Brussels, 22/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - The announcement on Friday by President Bush and Tony Blair that Libya has decided to end its programme of weapons of mass destruction has been welcomed by European politicians.
In a statement, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, welcomes the decision: 'This move will be good for international security, especially in the region. It demonstrates the effectiveness of discreet diplomacy and engagement, which has been the European Commission's consistent approach.' (Prodi had been criticised a few years ago for taking the initiative of telephoning Colonel Gaddafi, Ed.) Prodi said: 'Combined with other positive signs in recent months, this latest announcement marks a further step towards establishing the right conditions for the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Libya and the European Union and its Member States. Hopefully, this undertaking will pave the way for Libya to become fully integrated into the process of building trust, stability and prosperity in the Mediterranean region, notably through the Euro Mediterranean process.' (Libya attended the EuroMed Summit in Naples at the beginning of December as an observer and sent an ambassador to Rome, see Europe of 14 December, pages 14 and 15).
In a separate statement, EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana said Libya 'has its full place in the Euro-Mediterranean process. Its inclusion in this process will be based on the acceptance of the acquis' (of the Barcelona Summit, where the EuroMed process was launched when Solana was Spanish foreign minister, Ed.) Solana went on: 'The step taken by the Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, should be an example to follow by others. Trust and transparency is the best way to reintegration in the international community. The European Union remains fully engaged in pursuit of this objective.'