U.S. officials went ahead with disarmament talks with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi even after learning last year that he may have been plotting to have Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler assassinated, USA Today reported on Tuesday.
Negotiations with Gadhafi continued because of the importance U.S. authorities placed on disarming Libya and because they no longer viewed the plot against Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah as a realistic threat after it became known, the newspaper said, citing unidentified officials.
One official said he learned of the charges in “late fall” and others said the Libyans were confronted with the allegations before the Dec. 19 deal in which Gadhafi agreed to shut down programs aimed at producing weapons of mass destruction.
“We made it clear to the Libyans that they had to stop,” the newspaper quoted a U.S. official as saying.
Libya denied the accusation of a plot to kill Abdullah.
Back into the fold
Washington and Britain have welcomed Libya back into the international community after their longtime adversary Gadhafi decided to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction.
Bush administration officials have sought to portray Libya’s decision to give up its weapons programs as a positive offshoot of the invasion of Iraq.
Abdurahman al-Amoudi, an American Muslim activist awaiting trial on charges of illegal financial dealings with Libya, has told the FBI he was a participant in the assassination plot approved by Gadhafi, according to a U.S. government official.
The statement from al-Amoudi was part of a plea bargain to avoid a trial, the official said last week. Al-Amoudi’s accusations were similar to those made by a Libyan intelligence officer in Saudi custody.