Tripoli faces facts

Libya made the right decision in increasing the levels of compensation paid to the families of the victims of the hijackings and other bombings it was accused of plotting in the 1980s. Following the payments Libya will soon find itself free of the UN sanctions it has faced for a decade.

When the UN Security Council adopts a resolution removing sanctions -- and it is expected at any time -- Libya will be in a position to make significant diplomatic gains. Not only will it finally be able to rid itself of the stigma that is carried by a state that is accused of persistently sponsoring terrorism, it will regain its influence in many international forums, including UN organisations.

By buying its way out of sanctions Libya is ensuring that it has the opportunity to reemerge as a fully fledged member of the international community. This constitutes a recognition of the rules that govern today's world, a world in which there is no room for violent defiance of the will of the US or its close allies.

Statements made by Libyan officials underlining Libya's desire to engage in some form of rapprochement with Washington have met with approval from many Western diplomatic quarters. It would be equally wise on the part of Tripoli to show a similar pragmatism in its conduct of relations with its Arab neighbours.

Libya needs to stop throwing insults and threats in the face of Arab countries each and every time it encounters a hiccup in its bilateral relations with individual Arab states. Curtailing its oft-repeated threats to withdraw from the Arab League, and its habitual delays in paying its financial dues to the pan-Arab organisation, would be a good place to start.