[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 2 (Monday, January 12, 2004)]
[Pages 24-25]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders on Continuation of the National 
Emergency With Respect to Libya

January 5, 2004

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)

    Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) 
provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, 
prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President 
publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice 
stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the 
anniversary date. Consistent with this provision, I have sent the 
enclosed notice, stating that the Libya emergency is to continue in 
effect beyond January 7, 2004, to the Federal Register for publication. 
The most recent notice continuing this emergency was published in the 
Federal Register on January 6, 2003 (68 Fed. Reg. 661).
    On September 12, 2003, the United Nations Security Council adopted 
Resolution 1506 (UNSCR 1506), ending the U.N. sanctions against Libya. 
These U.N. sanctions were imposed in 1992 and 1993 as a result of Libyan 
involvement in the terrorist bombings of Pan Am 103 and UTA 772, and 
included travel restrictions, an arms embargo, and financial sanctions. 
The UNSCR 1506 lifted these sanctions after Libya addressed the 
requirements of the relevant UNSC Resolutions, including making 
arrangements to compensate the families of the victims and accepting 
responsibility for the acts of its officials in the bombing of Pan Am 
103. The United States abstained from voting on the lifting of the U.N. 
sanctions, and it made

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clear that it continued to have serious concerns about other Libyan 
policies and actions, including Libya's pursuit of weapons of mass 
destruction, Libya's role with regard to terrorism, and Libya's poor 
human rights record.
    On December 19, 2003, Prime Minister Blair and I announced 
separately that Libya's leader, Colonel Muammar Qadhafi, had agreed to 
eliminate all elements of Libya's chemical and nuclear weapons program, 
declare all nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA), accept international inspections to ensure Libya's complete 
adherence to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and sign the IAEA 
Additional Protocol, accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention, 
eliminate ballistic missiles beyond 300 kilometer range, and immediately 
and unconditionally allow inspectors from international organizations to 
enter Libya. Libya's agreement marks the beginning of a process that can 
lead to Libya rejoining the international community, but its declaration 
of December 19, 2003, must be followed by verification of concrete 
steps.
    Despite the positive developments, the crisis with respect to Libya 
has not been fully resolved, and I have therefore determined that it is 
necessary to continue the national emergency declared with respect to 
Libya and maintain in force the comprehensive sanctions against Libya.
     Sincerely,
                                                George W. Bush

Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, and Richard B. Cheney, President of the 
Senate.