Voice of America, 5 September 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice arrived in Tripoli on Friday saying her visit was proof that Washington has no permanent enemies. Rice is the highest-ranking American citizen to visit the North African state in more than half a century.

This visit to Libya by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice comes five years after Tripoli decided to give up its weapons of mass destruction and renounce terrorism. Washington is now hoping it will be another step in ending decades of enmity and violence.

Shortly after her arrival, Rice said her visit was proof that when countries are prepared to make strategic changes in direction, the United States is prepared to respond. She said it was also an acknowledgement that U.S. Libyan relations have moved forward.

The U.S. Secretary of State has held back from visiting Libya until a compensation package was signed last month to cover legal claims involving victims of Libyan bombings.

Rice is expected to press Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on the compensation deal signed on August 14. The fund set up to compensate victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing over Scotland and the 1986 La Belle disco bombings in Berlin remains empty.

David Schenker, director of the program on Arab politics at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Washington-based think tank on U.S.-Middle East policy says, in his view, Rice's visit did not have to come so quickly.

"I think this is viewed by the administration as the end of a process, I think it is premature, Libya should have paid up. Paid compensation out of this fund to the victims before Secretary Rice went to Libya, but everything's been agreed, and I think that the administration views it as the end of the process," he said.

After her arrival on Friday, Rice met Libya's Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Shalgam and was later expected to have dinner with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who in the past has expressed admiration for Rice.

Rice's visit comes amid a surge in interest from U.S. companies, particularly in the energy sector, to do business in Libya, where European companies have had much greater access in recent years.

Libya's proven oil reserves are the ninth largest in the world, close to 39 billion barrels, and vast areas remain unexplored for new deposits.