美国国会批准了36年来首任美国驻利比亚大使的人选，使得两国关系进一步正常化。
美国参议院星期四批准任命长期担任外交官的吉恩·克雷茨出任美国驻利比亚大使。向利比亚派驻大使曾一直受到一些参议员的抵触。直到利比亚信守承诺，对在上世纪80年代发生的恐怖活动中遇难者的亲属作出赔偿。
利比亚上个月支付了15亿美元，存入一个为在利比亚支持的恐怖袭击中遇难者的亲属设立的基金。这些恐怖活动包括一架美国民航客机1988年在苏格兰上空被击落，以及1986年柏林一个舞厅发生的爆炸事件。
遇难者亲属星期四来到华盛顿，与美国国会议员们一起庆祝在赔偿问题上的和解。他们表示这一事件最终了结。
星期四早些时候，美国国务卿赖斯会见了利比亚领导人卡扎菲的儿子，并敦促利比亚释放一名被关押的持不同政见者。
U.S. lawmakers have confirmed the first U.S. ambassador to Libya in 36 years, further normalizing relations between the two countries.
The Senate confirmed the nomination of longtime diplomat Gene Cretz on Thursday. The move had been held up by some Senators until Libya made good on its promise to fully compensate the families of victims of terrorist acts in the 1980s.
Last month, Libya paid one-and-a-half billion dollars into a fund for families of the victims of the Libyan-backed terrorist attacks, including the 1988 downing of a U.S. airliner over Scotland, and the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco.
Victims family members joined members of Congress in Washington Thursday to mark settlement of the claims, saying closure had been reached.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and urged the release of a jailed political dissident.