Washington: US President George W Bush has renewed the 1986 US sanctions on Libya, saying that Tripoli's decision to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and allowing international inspections of nuclear facilities must be followed by verification of "concrete steps".

"The crisis between the United States and Libya that led to declaration of a national emergency on January 7, 1986 has not been fully resolved, although there have been some positive developments," Bush said in a statement yesterday (Jan 5, 2004).

He said Libya's announcement on December 19 last that it would eliminate its weapons of mass destruction "marks the beginning of a process that can lead to Libya rejoining the international community", but it "must be followed by verification of concrete steps".

"As Libya takes tangible steps to address those concerns, the United States will in turn take reciprocal tangible steps to recognise Libya's progress," Bush said.

However, the statement did not specify the duration of the renewal. The sanctions have been renewed annually since they were first imposed in 1986.