Gadhafi vows no more terror

SIRTE, Libya — Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said yesterday that his country has turned the page on terror and weapons of mass destruction and seeks better relations with the United States.

Col. Gadhafi laid out the views to three American reporters a day after the opening of the Libyan People’s National Congress, where he had announced “a new era” of cooperation with the United States.

Asked whether that new era had been inspired by the recent demonstration of U.S. resolve and military might in Iraq, Col. Gadhafi suggested that it had been a factor.

“We made our own decision and our analysis on the current world situation, and we came to the conclusion … that we can’t … go ahead with having these programs,” Col. Gadhafi said.

“We are part of the world. This is the reality of the world. This is the policy of the world.”

Col. Gadhafi also spoke positively about recent talks with visiting U.S. congressmen, including Republican Reps. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania and Nick Smith of Michigan, and Democratic Reps. Sylvestre D. Reyes and Solomon P. Ortiz, both of Texas.

“We are very much interested that we are able to understand each other,” the Libyan leader said.

“The problem before was that we were not able, we did not have a chance to sit down with each other and have a dialogue. Now we are able to understand each other.”

The following is a partial text of the interview:

Question: What impact did the Iraq war have on your decision to give up weapons of mass destructions?

Answer: We made our own decision and our analysis on the current world situation, and we came to the conclusion … that we can’t … go ahead with having these programs.

Q: So Iraq was no factor at all, then?

A: We are part of the world. This is the reality of the world. This is the policy of the world.

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