The British government said Tuesday that it was delighted that the United States has lifted the remaining sanctions on Libya.

"We are delighted that, in delivering on the historic commitment made on December 19 last year, Libya has become the first country to dismantle voluntarily all its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs under international supervision through a transparent and cooperative process," a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

"We also welcome the fact that, as a result, the United States has lifted the remaining bilateral sanctions in place against Libya, including unfreezing Libyan assets held in the United States," the spokesman said.

The British government was pleased that it has contributed to the process of dismantling Libyan WMD programs and the development showed that "problems of proliferation can, with good will, be tackled through discussion and engagement," he added.

The spokesman also said that the step forward "is also significant for the families of the Lockerbie victims (in the 1988 Pan American plane bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland). Under the terms of the Lockerbie compensation agreement, the lifting of remaining US sanctions will trigger a further payment of compensation for the families."

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2004)