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 Other Presidential Documents of restrictions on travel to Libya. It was followed in April 2004 with the licensing of most economic transactions, the opening of diplomatic liaison offices, and the termination of the application of the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to Libya. In September of 2004, after Libya substantially completed elimination of its weapons of mass destruction program, the President terminated the national emergency applicable to Libya and the resulting executive orders limiting economic transactions, authorized United States Government assistance programs to be available to U.S. businesses in Libya, and released Libya's frozen assets. In connection with the latter step, because of remaining court cases against Libya, the United States secured a confirmation from Libya of its policy and practice of carrying out agreed settlements and responding in good faith to legal cases brought against it, including court judgments and arbitral awards. Libya also acknowledged that assets it owns and is introducing into the United States as part of economic normalization would be at risk if it does not implement any resulting court judgments. The Administration has subsequently facilitated discussions between representatives of American claimants and Libya as they explore the possibility of out-of-court settlements. Direct engagement with Libya has also permitted the United States to secure additional assurances of its commitment to renounce international terrorism. In its August 15, 2003, letter to the U.N. Security Council, Libya condenhned all acts of terrorism and pledged to refrain from any form of support for terrorism. In a September 17, 2005, joint statement with Secretary of State Rice, Libyan Foreign Minister Abd al~Rahman Shalgam \177reaffirmed Libya's commitment to the statements made in its letter addressed to the Security Council on August 15, 2003, renouncing terrorism in all its forms and pledging that it will not support acts of international terrorism or other acts of violence targeting civilians, whatever their political views or positions." These assurances have been reiterated on a number of occasions by senior levels of the Libyan Government. In conclusion, the designation of Libya in 1979 as a state sponsor of terrorism was designed to serve several purposes: to put pressure on Libya to change its policies, to provide it with an incentive to do so, a\177d to act not as a permanent designation, but to respond to concrete behavior, both good and bad. It is now 27 years since Libya was designated, and seven years since it began seriously to address our terrorism concerns. After careful review, the President has decided that the record supports the statutorily required certifications that 287

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