Declassified UK reports reveal Gaddafi offered to surrender WMDs for reduced US pressure on human rights

Newly released documents from the British National Archives shed light on Muammar Gaddafi’s willingness to abandon Libya’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in exchange for reduced U.S. pressure over the country’s human rights record, according to a report by Middle East Monitor.

The documents also highlight efforts by Tony Blair’s UK administration to persuade the U.S. thatnormalizing relations with Libya could encourage other nations in the region to follow suit and relinquish their WMD programs.

The discussions between Gaddafi and Blair took place in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Later that year, Gaddafi publicly renounced Libya’s WMD programs and allowed international inspectors into the country to verify compliance. In 2004, Blair became the first British prime minister to visit Libya since Gaddafi assumed power in 1969.

Tensions resurfaced when prominent Libyan human rights activist Fathi Al-Jahmi was detained. The U.S. successfully pressured for his release, prompting Gaddafi to express dissatisfaction over American interference in talks with Blair. Advisors to Blair warned that the Al-Jahmi case could jeopardize Libya’s commitments on WMD disarmament. They urged Blair to communicate these concerns to then-President George W. Bush and emphasize the importance of U.S.-UK collaboration in handling Libya’s human rights issues to maintain progress.

Blair’s engagement with Gaddafi and subsequent consultancy work with authoritarian regimes in the Middle East has drawn criticism from human rights advocates, particularly after the Arab uprisings of 2011.