LIBYA - July 27 - UK To Seek Tripoli's Help In War On Terror.

A report in The FT says the UK is to send foreign office minister Mike O'Brien to Tripoli within the next two weeks in an attempt to enlist the help of Col. Muammer Qaddafi for the international war against terrorism. (The visit, the first by a British minister in nearly 20 years, comes amidst mounting speculation that Washington and London are preparing the ground for a possible military strike on Iraq). O'Brien is to seek Tripoli's co-operation on intelligence about international terrorism. He will also raise the issue of weapons of mass destruction and urge Qaddafi to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention. At the request of UK PM Tony Blair, O'Brien is to press for help in tracking down Al Qaida members. Foreign Office insiders said on July 26 it would be surprising if the two men did not discuss Iraq, but added that this was not the purpose of the visit. O'Brien will discuss moves Tripoli needs to make in order to comply with UN resolutions. For UN sanctions to be permanently lifted, Tripoli must pay compensation for the Lockerbie, Scotland, bombing and accept responsibility for the bomber's action. The UK also wants Tripoli's co-operation with a London police investigation into the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, a police constable killed in 1983 by a shot fired from the Libyan embassy in London while standing outside it.