US To Pay Reparations To Libya For Reagan Era Military Actions

Behold the price of diplomacy... a spectacularly ugly bit of moral equivelance.

Libya and the United States Thursday signed a compensation deal for victims of Libyan attacks and US reprisals, paving the way for full normalisation of ties between the two countries.

The agreement was signed by visiting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs David Welch and Libyan deputy foreign minister Ahmad Fituri at the conclusion of a series of high level meetings.

Fiituri told reporters that inking the deal was "the crowning of a long process of exhausting negotiations" and added that "there was a desire on both sides to find a conclusion to this issue."

The deal will see compensation paid for US victims of Libyan attacks in the 1980s and of the US reprisals that followed, Fituri said.

Welch, too, was upbeat.

"This is a very important agreement. This turns a new page in our relationship," he said after the signing ceremony.

"This agreement signed today is designed to resolve the last major historical issue that has stood in the way of a more normal relationship between our two countries," Welch said.

"Under this agreement each country's citizens can receive fair compensation for past incidents. When fulfilled, the agreement will permit Libya and the US to develop their relations."

So the US responded to a state sponsored terrorist attack with a legitimate military attack and the US government says they are all the same, compensation for everyone!

There may be some huge bit of strategic importance to having diplomatic relations with Libya but I'm not sure what the hell they are compared with giving legitimacy and compensation to the guy who ordered the deaths of American civilians.

posted by DrewM. at 06:05 PM

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