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Shell contracts with libya after blair handshake Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2708028http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2708028
Sun 28 Mar 2004
8:12am (UK)
Companies to Sign Deals with Libya after Blair Handshake
By Nick Mead, Political Staff, PA News
British firms are to sign further significant deals with Libya in the coming weeks, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt said today.
Trading with Libya in industries such as oil, health, education and tourism can help “underpin” Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s cooperation against terrorism and make human rights improvements in his country “more likely“, she told the GMTV’s Sunday Programme.
Her comments follow Prime Minister Tony Blair’s historic handshake with Col Gaddafi last week after the man once branded “the mad dog of the Middle East” gave up weapons of mass destruction and renounced terrorism.
The north African country was a pariah for decades because of its involvement in atrocities including the bombing of Pan-Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher and supply of arms to the IRA.
Mr Blair’s visit coincided with announcements that British police investigating the 1984 shooting of WPc Fletcher will visit Libya next month, and that Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell is signing a multi-million pound deal with the country.
Ms Hewitt said it was “better for our world and better for British security to have Libya co-operating with us“, passing on intelligence about terrorism and helping in the investigation of the murder of WPc Fletcher.
She said: “Are we more likely to get advances on human rights inside Libya by recognising the step they have made on weapons of mass destruction and responding to that? Are we more likely to get advances on human rights? Yes, I believe we are.”
Ms Hewitt acknowledged that “oil, of course, is important and in the next few years – the next decade or so – Britain is going to become an importer of gas and then of oil“.
But she said that “while we’re going to have to make sure that we can get secure oil and energy supplies from many different parts of the world“, there are “many other areas for co-operation“.
Trade Minister Mike O’Brien will visit Tripoli next month, she said.
“He’ll take some businessmen with him and there are all kinds of opportunities for trade between Libya and Britain – not least in areas like health and education and tourism,” she said.
The British Council will be opening an office in Libya to develop cultural and educational links.
She said that drawing Libya into the world community of nations had bigger significance than the burgeoning trade and economic relationship.
“That’s what Tony Blair did – and sealed in a sense with the visit last week – by getting Libya to stop being a haven for terrorism and a producer of WMD and actually join forces with us in the war against al Qaida.
“We know from our own history in Europe that countries that trade together don’t generally fight against each other,” she said.
“And the more we can spread prosperity around the world through fair trading relationships, frankly the more peaceful, as well as prosperous, our world is going to be.”
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