Al Jazeera English - Focus - Libyans await economic recovery: "Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, is in a celebratory mood as he marks his 40th year in power.
Not only has he fulfilled his promise to bring home Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence agent convicted of the 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie, but he is also strengthening trade ties with Europe and the US.
Since his 1969 coup which overthrew the monarchy, the former colonel in the military has applied his brand of socialism to Libya's economy in the 1970s, survived a number of military clashes – including the bombing of Tripoli, the capital – with the US in the 1980s, and endured two decades of crippling sanctions.
With Libyan oil now pumping into Western markets, however, Gaddafi is promising to focus his attention on combating corruption and improving the way the state bureaucracy operates.
But ordinary Libyans say they are yet to reap the benefits of their country's newly-restored international status after a period of economic restrictions and unemployment."
Not only has he fulfilled his promise to bring home Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence agent convicted of the 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie, but he is also strengthening trade ties with Europe and the US.
Since his 1969 coup which overthrew the monarchy, the former colonel in the military has applied his brand of socialism to Libya's economy in the 1970s, survived a number of military clashes – including the bombing of Tripoli, the capital – with the US in the 1980s, and endured two decades of crippling sanctions.
With Libyan oil now pumping into Western markets, however, Gaddafi is promising to focus his attention on combating corruption and improving the way the state bureaucracy operates.
But ordinary Libyans say they are yet to reap the benefits of their country's newly-restored international status after a period of economic restrictions and unemployment."
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