Here we go again...

Pram -> Toys 

The US is suppose to enter talks about security developments according to the news. they will offer military training, english training and so on. I just cannot help to think that this will be a interesting advancement for the US.


MARCH 4 2010,Gene Cretz, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, said Tuesday that the United States is hoping to "put some flesh" on the bones of American efforts to deepen ties between these two former foes. He outlined a number of steps the two countries might take in the coming year, including closer military-to-military relations, U.S. training of Libyan forces, a new trade agreement, and a human rights dialogue.
MARCH 3 2010,(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is preparing to start regular military talks with Libya this year and hopes to sign a trade accord in April, as the two nations seek to surmount mistrust hampering closer ties, an envoy said. The talks follow such steps in the past year as the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation and an agreement to monitor the use of military equipment sold to Libya, said Gene Cretz, the first U.S. ambassador to the North African country since the 1970s. The regular talks “will form the basis for our security engagement in the years to come,” Cretz told an audience of the Middle East Institute in Washington today. He spoke alongside his counterpart, Libyan Ambassador Ali Aujali. The U.S. plans to help upgrade Libya’s non-lethal equipment such as vehicles to aid in peacekeeping on the continent and offer military education, including English-language training for officers, Cretz said.

hababbi wrote:

I just cannot help to think that this will be a interesting advancement for the US.

In particular, XOM, OXY, Haliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford, NOV...........

Looks like the oil minister gave US companies a shakedown on Thursday.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Libya … story.html

Libya's top oil official on Thursday summoned the local heads of top U.S. energy firms to tell them a diplomatic row with Washington could hurt U.S. businesses in Libya, the state oil company said.

Libya is demanding Washington apologize after a U.S. official made caustic comments about Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Shokri Ghanem, Libya's most senior energy official and head of its state National Oil Corp., summoned executives from Exxon-Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Hess and Marathon.

"He informed these companies of the resentment at the irresponsible statements made by a State Department spokesman to the media," NOC said in a statement.

Okay, so what were the "irresponsible comments" made by the US official????

Google "Apology Libya USA" http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0311073220100303

'OFF-HAND COMMENT'

The Libyan-Swiss dispute has since drawn in the U.S. State Department, which last week appeared to criticize Gaddafi.

Asked about the Libyan leader's "jihad" comment, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley responded dismissively on Feb. 26, drawing a parallel to Gaddafi's one hour and 35 minute address to the United Nations last year.

"It just brought me back to a day in September, one of the more memorable sessions of the U.N. General Assembly that I can recall -- lots of words and lots of papers flying all over the place, not necessarily a lot of sense," Crowley said.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry said the remarks were ill informed and warned that if no apology was forthcoming, "that would have a negative impact on political and economic relations," Jana reported.

On Wednesday, the State Department spokesman sought to calm the dispute but avoided making a direct apology.

"I made an off-hand comment last Friday regarding statements from Libya. It was not intended to be a personal attack," Crowley told reporters.

"That said, a call for jihad against any country or individual has the potential to harm and is not something the United States takes lightly," he said, adding that Washington reserved the right to comment on the actions of other nations.

thanx mudman!!!

Washington eats Humble Pie....

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department apologized on Tuesday for dismissive comments its spokesman made about Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's call for "jihad," often translated as "armed struggle," against Switzerland.

"I understand that my personal comments were perceived as a personal attack on the president," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who made the comments, told reporters. "These comments do not reflect U.S. policy and were not intended to offend. I apologize if they were taken that way."

"I apologize if they were taken that way." - good diplomatic language.  Technically it's not an apology or an admission of guilt.

"I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I said" is not the same as "I'm sorry for what I said".

I know, I've used similar wording before to ex-girlfriends!

anyway....the children are playing nicely again
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Unless you like triangular shaped chocolate