Libya admits Lockerbie

2003-08-16 08:23

New York - Libya formally accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in a letter handed to the United Nations on Friday.

The letter, which follows years of talks with the families of the 270 dead, was handed to the current president of the UN Security Council, Mikhail Wehbe, the Syrian ambassador to the UN, by Ahmed Own, Libyan ambassador to the UN.

"Libya, as a sovereign state, has facilitated the bringing to justice of the two suspects charged with the bombing of Pan Am 103, and accepts responsibility for the actions of its officials," said the letter, copies of which were distributed to the media here.

The letter also said Libya "has arranged for the payment of appropriate compensation" to the families of the 270 victims, a figure not specifically mentioned in the letter but previously said to be $2.7 billion.

"To this end," said the Libyan letter, "a special fund has been established and instructions have been issued to transmit the necessary sums to an agreed account within a matter of days."

An accompanying letter to the Syrian ambassador, also made public and signed by UN ambassadors John Negroponte of the United States and Emyr Jones Parry of Britain, referring to the Libyan letter, said:

"In view of today's correspondence . . . related to the bombing of Pan Am 103, and in light of actions and commitments that form the background for it, the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States of America are prepared to allow the lifting of the measures set forth by the Council in its resolutions 748 and 883 (sanctions against Libya) once the necessary sums referred to in the Libyan letter have been transferred to the agreed escrow account.

Lifting of sanctions

"We expect Libya to adhere scrupulously to these commitments."

The White House earlier on Friday said the United States would not oppose the lifting of sanctions. But it still has concerns about Kadhafi's administration and a dispute with France, which has threatened to block the resolution, must also be settled to get the resolution passed.

A British diplomat said he expected the security council to move quickly.

"We will be able to have a resolution on Monday and we expect a vote very soon," he said.

The Syrian ambassador said he was "delighted" to have received the letters, and expected a draft resolution to be put to the council on Monday.

A US official said earlier in Washington that Libya was to confirm in its letter that it will deposit $2.7 billion into a Swiss account as early as Tuesday, but that amount was not stipulated in the letter, which only alluded to previously agreed upon arrangements.

"In recognition of these steps, and to allow the families' settlement to go forward, the United States has notified the United Nations Security Council that it will not oppose the lifting of UN Sanctions on Libya, which were suspended in 1999," said a White House statement.

But the White House also made clear US reservations about dealing with Libya.

Destructive role

"The Libyan regime's behavior - including its poor human rights record and lack of democratic institutions, its destructive role in perpetuating regional conflicts in Africa, and its continued and worrisome pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their related delivery systems - remains a cause for serious concern," said the statement.

"The United States will intensify its efforts to end threatening elements of Libya's behavior, and US bilateral sanctions on Libya will remain in full force until Libya addresses these concerns," it added.

"Libya must also continue to take definitive action to assist in the fight against international terrorism."

In its Friday letter, Libya said it was "... committed to be cooperative in the international fight against terrorism and it is also committed ... to bring those who are suspect to justice."

Libya pledged "not to engage in, attempt, or participate in any way whatever in the organisation, financing or commission of terrorist acts, or to incite the commission of terrorist acts or support them directly or indirectly."

France has threatened to veto the security council resolution unless Libya boosts compensation to the families of the 170 people killed in the bombing of a French UTA aircraft over Niger in 1989.

The UTA families are splitting only a $33 million settlement.

"We have been very clear (with the French) about the depth of our concern that we move ahead on Lockerbie," said a US official in Washington earlier, referring to talks between Secretary of State Colin Powell and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin.

"I understand the concerns about UTA families, but our bottom-line concern is to ensure that the interests of the families in the case of Pan Am 103 are protected and that we move ahead," the official said.

- AFP