"We are hoping to finish up in September," the official said, referring to ongoing talks with the Libyan government over its December vow renouncing weapons of mass destruction and agreeing to dismantle its nuclear, chemical and biological warfare programs.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States hoped to tell Libya that it had a "reasonable degree of confidence" that it had met its December commitments.

But she said there would remain a process whereby consultations could take place with Libya on the issue and through which assistance could be extended to Tripoli as it worked with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The planned conclusion of talks this month may also set the pace for US removal of Libya from its list of "state sponsors of terrorism," which also includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan.

Since Libya's December vow and its earlier agreement to accept responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and pay compensation to the victims' families, US-Libyan relations have soared.

President George W. Bush lifted most sanctions against Libya in April and there is now a permanent US diplomatic presence in Tripoli for the first time since the early 1980s.

In May, Libya drew warm US praise when it announced it had decided to renounce all arms trade with states accused of weapons of mass destruction proliferation.

However, US sanctions related to Libya's alleged support for terrorist groups continue to be in place as the country remains designated as a "state sponsor of terrorism."

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.