lot..
Serg
Today 03:51 PM
Libya freed from oil revenues.
U.S. will give the money that was stolen from Libya with their banks.
The money Libyans American companies will rebuild Libya.
Free elections can only be with the participation of Gaddafi.
In Libya, the largest fresh water lake, it is more valuable than oil.
NATO has destroyed the aqueducts that were built Libyans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
______ ryeatley
Today 04:11 PM
Gaddafi will not be participating in elections. Many different people will, though, and it will be interesting to see how much repression and violence is needed to get people in many areas to vote "the right way".
That's if "free elections" actually happen in the foreseeable future.
perla
Today 03:49 PM
Now we will see Halliburton and it's subsiduaries move in to control everything and UK yapping at the heels of the USA for crumbs.
Trying to get rid of shoulder held missile launchers? Don't be silly. There are at least a dozen different "gangs" that all epect to be in the "ruling" clique. This cannot happen, so the left out bunch of animals will be using the missile launchers against all and sundry.
Could be wrong but didn't the USA supply arms to the Taliban when they were fighting the nasty Russians and look what happened to those arms, they were all handed back.
Dream on this is just the start of terrorists running riot.
ryeatley
Today 03:27 PM
They're giving only this small amount? What are they going to get, in profit from their involvement in this regime change war, from the installed puppet government?
______ hatebigots
Today 03:51 PM
You didnt thought that USA and other nations could give more amounts regularly and this may be the first one?
Same way you didnt think in the victims of Khadafi`s tortures and killers in all your comments, pro-fascist one...
____________ ryeatley
Today 04:08 PM
Ah "hatebigots", who is posting under this name today? Not the same person as I replied to yesterday, that's obvious.
You've missed the point, again - and with your childish "pro-fascist" attempt at an insult, failed again to consider the huge number of Libyans killed by the combined efforts of NATO to change the regime.
You really should consider the wider viewpoint. As I said to you before, your seeming delight that a lot of people - ordinary civilians who happened to support Gaddafi - have been killed, as well as that a large number of anti-Gaddafi ones have been killed, makes you seem just as much a despot as Gaddafi. Recommended by 4 people
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____________ ram2009
Today 06:34 PM
A different 'liberated' Libyan from the embassy,?
SlapYaSilly
Today 03:08 PM
The U.S. is in trouble economically so why are we sending monies to Libya? The U.S. gives out monies all over the world and gets ZERO in return. It seems our representatives (and President) are still out of control, not interested in caring for their own. Hopefully their actions will be judged come election day or another solution is inevitable.
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