Embassy: U.S. may lift travel ban to Libya
Steps depend on Tripoli's progress dismantling WMD
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Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has made overtures to the United States.
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(CNN) -- The United States could lift a ban on travel by U.S. citizens to Libya if the African nation continues to make progress on its commitment to end its weapons of mass destruction programs, the U.S. Embassy in London said Friday in a written statement.
The statement followed talks in London between Libyan, British and U.S. officials about the progress Libya has made in keeping its pledge to hand over its weapons of mass destruction, and what reciprocal gestures the Libyan government could expect as a result.
In December, Libya announced it was halting chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. Its cooperation has helped unravel a global network of nuclear technology proliferation, culminating with the confession this week by Pakistan's top nuclear scientist that he sold secrets.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in late December that Libya's nuclear program was in an early stage, but that it had bought components on the black market (Full story).
Libya's progress "has opened the door to better relations with the United States," the statement said.
It said that U.S. and Libyan officials discussed "the possibility of assigning a small number of personnel to each other's capitals given the absence of functioning embassies."
U.S. officials told CNN on Friday that small teams of diplomats could be in place within a few weeks.
"They discussed additional ways to increase contacts between their two societies," the statement said. "This includes the possibility in the near term, assuming continued Libyan progress on its commitments, of measures such as the removal of the restriction on use of U.S. passports for travel to Libya, and authorization for American citizens to engage in transactions related to such travel."
Administration officials have said the United States is likely to allow the passport ban to expire February 24.
In coming weeks, the United States also could send an American medical and hospital assessment team to address Libya's humanitarian situation and could welcome a team of Libyan educational specialists to the United States to "explore future educational exchanges," the statement said.
It added that the United States will continue its assistance to Libya in dismantling its weapons programs and could also support economic and other programs in Libya.
"The United States will continue to approach these issues on a careful, step-by-step basis, with progress in the bilateral relationship dependent upon continued, good-faith implementation by Libya of its own public commitments on WMD, missiles and terrorism," the statement said.
Libya has been trying to end its international isolation for several years.
Last year it agreed to pay $2.7 billion to relatives of the 270 people killed when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up by a Libyan agent in 1988 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Early this year, it also agreed to pay $170 million in compensation to the families of 170 people killed in the 1989 bombing of a French UTA airliner.
Easing the sanctions could allow U.S. oil companies, including Oasis Group, which includes Marathon Oil Co., ConocoPhillips and Amerada Hess Corp., to resume activities in Libya, which they had to abandon when expanded U.S. sanctions forced them to pull out in 1986.
European oil firms such as France's Total and Italy's Agip have exploited the lack of competition from the U.S. to sign lucrative deals in Libya, which produces about 1.4 million barrels a day and is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
CNN State Department Producer Elise Labott contributed to this report.
