Commons Hansard Debates text for disussion about the crash of Pan Am 103
and the British political views about the recent developments
London, February the 20th, 1997 ***
Lockerbie 20.2.1997
This Table of Contents lists column numbers, headings, time lines and names of Members in the
Commons Hansard Debates text for
20 Feb 1997
Q4. Mr. Tim Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with
President Clinton the consequences for (a) the imposition of sanctions
on Libya and (b) the case against Libyan nationals of the dismissal of
James Thurman from the service of the United States Government. [15310]
The Prime Minister: I have no plans to do so. The case against the two
accused Libyans does not depend on any evidence that Mr. Thurman might
give.
Mr. Dalyell: Has Thurman been reassigned to other duties for fabricating
forensic evidence?
The Prime Minister: I am certainly not aware that that is the case.
If the hon. Gentleman has any information that it is, or any information
that he thinks bears on this matter--
Mr. Dalyell: It is in the New York Times.
The Prime Minister: If the hon. Gentleman will forgive me, I am not
an avid and daily reader of the New York Times. If he has any information
that is pertinent to this case, and would care to provide me with it, I
will certainly undertake to have it carefully examined.
Sir
Teddy Taylor (picture left): As senior Scottish advocates have said
that it would be impossible for the two accused to have a fair trial in
Scotland because of press publicity, and as the Libyan Government have
now stated that they will hand over the two accused to the Arab League
for committal to trial in The Hague or anywhere else, would it not help
those who lost their relatives and friends at Lockerbie to have the issue
resolved? My right hon. Friend is, as we all know, basically a straight,
decent person, so will he endeavour to solve the problem and stop simply
engaging in the throwing of insults? Could we not solve it in the interests
of those who lost their relatives and friends at Lockerbie?
The Prime Minister: I certainly want a solution to this problem. We
would like a solution as much as the relatives, but we need a proper criminal
trial and there are genuine and practical difficulties in trying to establish
such a trial in a third country. I think that many hon. Members, including--if
my hon. Friend will permit me to say so--me, would, on grounds of principle,
find a trial in a third country very difficult to accept.
[Hon. Members: "Why?"]
I shall tell hon. Members why. It could suggest that a trial in Scotland
or the United States would not be fair. I am not prepared to accept that
premise in terms of a trial in Scotland. Nor do I think that it would be
remotely attractive for us to allow alleged terrorists to dictate where
they may or may not be tried. That would be a bad principle. The Security
Council resolutions say that they should be tried in Scotland or the United
States--two countries with a particular interest in the matter.
I have to add that I am very doubtful that the Libyans would deliver
the accused for such a trial, even if one were to be set up, but, for the
reasons that I have set out, the trial should be either in Scotland, which
would be the preference, or in the United States.
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