ADVERTISEMENTS
Full of praise
Brown says Libya's renunciation of WMD showed world must construct ‘bargain or a deal or a compact in talks.
L'AQUILA - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday that Libya's renunciation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) offered an "important lesson" amid fears over North Korea and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Brown was speaking to reporters at the G8 summit after his first meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi.
He said Libya's announcement in 2003 showed that the world must construct a "bargain or a deal or a compact" in negotiations.
Group of Eight leaders meeting at their summit in Italy agreed to US President Barack Obama's proposal that a nuclear security summit should be held in Washington ahead of the planned review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Libya and South Africa have both given up nuclear programmes, Brown said, adding: "I think it's particularly important to recognise at a time when we're worried about nuclear proliferation particularly in Iran and Korea that two countries that might have become nuclear weapons states have given up the opportunity to do so, even though they probably had access to the technology that was necessary.
"I think this is an important lesson to the world that we have got to construct a bargain or a deal or a compact between non-nuclear states and nuclear states."
Brown added: "If some countries who might have been able to become nuclear weapons states have been prepared to renounce them like Libya... then it is possible for other states to be part of the international community... but also be states that want civil nuclear power but not to have nuclear weapons."
