US, Libya relations off to a good start

US and Libyan relations are "off to a good start," Condoleezza Rice said as she became the first US secretary of state to visit the North African country in 55 years.

"I think we are off to a good start. It is only a start but after many, many years, I think it is a very good thing that the United States and Libya are establishing a way forward," Ms Rice told reporters at a news conference.

Ms Rice's visit to Tripoli is a tangible sign of warming US-Libya relations after years of enmity, which began to ebb when Tripoli gave up its weapons of mass destruction program in 2003.

The US secretary of state said Washington and Tripoli were working on a "framework" agreement to improve the climate for trade and investment between the two countries, saying many U.S. companies are eager to invest in Libya.

She also said the two countries will soon sign an agreement on educational and cultural exchanges, allowing more Libyan students to study in the United States and more Americans to visit Libya.

"All in all, it's been a very fruitful set of discussions," Ms Rice said at joint news conference with Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Shalgam.