WASHINGTON — The United States plans to expand trade in Libya in
wake of full diplomatic relations.
Libyan business representatives have been invited to the United States
to meet the heads of American industry. The Libyan representatives would
include officials who intend to outline the requirements of the North
African nation.
On June 21, Libyan representatives plan to meet U.S. officials and
business leaders at a two-day conference near Washington. The Libya-U.S.
Enterprise Conference was designed to contribute to the "ongoing healing of
relations between Libya and the United States," a statement by the
organizers said.
In May, the Bush administration announced plans to establish full
diplomatic relations with Tripoli. At the same time, the State Department
said it would remove Libya from the U.S. list of terrorist sponsors.
So far, U.S. companies have returned to Libya's energy sector. The next
target of U.S. industry was believed to be Libya's aviation sector.
"American companies are very much interested in working in Libya,"
Libya's National Oil Co. chief executive officer Shokri Ghanem said. "But
let me assure you that while we have opened our doors, we are not going to
give special treatment to any country."
The Libyan-U.S. conference was designed to provide Americans with an
overview of the business climate in Libya. Organizers said the conference
would also seek to bridge the gap between Libyan and U.S. companies.
The conference would be addressed by Libyan officials as well as
executives of U.S. companies that have established a presence in Libya. The
first such parley was addressed by U.S. Assistant Commerce Secretary William
Lash.
