For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 20, 2004
Message to the Congress of the United States
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.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 20, 2004.
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