Message to the Congress on termination of the national emergency with respect to Libya: September 20, 2004

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 27, 2004 by George W. Bush

To the Congress of the United States:

Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b)(IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") that terminates the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12543 of January 7, 1986, and revokes that Executive Order, Executive Order 12544 of January 8, 1986, Executive Order 12801 of April 15, 1992, and Executive Order 12538 of November 15, 1985. I have determined that the situation that gave rise to this national emergency has been significantly altered by Libya's commitments and actions to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction programs and its Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)-class missiles, and by other developments.

Executive Order 12543 of January 7, 1986, imposed sanctions on Libya in response to policies and actions of the Government of Libya that constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Those sanctions were modified in Executive Order 12544 of January 8, 1986, Executive Order 12801 of April 15, 1992, and supplemented Executive Order 12538 of November 15, 1985.

Based on Libya's recent commitments and actions to implement its December 19, 2003, commitment to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction programs and its MTCR-class missiles, and other developments, I have determined that the situation that gave rise to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12543 has been significantly altered. My order, therefore, terminates that national emergency with respect to Libya and revokes Executive Orders 12543, 12544, and 12801, and lifts the trade, commercial, and travel sanctions imposed against Libya based on that national emergency. The order also revokes Executive Order 12538, which blocked the import of petroleum products refined in Libya into the United States.

While the order formally lifts sanctions under the national emergency with respect to Libya, it will not lift a wide variety of other sanctions imposed on Libya due to its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism under section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act (restriction on foreign assistance), section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (restriction on arms exports), and section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (restriction on exports of certain items on the Commodity Control List), as well as other statutory restrictions applicable to Libya,

I have enclosed a copy of the order, which is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2004.

The White House, September 20, 2004.