Saif Gaddafi's comments come a day after Libya's official JANA news agency reported that Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdel Rahman Shalgham, received an invitation from his British counterpart Jack Straw to visit London early next year.

Tripoli indicated on 21 December that it would sign an additional International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) protocol, which would allow for snap inspections. The announcement, made by Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem, came two days after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said that the country would abandon its weapons of mass destruction programmes. US President Bush said Libya had made a 'wise and responsible choice' (MEED 23:12:03).