A US congressional delegation flew to Libya on Sunday aboard a Navy plane, saying it was the first plane flying an American flag to land in Tripoli since President Moammar Gadhafi took power thirty-five years ago.
The bipartisan delegation arrived as US and British experts were preparing to start dismantling Libya's weapons of mass destruction programs with Gadhafi's blessing.
"I'm here to reinforce the positive steps that have been taken by the leader of Libya," said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., who stepped off the plane after a 30-hour trip wearing a pin of the American and Libyan flags, The AP reported.
The delegation was received by a high-ranking local official, Abdul-Latif al-Dali, secretary of the Tripoli People's Congress.
"We are here to let the leaders of Libya know that if they continue the steps they are taking, that's (the restoration of diplomatic ties) a very real likelihood," Weldon said. "Once our governments have completed the process of formal relations, there is no limit to what we can accomplish together."
The delegation was expected to meet with Gadhafi and probably tour a Libyan weapons facility before departing Monday for Afghanistan and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Solomon Ortiz of Texas, the senior Democrat in the seven-member delegation, said a lot can be gained by friendship between both countries. "Hopefully soon, you can also come to the United States and visit," he said to al-Dali.
Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., landed earlier Saturday for a separate visit aboard a civilian plane, marking the first visit by an elected US official in nearly four decades.
Lantos, senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, planned to meet with Libyan officials and possibly Gadhafi and will report his findings to Congress and to the Bush administration, his office said previously.
Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, who helped arrange the visit, flew in from London to be on hand for the occasion.
The other lawmakers on the trip were Steve Israel, D-N.Y.; Rodney Alexander, D-La.; Candice Miller, R-Mich.; and Mark Souder, R-Ind.
Weldon said he didn't know why Lantos was in Libya separately. "I don't know why he did it. I would question why you spend $30,000 to fly across, when you could have flown in on a military plane that had 100 empty seats," Weldon said. (Albawaba.com)
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