US envoy on historic Libya visit

Burns has played a key role in talks with the Libyans

The US special envoy to the Middle East has arrived in Tripoli as the first high-ranking US official to visit Libya in more than 30 years.

William Burns will meet Libyan leaders for talks aimed at continuing political dialogue between the two countries.

The visit marks improved US-Libya relations after Tripoli's decision in December to scrap its WMD programmes.

After landing at Maitiga airport outside Tripoli, Mr Burns was whisked away by car to the capital without speaking to reporters about the agenda of his visit.

Thaw

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Barnaby Mason says Mr Burns - who is US assistant secretary of state - was expected to discuss further moves toward the lifting of American sanctions on Libya and the restoration of normal relations.

Mr Burns has played a leading part in negotiations with the Libyans - earlier over the Lockerbie bombing and also at last month's London talks, our correspondent says.

Gaddafi revealed the extent of Libya's nuclear programme last year

A few days after the talks, it emerged that American diplomats were being stationed in Tripoli - the first since 1979.

Last month Washington also lifted a long-standing ban on its citizens travelling to Libya and gave the go-ahead to US oil companies to negotiate agreements to resume business there, our correspondent says.

He says the final steps - the lifting of the US trade embargo and perhaps Libya's removal from the list of the countries designated by Washington as sponsors of terrorism - were now expected to be discussed during the talks.

He adds that until all the sanctions are lifted, Libya will not pay the bulk of the agreed compensation to families of those killed in the 1988 bombing of a US airliner over Lockerbie in Scotland.

Libya has accepted responsibility for the bombing, which killed 270 people.

Weapons pledge

On Monday, the international chemical weapons watchdog said it had completed its inventory of Libyan weapons that fall under its jurisdiction.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) survey confirmed Tripoli's earlier declaration on its chemical weapons.

Libya has pledged to destroy the weapons within three years.

Libya has sent all its known remaining nuclear weapons-related equipment to the US as part of a disarmament deal.

The move follows Libya's surprise announcement in December that it was scrapping its weapons programmes in a bid to end its international isolation.