Clinton pays unannounced visit to Libya

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unannounced visit to Libya on Tuesday, October 18, to cement relations with the new leaders Washington helped install, offer aid and encourage them to follow through on a promise of swift elections.

Clinton arrived in Tripoli aboard a U.S. military aircraft to begin the one-day visit during which she was scheduled to meet leaders from the National Transitional Council (NTC), civil society activists and staff of the newly re-opened U.S. embassy.

She will announce a set of new programs designed to foster closer U.S.-Libyan ties including U.S. help for treating fighters wounded in Libya's insurrection, resuming student exchange programs and more help for Libya's effort to track down and destroy dangerous Gaddafi-era weaponry, Reuters reported.

Clinton is the most senior U.S. official to visit Tripoli since rebel forces battling longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi seized the capital in August with the help of NATO warplanes.