Libya: Lockerbie deal close at hand

02/03/99 UPI, BBC + others Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi says he prefers that the two suspects in the Lockerbie bombing be tried in Scotland instead of the Netherlands. Speaking at a rally in the city of Benghazi today on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the people's authority, Gadhafi said the integrity of the Scottish judicial system could not be doubted ``compared to the U.S. courts, where I suspect interference from U.S. intelligence and the Israeli lobby.''

The Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi also indicated that a deal is close to hand over the two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing for trial in The Hague. "We are waiting for the final agreement," he said in a speech broadcast on Libyan TV. Gadhafi said ``an acceptable settlement'' backed by U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan has been reached, thanks to intensive efforts by Saudi Arabia and South African leader Nelson Mandela after the imposition of the 30-day deadline almost scuttled the deal.

Gadhafi called on Libyans to ``trust Mandela and Saudi Arabia and respect their credibility even if Libya loses this case.'' He said Mandela assured him in a telephone conversation Monday night that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is serious about resolving the issue. Gadhafi said, ``We are waiting for the final accord, and we hope to reach a peaceful solution to this case.''

The Libyan leader added saying he had received messages from South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, urging him "not to complicate the deal" on handing over the Lockerbie suspects. "President Mandela urged me not to take the matter to the Libyan people; the Saudis made a similar request," Mr Gaddafi said on Tuesday. The Libyan leader said he trusts Mandela, ``whose word is stronger than the U.N. Security Council,'' and that he has also received a guarantee from Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. He said Saudi Arabia dispatched an envoy to Libya on Monday night.

The BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Barnaby Mason calls the remarks positive and says they appeared to imply that a final agreement on trial arrangements was near. Libyan official media has previously insisted that it is not up to Colonel Gaddafi to hand over the men suspected of the bombing. They say the decision-making power lies with Libyan people's committees. The Libyan leader also said on Tuesday that President Mubarak of Egypt had called him and asked him "not to say anything which might complicate matters".

Colonel Gaddafi then indicated that Libya should put its trust in the advice received from "Mandela and our Saudi brothers". Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is due to arrive in Egypt on Friday for a two-day visit, Libyan sources said on Tuesday. Gaddafi is expected to discuss with President Hosni Mubarak the prospects for the handover for trial of the two Libyans suspected of masterminding the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Sound file: Dr. Jim Swire encouraged by Libyan response

Britain not aware of Lockerbie deal
Britain said on Tuesday that it was not aware a deal on the Lockerbie bombing affair had been agreed, despite a statement from Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi that all sides had "reached a compromise." Asked if the British government had received any confirmation of a deal from the United Nations, a spokesman from Britain's Foreign Office said: "No, not at all." "Over a period of months we provided comprehensive clarifications and assurances through the UN Secretary General. What we've proposed we believe is fair and workable.

"We feel that we've done all we can to reassure Libya that there is no hidden agenda or undisclosed demands and our hope is that the suspects will be handed over as soon as possible," the spokesman said.

Don't Link Gaddafi To Lockerbie, Libya Says

02/03/99 TUNIS (Reuters) - Libya Tuesday rejected U.S. assurances it had no hidden agenda against Tripoli in the proposed trial of two Libyans over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and insisted leader Muammar Gaddafi not be linked to the affair. ``These are tricks aimed at the world's public opinion,'' the official Libyan news agency JANA said in a comment on remarks by a U.S. envoy last week. ``The attempt to link the name of brother Guide (Gaddafi), who owns no executive power, is an ignorance of the decision-making process in Libya.''

In a statement last week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Martin Indyk said ``The ball is now in Gaddafi's court.'' ``If Libya turns over the suspects for trial, ceases its support for terrorism and meets the demands of the U.N. Security Council, it need not fear a hidden agenda from the United States,'' Indyk said.

In a separate dispatch, JANA again rejected the idea of linking Gaddafi to the Lockerbie affair, saying it was the Foreign Ministry which rejected the U.S.-British deadline. ``Brother Guide has no political quality. He is the Guide of the Revolution, inciting the people to exert its power. This subject (Lockerbie) is within the attributions of the Foreign Ministry,'' it said. In rejecting the deadline over the weekend, the Foreign Ministry said: ``It is not possible to discuss a deadline before an agreement on the arrangement and the guarantees that had been demanded by Libya.''

Russia Urges Early Trial of Lockerbie Suspects

MOSCOW (March 2) XINHUA - Russia on Tuesday called for the earliest possible trial in the Netherlands of the suspects in the Lockerbie airliner bombing that killed 270 people. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin told a briefing that the speedy implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolution on starting a trial in the Netherlands of the suspects "meets the interests of the entire world community."

Rakhmanin said that "Noticeable progress" had been made by Libya in implementing the U.N. Security Council resolution on initiation of the trial. "One can say with certainty that over the past ten years the world community has never been so close to the solving of the Lockerbie case," Rakhmanin said. It was very important that all sides continue to cooperate constructively with the U.N. secretariat and abstain from unilateral moves, he said.

Libya has inconclusive meeting with U.N. Chief

02/03/99 UNITED NATIONS, - Libya's U.N. ambassador complained to the United Nations on Monday about the United States and Britain wanting an answer within 30 days on whether Tripoli was going to surrender two men in the 1988 Pan Am jet bombing, diplomats reported. But they said the meeting between Ambassador Abuzed Omar Dorda and Secretary-General Kofi Annan was constructive and low-keyed with Libya giving no clues about the handover of the two suspects, accused of placing a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 as it flew over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 12, 1988. A total of 270 people were killed in the crash.

Dorda is expected to go to Tripoli shortly to discuss his government's next moves, the envoys said, adding that they did not believe negative statements from Libya over the weekend constituted Tripoli's final position. U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said no new letters were exchanged following Annan's written assurances to the Libyan government last week that provided final clarifications sought by Tripoli. He gave no further details.

The United States and Britain on Friday said 30 days was a ``reasonable'' time period for Tripoli to make a decision following six months of negotiations through the United Nations on a trial before a Scottish court sitting at Camp Zeist, a former military base in the Netherlands. Ambassadors from both nations and Annan said then that no new explanations and clarifications would be given. But they did not say what would happen after the 30 days expired. Libya's Foreign Ministry over the weekend rejected any kind of a deadline, saying ``It is not possible to discuss a deadline before an agreement on the arrangement and the guarantees that had been demanded by Libya.''

On Monday, diplomats close the talks said Dorda reviewed some of the past assurances. He has accused Washington of having a ``hidden agenda'' because U.N.-imposed sanctions would be suspended and not lifted when the surrender took place. However, it is improbable that once the sanctions, which include bans on flights, arms and certain kinds of oil equipment, are suspended they could be reimposed. This would take a positive vote of nine council members and no veto from any of its five permanent members.

Uncertain is what would happen after a month should there be no moves to turn over the suspects. Security Council members would probably object to new sanctions if Washington and London asked for them. Russia last Friday was reported to have told Council members that any deadline would not achieve its intended results of turning over the suspects. And Namibia said the Organisation of African Unity would continue violating a flight ban when its members needed to go to Tripoli on OAU business, according to diplomats at the meeting.

The air embargo has been violated about 100 times since August when the United States and Britain no longer insisted that the suspects stand trial in either of their countries.

Arab League condemns Lockerbie ultimatum

01/03/99 The Arab League has condemned the United States and Britain for giving Libya a thirty-day deadline for handing over the two suspects in the Lockerbie bombing. The League's Secretary-General, Ahmad Ben Helli, said such threatening and provocative methods were unacceptable. Libya has also condemned the move and repeated its demand for a lifting of sanctions in return for the handover of the suspects.

Libya: Hague Court Should Hear Case

28/02/99 CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appeared to pull back Saturday from a U.N.-brokered compromise on the 1988 Pan Am bombing case. In a joint statement issued in Tripoli with visiting Namibian President Sam Nujoma, Gadhafi said the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands, was the proper venue for the case -- rather than a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands. ``It is not the authority of the Security Council to deal with the Lockerbie case,'' the statement said.

The statement was read over state-run Libyan Television, which was monitored in Cairo. It was not clear if it was a total rejection of recent efforts to bring the suspects to trial. Libya could be trying to throw the case to the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, because it ruled in Libya's favor in February 1998, saying it has the authority to hear the Lockerbie case. The United States and Britain rejected the ruling of the court, which is the highest judicial body of the United Nations.

Background info: Everything about the Lockerbie judgment at the ICJ in Haag, February 1998

Libya says cannot accept Lockerbie deadline

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters/BBC) - Libya said on Saturday it could not accept a time limit set by the United States and Britain to hand over two Libyans accused of blowing up a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. ``The Great Jamahiriyah cannot accept that its two nationals appear in court before reaching final agreement on the arrangements that would guarantee them justice,'' Libyan television quoted a Foreign Ministry statement as saying

Libyan television broadcast a statement from the Foreign Ministry saying that the latest US-UK demand "could not be talked about or discussed before agreeing on the arrangements and guarantees which the Great Jamahiriyah [Libya] demanded."

Text of Libyan TV statement:
Libya announces that it cannot accept a US-British imposed time limit on handing over the Lockerbie bombing suspects. Libyan TV broadcast this statement from its foreign ministry:

Begin statement - UN sources said that the Security Council did not discuss during its meeting yesterday the issue of the unjust measures imposed on the Great Jamahiriyah [Libya]. An informed source at the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Co-operation said that what had been reported about giving Libya a time limit could not be talked about or discussed before agreeing on the arrangements and guarantees which the Great Jamahiriyah demanded.

The source said: Those who are talking about a time limit do not really want to conduct a fair trial. He affirmed the Great Jamahiriyah could not accept that its two nationals appear in court before reaching final agreement on the arrangements that would guarantee them justice. - end statement.

Background info: Documents from the Libyan Foreign Office concerning the Lockerbie crisis 1991-1998

UK Lockerbie relatives attack new Libya ultimatum

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - British relatives of victims who died in the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing attacked on Saturday the British and U.S. decision to give Libya 30 days to hand over the two main suspects. Dr Jim Swire, spokesman for some of the 270 people who died when the Pan Am airliner blew up over the Scottish town, accused Washington in particular of trying to wreck diplomatic efforts to bring the two men to trial.

``To issue this sort of ultimatum is to sabotage attempts at diplomacy which are on the brink of bearing fruit,'' he told Sky Television. The United States and Britain told Libya on Friday it had a month to hand over the pair, but neither country said what would happen if Tripoli refused. Swire accused the United States of trying to isolate Libya and said the new ultimatum showed Washington had no interest in a Netherlands trial.

``I think it's counterproductive. The American position since the offer of a neutral country trial seems to have been to make these provocative interventions just when diplomacy seems to be making progress,'' he told BBC radio. ``I think it's high international politics and I regret very much that our campaign for truth and justice has become embroiled in it. I think it's a great tragedy,'' he said. But he said he was still hopeful Libya would surrender the two men -- said to be intelligence agents.

``I believe Libya couldn't possibly hand them over just at the moment because it would appear to be caving in to American bullying tactics,'' he said. ``Once that settles down a bit, I think all her major problems have been honestly resolved and that it's in her interests as well as ours...that the two be handed over. So yes, I think it's very likely.''

But he added: "I fear that America has gone along with the British suggestion only because she is sure that the Libyans will not be handed over, so she can then strip Libya of her new-found friends who backed Libya in asking for this sort of trial."
Listen to dr. Swire commenting the 30 day ultimatum

To Reuters dr. Swire said later that day: ``I think any idea of an ultimatum is unhelpful. During the last few months the U.S. position has been unhelpful, basically saying 'the bastards should be handed over','' he said. ``I think probably America sees this as an opportunity to keep Libya as a pariah state.''

``Libya will not want to appear to be caving into U.S. pressure. What Arab state would, for God's sake?'' he said, although he expressed confidence the trial would take place. But after lengthy talks with British legal experts, he is almost certain the suspects will walk free. ``I do think it's quite hard to see how they'll be found guilty as charged. I think they will probably have to be acquitted. I'm not sure that means they'll be innocent, mind you,'' he said.

And to the Courier (Scottish newspaper), dr. Swire said: "US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has been making threatening noises ever since this was first offered. America seems to want to retain Libya as public enemy number one."But I’m satisfied that Mr Blair and Mr Cook want this trial to take place. "They would have to go along with the American position. It would be difficult to imagine the two making contradictory statements but I don’t believe it’s Britain’s intention to try to sabotage diplomacy by threats."

Dr Swire said he did not believe there would be international support for a toughening of sanctions if the deadline was not met.

Background info: All about a possible Lockerbie trial, its evidence and setup

U.N. Council Refuses to Order Libya to Turn Over Bombing Suspects

February 27, 1999 (WP) The U.N. Security Council rejected an attempt by the United States and Britain today to get the council to order Libya to hand over two suspects in the 1988 Pan American jetliner bombing within 30 days.

The 15-nation council, which decided to discuss the matter further next week, also continued for another four months the economic sanctions it imposed on Libya in 1992 and 1993 in connection with the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, most of them Americans. And it heard a report from Secretary General Kofi Annan, the middleman in efforts to arrange a turnover of the suspects, who said, "I am still reasonably optimistic that we will have a breakthrough soon."

Annan agreed that 30 days would be "a reasonable period" in which to expect Libya to act. He added, though, that he sent a new letter to the Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, on Thursday. "They will need a reasonable period to react," he said.

In private, U.S. officials said no decisions have been made about what kind of action the Clinton administration will seek if there is no progress over the next month. The officials said Washington is considering a range of measures, including impounding some revenue from the sale of Libyan oil and putting it into an escrow account to be set up for the payment of compensation to the survivors of the Pan Am victims and of the 171 persons killed in the 1989 bombing of a French UTA jet over Niger.

There probably would not be much backing for any substantial increase in sanctions. Many U.N. members, particularly Third World states, argue that the hardships caused by sanctions are inhumane. The fallout from the controversy over continuing eight years of sanctions against Iraq has caused many countries to conclude that economic penalties are not a proper weapon for the United Nations in any case.

The United States and Britain could act independently of the United Nations. The theoretical range of options runs from military action, which the United States considered in the immediate aftermath of the bombing but now is regarded as unlikely, to withdrawing the offer for a trial in the Netherlands.

The present sanctions, which are reviewed and extended every 120 days, include bans on air travel, freezing of some financial assets and barring sales of weapons and some oil equipment to Libya. Despite their limited nature, the sanctions have hurt the Libyan economy, and Gadhafi has signaled several times that getting them lifted is among his top priorities.

Libya Gets Lockerbie Deadline

27/2/99 - The United States and Britain gave Libya a new deadline Friday - one more month to turn over two suspects for trial in the 1988 Pan Am Lockerbie bombing. There was no clear indication what Washington and London were prepared to do if the deadline passed. Both have threatened further sanctions, and the Security Council has agreed to consider such measures. However, permanent members China and Russia have indicated their opposition.

The 30-day demand emerged during the UN Security council's periodic review of sanctions on Libya, which were imposed in 1992 to compel the government of Libya to hand over the men accused in the crash over Lockerbie, Scotland. The council decided not to change the sanctions, leaving in place a ban on air travel, the freezing of some Libyan assets overseas, restrictions on diplomatic personnel and a ban on the purchase of oil equipment.

However, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Robert Fowler of Canada, told journalists that during their consultations, Council members had not discussed a deadline for a response from Libya to the Secretary- General.

British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said London and Washington were willing to allow another month for the handover because Secretary-General Kofi Annan had expressed ``cautious optimism'' that his diplomatic efforts might succeed.``It's absolutely right to leave him this one last chance,'' Greenstock said. However, a meeting of the 15-member United Nations Security Council was not asked to endorse the deadline, Britain's UN Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock said. He said: "The UK and the US are very interested in a final decision within the next month. "Now is the time for Libya to make a decision."

On Friday, Libyan Ambassador Abuzed Omar Dorda, breaking a lengthy silence on the issue, told reporters that Libya wanted to know ``who was behind this tragedy,'' but it wanted guarantees that the United States and Britain had no hidden agendas. The British Foreign Office had provided such guarantees this week, but Libya wanted similar guarantees from Washington, Dorda said. Dorda also said Libya wanted assurances that sanctions would be lifted - not just suspended - once it turns the men over for trial. According to U.N. resolutions, the measures would be suspended once the men arrive in the Netherlands for trial, and could be lifted 90 days thereafter.

U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh said the United States had no hidden agenda. ``The issue is justice,'' he said. US Ambassador Peter Burleigh said the Security Council "should consider further measures" in a month if there was no response from Tripoli. He said: "This is not some holdover from the cold-war era or a question of regional conflict or any of the normal things that the council deals with. This is a question of justice."

Libya's UN Ambassador Abuzed Omar Dorda pointed out that the full Security Council had not issued the one-month ultimatum. He said: "The council did not put any limited date, and there will be no deadline." Replying to questions from journalists, the Ambassador for Libya Abuzed Dorda said his Government would study the Secretary-General's letter from a legal and political point of view and then reply to it. Libya, he said, expects guarantees that as soon as the two suspects reach the Netherlands for trial the whole issue will become a legal matter rather than a political one.

On Friday, Annan told reporters the time for a trial was now. Speaking to the press, the Secretary-General said he had updated the Security Council on his ongoing efforts in the handing over of the two Libyan suspects for trial in the Netherlands. The Secretary-General delivered a letter last week to the Libyan Foreign Minister, Omar Muntasser, providing further clarifications and explanations in response to a letter from the Minister. The Secretary-General said he was now waiting for a reply from the Libyan authorities.``In my judgment, we've given all the explanation and clarifications that have been demanded by the Libyan authorities,'' Annan said. Mr Annan said: " We are waiting for their decision."

Namibian president flies to Libya despite air ban

TUNIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Namibian President Sam Nujoma flew to Libya on Thursday night, the latest of a series of African officials to defy an air ban on flights to and from the North African country over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. Libyan state television said on Friday that Nujoma, who flew on a Libyan aircraft, was welcomed upon arrival at the coastal airport of Sirte (450 km east of Tripoli) by one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's lieutnants, Abu Bakr Jaber Yunes. The television also showed Nujoma talking with Gaddafi later. African leaders have defied the air ban, in place since 1992, since last June's summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) asked member states to ignore it.

Libya sanctions to be extended amid US warning

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - With Libya having failed to surrender two men accused in the 1988 Pan Am jet bombing over Scotland, the U.N. Security Council was set late on Friday to extend sanctions against Tripoli for another four months. At the same time the United States and Britain are expected to warn Tripoli that time was running out for the handover of the two suspects and that neither country would continue to give Libya further assurances or clarifications.

``There are no further clarifications. It is decision time,'' a U.S. official said in reference to exchanges with Libya passed through the United Nations over the past six months. Derek Fatchett, a minister of state in the British Foreign Office visiting New York, told reporters: ``We have clarified all those issues Libya said were issues of concern. There is no more clarification that can be made.''

Diplomats said the two countries might set a 30-day deadline for the surrender of the two alleged Libyan intelligence agents, Abdel Basset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah. Otherwise they could withdraw the offer to have the them tried in the Netherlands as Tripoli wanted. The sanctions, reviewed and extended every 120 days, can be suspended if the two Libyans arrive in the Netherlands for trial. They were imposed in 1992 and toughened in 1993 and include bans on air travel, weapons, some financial assets, some types of oil equipment but no oil embargo.

President Bill Clinton promised in December to push for more sanctions if the two men were not extradited. But it is extremely doubtful there is support for additional sanctions in the council. One U.S. proposal, envoys said, is to impound some oil revenues, currently not touched under the sanctions. The funds would be used to compensate relatives of the victims from the Pan Am flight as well as the 171 people who perished in the 1989 mid-flight bombing of France's UTA Flight 772 over Niger.

U.N. sources say Annan, who will report to the council on Friday, also says his office will provide no further explanations to Libya until it makes a decision. Libya's U.N. ambassador, Abuzed Omar Dorda, has told Arab envoys that Tripoli was satisfied with British clarifications but was still worried that the United States would be able to reimpose sanctions once the two men were handed over. To reimpose the embargoes would take nine positive votes and no veto from any of the council's five permanent members, a nearly impossible feat.

Progress in Pan Am Suspect Handover

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Britain's U.N. ambassador said Thursday there has been movement in recent days in negotiations with Libya for the handover of two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet. ``But whether that movement is enough remains to be seen,'' Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said. Greenstock declined to elaborate but said he remains optimistic that Libya may send the two men for trial in The Netherlands before the U.N. Security Council meets Friday to review sanctions against Libya.

Britain says Lockerbie handover now up to Libyans

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Britain said on Wednesday it had gone as far as it could in giving assurances to Libya, which now had to decide whether to surrender two men accused of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Scotland. ``We have clarified all those issues Libya said were issues of concern,'' Derek Fatchett, a minister of state in the Foreign Office told a group of reporters. ``There is no more clarification that can be made. The Libyans know that and know they have to make a judgment. It is up to them,'' he said.

The United Nations since August has been fielding questions from Libya to the United States and Britain on the terms of a trial before Scottish judges sitting in the Netherlands and the detention of the two Libyans at Barlinnie prison in Scotland, if they are convicted. The Security Council on Friday is due to extend sanctions against Libya unless Tripoli surrenders the two men suspected of placing a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded on Dec. 21, 1988 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie.

The United States is expected to press for more sanctions against Tripoli if the two are not handed over but council members say there is little support. Fatchett said one of Libya's main concerns had been resolved: whether the two would be subject to interrogation from intelligence agencies while in prison, if convicted. ``They have a right to silence under Scottish law,'' he said. ``I would hope that we have resolved that concern to the satisfaction of the Libyans,'' he said.

American families of the victims have been particularly concerned about a pledge to Libya that ``the trial is not intended to undermine the Libyan regime.'' This might mean that only the defence could open the topic of whether the two, believed to be intelligence agents, acted under orders -- or they could plead guilty, analysts said. Fatchett, in answer to queries said, ``The charges are against the two, not against the government of Libya. The trial is about who was responsible and whether these two were responsible.''

Libya denies blocking Lockerbie trial

TUNIS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Libya denied on Wednesday it was putting obstacles in the way of a trial of two Libyans accused of blowing up a Pan Am jet over Scotland in 1988, and accused the United States and Britain of doing so. The official Libyan news agency JANA said it was not Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was blocking a trial of the two men before a Scottish court in the Netherlands.

``How could the West say that someone who acts to check on the necessary guarantees for his citizens was manoeuvring, forgetting that this was a natural right for Libya to secure a fair trial to its sons,'' JANA's diplomatic editor said. ``A trial in a third country was a Libyan proposal...and the other parties (the U.S. and Britain) continue to manoeuvre to put obstacles to the trial and therefore not to reach truth because these parties have no evidence the two Libyan suspects were guilty,'' he added. The agency was commenting on reports quoting unnamed Western diplomats at the U.N. as suspecting Gaddafi of manoeuvring in the aftermath of the airliner bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Diplomats close to the negotiations said Libya's Foreign Minister Omar Mustafa al-Montasser again raised concerns that U.N. sanctions would be suspended, not lifted, and questioned arrangements for the two Libyans at Barlinnie prison near Glasgow in Scotland, should they be convicted.

Lockerbie assurance unneeded, Libya says

TUNIS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Libya said on Sunday it was having a good laugh at suggestions that its government might be undermined by prosecutors' questions and arguments if two suspects face trial for the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing. ``The diplomatic editor of the Libyan news agency JANA laughed at those media that still believe that Libya has a regime similar to that of other societies,'' JANA said. ``The Libyan popular system is stronger than any system in the world, and therefore cannot be weakened and doesn't need any protection whatever,'' it added.

The agency was commenting on reports that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a letter to Libya on Wednesday with clarifications over the arrangements for a trial of two Libyan suspects by a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands . Diplomats at the U.N. told Reuters Annan was proposing that Scottish prosecutors should not attempt to undermine the Libyan government, adding the trial would still need to delve into the motives behind the bombing which destroyed a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie Scotland and killed 270 people. The JANA dispatch was the first public Libyan comment on Lockerbie since Annan's letter was sent to Tripoli as a result of mediation efforts by South African and Saudi envoys.

A few hours later, JANA came back with a new comment protesting against New York Times and Herald Tribune reports on Friday citing the name of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in comments on Lockerbie. ``Inserting the name of Brother Guide (Gaddafi)...can only lead to the return of the (Lockerbie) affair to point zero,'' it said. Decision-making in Libya is in the hands of grassroots popular congresses, who are Gaddafi's followers, JANA said. Libya repeatedly stresses that Gaddafi is not officially the head of the state, but the ``Guide of the Revolution.''

On Friday, a Libyan envoy at the U.N. had made some preliminary observations on Annan's letter, but it was not clear whether Libya would announce a definite decision to extradite the suspects ahead of the Security Council review of sanctions on Friday. Sources said Libya, which indicated earlier it was willing to hand over the suspects, wanted assurances that sanctions imposed in 1992 would be lifted, not merely suspended, when the accused arrived in the Netherlands.

Moussa: Agreement is near for settling Lockerbie incident

2/17/99 After he came back from Tripoli where he delivered a message from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said that "a final agreement on the Lockerbie incident is expected within the few coming days." He added that the coming days will witness agreement on what had remained of details concerning this issue, especially as guarantees Libya has asked for no longer constitute an obstacle for maintaining a solution.

Moussa expressed his hope that what had been so far achieved would be conducive to lifting sanctions from Libya. Replying to a question on his air flight to Libya, Moussa said he did not violate the air embargo imposed by the UN since 1992. For his part, Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid welcomed the efforts made by Saudi Arabia and South Africa to end the crisis and to make a genuine detente in settling this crisis. In an interview with Sawt al-Arab radio on Tuesday, the AL chief said that the Libyan position, which is backed and fully supported by the AL, is positive and constructive.

He expressed his hope to close the issue of the Lockerbie crisis very soon and to reach a solution which pleases all sides concerned. He stressed the readiness of the AL to move on all levels to support the Libyan position towards this crisis.

Libya Has Questions About Annan Letter On Lockerbie

19/02/1999 UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Libya has raised some questions about a letter that Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent to Tripoli in hopes of clearing the way for the trial of two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, a U.N. spokesman said Friday. ``The Libyan ambassador, Ambassador (Abuzed) Dorda, has made some preliminary observations on the secretary-general's letter. We are now studying those,'' U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters.

He did not say what issues Dorda had raised but said they were ``presented orally and informally.'' Another source said Libya wanted assurances that sanctions against it would be lifted, not merely suspended. Annan's letter, sent Wednesday, contained clarifications about arrangements for the two Libyan suspects to be tried before a Scottish court in the Netherlands. Annan said earlier this week his letter offered the Libyans ''clarifications and answered some of their questions'' and he hoped it would be ``sufficient for us to move forward.''

The letter was reported to have included an assurance that once the two arrived in the Netherlands, sanctions that the Security Council imposed on Libya in 1992 and strengthened in 1993, would be suspended. To reimpose them would require a positive vote by at least nine members of the 15-member Security Council and no veto by any of the five permanent members --- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China. Such a vote to reimpose sanctions is widely regarded as unlikely.

The international Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat quoted diplomatic sources Friday as saying Annan's assurance about suspending sanctions was ``not as comprehensive as Libya wanted.'' Annan's letter was also reported to have told Libya that the Scottish prosecutors would not attempt to undermine the Libyan government; that U.N. monitors could ensure the suspects would not be interrogated by British or American security services; and that, if convicted, they would have the right to appeal to a similar Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands.

Three Security Council members to oppose more Libyan sanctions: Egypt

CAIRO, Feb 17 (AFP) - Three permanent members of the UN Security Council -- China, France and Russia -- have promised not to renew sanctions against Libya over the Lockerbie case, Egypt's UN ambassador Nabil al-Arabi said in remarks published Wednesday. "Three permanent members of the Security Council have promised to oppose continuing Sceurity Council sanctions against Libya if the United States and Britain ask for them," he told the government's Al-Ahram paper.

China, France and Russia are the only other permanent members of the council in addition to Washington and London. "Libya wants to make sure that the sanctions will be definitively lifted" once the two Libyan suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing are extradited or trial in the Netherlands, he said. "It fears the United States or Britain may issue new demands and order the continuance of the sanctions," he said.

Libya's Justice Secretary on Lockerbie Case

Subslug: Interview with Muhammad Abu-al-Qasim al-Zawi, Libyan Secretary of Public Security and Justice, in Amman, Jordan, by Khalid Amin; date not given

[Amin] Is there anything new in the Lockerbie crisis?

[Al-Zawi] Everybody knows that Britain and the United States agreed to the Arab League's initiative, which Libya also accepted. This initiative stipulates that the suspects undergo trial in a third country before a Scottish judge. It was agreed that this country would be the Netherlands. We held contacts with the United Nations and we presented several proposals on the need for a neutral trial and also on the measures that should be taken during the transfer of the suspects to the Netherlands. Britain and the United States responded to our queries and there is nothing left but a few simple details.

[Amin] What are they?

[Al-Zawi] They concern where they would serve their sentence if convicted. Britain, backed by the United States, says that Scotland is the place where they should serve their sentence, but Libya opposes this opinion.

[Amin] Why?

[Al-Zawi] We believe that this initiative on which we agreed has to do with a Scottish court that would convene in special circumstances and for a specific purpose. The trial would be held in the Netherlands without a jury. Therefore, we believe that the Netherlands should be the last point the suspects reach. If they are found innocent they should be returned to Libya immediately, and if they are convicted they must serve the sentence handed down to them in the Netherlands and not Scotland.

[Amin] Allow me, Minister, can you explain Libya's insistence that they serve the sentence in the Netherlands and not Scotland?

[Al-Zawi] Libya has already made a concession and agreed to hold a trial in a third country. Libya believes that Scotland is a party in the case. Why all this inflexibility by the United States and Britain and their refusal to let the Netherlands host the trial?

[Amin] Then Libya views the problem as intransigence by the United States and Britain?

[Al-Zawi] Libya regards the whole process as unjustified intransigence that is nothing more than an attempt to humiliate Libya and the Arabs and we have rejected this attempt since the start. We also refused to hand over the suspects to America and Britain and agreed to a trial in a third country as a sign of flexibility so that the issue would not be the cause of more tension in the area and the Arab world. We were backed in this by African countries and the Nonaligned Movement.

[Amin] Is there anything new now?

[Al-Zawi] There are attempts to bridge the gap between Libya and America and Britain and these being made by Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar Bin-Sultan and South Africa's President Nelson Mandela. We hope that an understanding will be reached on this point.

[Amin] Would the leaning toward Africa be at the expense of Libya's ties with the Arabs and would Libya move away from the Arab world?

[Al-Zawi] Turning to Africa is not something new, since Libya is part of the African continent and a big part of the embargo and the conspiracy attempts against Libya's revolutionary regime stems from the position that Libya took in support of the freedom movements in Africa. In addition, African countries bravely stood by Libya against the oppression and during the [OAU] summit in Ouagadougou they decided to end the siege against Libya as of 1 September 1998 if Britain and America did not agree to one of the solutions submitted by Libya. The African countries kept their promise and African planes land in Tripoli now. The pressure in the current circumstances is now a mirage. The Arab nation does not want to take a simple step toward unification. Arab countries usually submit to the will of countries that are hostile to Arab aspirations. Therefore, a revolutionary like Colonel al-Qadhdhafi had to be realistic and cooperate with those who want to go forward.

[Amin] How does Libya view Egypt's position on Libya's causes and would Libya's inclination toward Africa affect ties with Egypt and the other Arab countries?

[Al-Zawi] Undoubtedly, there is much appreciation of Egypt and President Mubarak, who stood by Libya and backed its causes. Libya appreciates this and our ties with Africa will not affect our ties with Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries.

Annan sends Libya letter on Lockerbie trial plans

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 17 (Reuters, AP, BBC) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a letter to Libya on Wednesday with clarifications about arrangements for the trial of two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland. His spokesman Fred Eckhard said the letter had been ``signed by him and picked up'' by Libya's U.N. ambassador Abuzed Dorda. Annan, in answer to queries earlier said, ``We have offered clarifications and answered some of their (the Libyans') questions and I hope that the understandings contained in the letter will be sufficient for us to move forward.''

Mr Annan said he was optimistic that the letter would answer Libya's concerns: "We have offered clarifications and answered some of their questions. I hope that the understandings contained in the letter will be sufficient for us to move forward." Asked if he had discussed the contents with the United States and Britain, as well as Libya, he replied, "I hope the letter will be acceptable to all of them."

Background info: The Libyan UN mission in New York (has Lockerbie documents on their website)

At issue is the handing over by Libya for trial before a Scottish court sitting at Camp Zeist, a former military base in the Netherlands, of two suspects in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie in which 270 people were killed, including 11 on the ground. Libya confirmed over the weekend that it was willing to extradite the two alleged intelligence agents for trial but it first requested certain written assurances. Diplomats told Reuters on Tuesday Annan was proposing, with U.S. and British agreement, that Scottish prosecutors should not attempt to undermine the Libyan government.

``The prosecution team cannot have as its objective to get at the Libyan regime,'' said one envoy close to the talks, but added the trial would still need to delve into the motives behind the bombing. Annan was also expected to tell Libya U.N. monitors could ensure the suspects -- Abdel Basset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah -- would not be interrogated by British or American security services. If convicted, they would have the right to appeal to a similar Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands and, if they lost their appeal, would have regular access to Libyan consular services while serving their sentence at Barlinnie jail, near Glasgow.

"We are close, but the language is still being negotiated," said one U.S. source. "There probably will be language that talks of 'not undermining' the Libyan regime and that says the trial will be limited to matters pertaining specifically to the Lockerbie case. But we are not agreeing to anything that would permit Tripoli to bar full disclosure of who and what was involved in the bombing."

To that end, the sources said, Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering traveled here for discussions with Annan that the sources predicted are likely to continue into Wednesday. The sources acknowledged that the Clinton administration faces the delicate task of ensuring that the suspects are brought to trial under conditions that will satisfy the already suspicious families of the Lockerbie dead that undue concessions are not being made to the Gadhafi government.

Reactions:
Susan Cohen of Cape May, New Jersey, whose 20-year-old daughter Theodora died in the crash along with 34 other Syracuse University students, said she felt betrayed when she learned no attempt would be made to undermine the Libyan government. ``I'm afraid we will never hear the things we need to know. ``These guys are low-level operatives,'' she said in a telephone interview. ``This is a victory for the Libyans,'' who will have U.N. sanctions suspended. ``It is a total disaster.''

from 15/02/99

Egyptian foreign minister visits Libya (to lobby for Lockerbie ?)

TUNIS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa arrived in Tripoli on Monday and reiterated Egypt's support for the ending of sanctions on Libya through a solution to the Lockerbie affair, Libyan state radio said. The radio said Moussa arrived aboard an Egyptian aircraft and was welcomed at Tripoli airport by Libyan Foreign Minister Omar Mustafa al-Montasser.

``Egypt insists on the need to reach a solution to the Lockerbie affair in order to lift sanctions imposed on Libya,'' the radio quoted Moussa as saying on arrival. Moussa said his visit was part of the two countries' consultations on the situation in the Arab region and in Africa, the radio added. It was not clear whether Moussa's flight to Tripoli had been cleared by the U.N. committee monitoring the sanctions.

South Africa says there is Lockerbie breakthrough

13/02/99 CNN/Reuters/BBC etc. South Africa said Saturday a diplomatic stalemate over the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing had been broken by envoys from Pretoria and Saudi Arabia in talks this week with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. ``Everything has been resolved and the matter is now in the hands of the secretary-general of the United Nations,'' President Nelson Mandela's spokesman, Parks Mankahlana, told Reuters. Mandela's chief of staff, Jakes Gerwel, and Saudi Arabian special envoy Prince Bandar bin Sultan met Gaddafi this week to seek Libya's agreement to hand over two suspects for trial by a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands.

A South African government source said undisclosed agreement had been reached on where the suspects would be tried and on where they would serve their sentences, if found guilty. Gerwel has visited Tripoli repeatedly since Mandela first sought personally to broker an accord late in 1997 and reported after a visit earlier this year that agreement was close. ``We are happy to be able to announce that positive results were achieved in these discussions and that common understanding was reached on all outstanding issues on this matter,'' a statement from Mandela's office said.

The Saudi mediators have given U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan the details of a deal allowing two Libyan suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing to be tried in a Scottish court, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported on Saturday. The London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted informed sources at the United Nations as saying that the details of the agreement were worked out after mediators managed to persuade Britain "to provide special privileges in jail for the two suspects if convicted."

Mediators from Saudi Arabia and South Africa have been trying to secure Libya's agreement to hand over the two suspects -- Abdel Basset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah -- for trial at a Scottish court in the Netherlands. "An informed source at the United Nations said that the Saudi team presented United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan the latest details of the agreement and described it as a big success for all the parties and an end to a big and complex crisis," Asharq al-Awsat said. Britain's Foreign Office said on Friday that the United Nations could monitor the treatment of two Libyan suspects if they were jailed in Scotland.

Asharq al-Awsat said that Saudi Arabia's Ambassador in Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who had visited Libya as part of the mediation effort, had confirmed that "positive results" had been reached. "This is a happy day for the Libyan, Arab and African people and to all peace-loving people," the paper quoted Prince Bandar as saying. South African Mankahlana said he could give no further details on the breakthrough as it would undermine the authority of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan who had been handed a report on the talks and who would take the matter further.

Reactions:
In London a foreign office spokesman said the government was ``broadly encouraged'' by the reported breakthrough but was waiting for confirmation from Annan. Dr Jim Swire of the UK Lockerbie Relatives support group said on Saturday that some problems with the trial seemed to have been resolved. "I think that it's likely that the two will soon be handed over. It's important that this information is coming from South Africa," he said. He also said: "A statement from South Africa is important because Nelson Mandela's people have been in these negotiations for years. But it would be rash to attach too much importance to any one statement. This is really just another piece in the jigsaw, although I am getting the impression that we are gradually moving closer."

...and more reactions and news:
Libya, which appears willing to hand over the suspects in the 1988 airliner bombing over Lockerbie, wants written guarantees from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan before surrendering the two men, senior diplomats close to the negotiations said Saturday after the above breaking news. ``So don't expect anything to happen quickly,'' one highly placed source said, adding that any papers would have to be shown to American and British officials first. The message on the breakthrough was conveyed to Annan by Rihab Massoud, the deputy chief of mission of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington at a meeting between the two at U.N. headquarters in New York Friday.

Massoud said Libya had asked for ``understandings,'' which had been reached orally, to be put in writing. Annan is drawing up papers he would show to U.S. and British officials before submitting them to Libya, the diplomats said. ``The Libyans want understandings that have been reached in writing. Now it is in the secretary-general's court to write something up. Then has to show it to all three -- the United States, Britain and Libya -- before it is final,'' one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Annan's spokesman Fred Eckhard said the secretary-general was encouraged ``by the important progress'' in resolving the Lockerbie issue. ``He is now looking forward to the speedy conclusion of this matter,'' he said.

The Libyan government confirmed later today that a breakthrough had been reached in the diplomatic standoff over the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing. ``Positive results have been reached towards a settlement of the so-called Lockerbie issue after great efforts made by Saudi Arabia and South Africa, as confirmed by statements issued by these two countries,'' the Foreign Ministry said. ``Accordingly, (the Foreign Ministry) believes that the forthcoming (U.N.) periodical review of the unjust measures on the Great Jamahiriya (Libya) should lead to the lifting of these measures in harmony with the positive results which had been achieved so far,'' the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Libyan news agency JANA.

Earlier on Saturday, Libya warned that any tightening of the UN sanctions imposed over its refusal to surrender the men would only "close the doors to the negotiations". The warning, carried by the Libyan news agency, Jana, came after reports that the US was pressing for tougher sanctions when the UN embargo on Libya is reviewed in two weeks.

US reactions:
In Washington, U.S. National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley commented on Saturday on the latest developments in the case, including Libya's confirmation of a breakthrough. ``We're aware that discussions continue between Libya and various parties regarding the Lockerbie case,'' Crowley said. ``Obviously we'll wait and see how this develops in the coming days. Libya's responsibility remains to turn over these suspects for transport to the Netherlands for a trial that is long overdue.''

State Department deputy spokesman James Foley said the United States had not heard from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Washington's sole link to talks aimed at trying the suspects, and aid he was not ready to conclude that a deal had been reached. ``We would be pleased, of course, if the reports were true,'' Foley said. ``But the only measure of proof will come with the actual transfer of the prisoners to the custody of the secretary-general.'' ``We've seen press reports concerning Libya's possible agreement to comply with the U.N. Security Council resolution, but we cannot confirm these reports,'' said Foley. ``If there are any developments in this case we would expect to hear of them from the secretary-general.''

UK reactions:
The British Foreign Office has said it was "broadly encouraged" by signs that a breakthrough on the Lockerbie trial stalemate may be imminent. he Foreign Office spokesman said: "There has been correspondence between Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Nelson Mandela, communicated to Kofi Annan's office. "We are broadly encouraged by reports of this movement but we await confirmation of the Libyan position from Kofi Annan's office. "In the meantime we are staying closely in touch with them."

New Lockerbie offer from Britain to Libya

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Britain and the United States have made a new effort to break the stalemate over the Lockerbie airliner bombing, saying the U.N. could monitor the treatment of two Libyan suspects if they are jailed, the Foreign Office said on Friday. Libya has declined to let the two suspects face trial on neutral ground for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, saying it does not want them to serve their prison sentence in Scotland if convicted.

But Britain and the U.S. have proposed that the U.N. could monitor the suspects' treatment in jail in Scotland if they are convicted, the Foreign Office spokesman said. He said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had approved the proposal and passed it on to Libya in the last two weeks, and was waiting for a reply.

``In order to counter Libyan claims that these people would be denied their human rights, we've said we would be happy for U.N. monitors to attend the jail and ensure they weren't maltreated in any way,'' the spokesman said. He said the U.N. monitors would make sure the suspects would not be interrogated by British or American police or security services, one of the Libyans' concerns. The prisoners' dietary, religious and cultural needs would also be respected, the spokesman said. Libya could also open a consulate in Scotland to have an official presence nearby, he said.

Background info: Official UK Foreign Service website about Lockerbie with transcripts, governmental information and news.

South African Envoy Meets Gaddafi On Lockerbie

Feb 11, 1999 TUNIS (Reuters) - South African envoy Jakes Gerwel has met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in a fresh bid to break the diplomatic stalemate over the Lockerbie airliner bombing, diplomats said Thursday. A Saudi-owned newspaper published in London, Asharq al-Awsat, meanwhile reported that agreement was ``imminent'' for Libya to let two suspects face trial on neutral ground for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland. ``Gerwel was in Libya from Monday to Wednesday when he flew to London before heading back to South Africa,'' a North Africa-based diplomat told Reuters.

He said Gerwel, who is President Nelson Mandela's chief of staff, had met Gaddafi but would not elaborate on the results of the talks. Because of an U.N. air ban on flights to and from Libya imposed on Tripoli since 1992, Gerwel entered Libya by road from Tunisia. The visit was the last in a flurry of diplomatic moves in which U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Saudi Arabia envoy to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Gerwel himself tried to provide Gaddafi with clarifications on a U.S.-British proposal for a trial of the suspects in the Netherlands.

Asharq al-Awsat's report that a deal was at hand was datelined London. ``Informed sources spoke to Asharq al-Awsat of an imminent settlement of the Lockerbie crisis,'' it said. ``The sources said an announcement of the settlement was imminent and expected any minute unless unforeseen obstacles emerged,'' the paper said. ``The sources refused to give details, but expected an imminent official Libyan statement.''

Libyan minister raises new Lockerbie objections

BBC/Reuters 09/02/99 Libya appears to have toughened its stand on the possible prison venue for two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie case. According to reports, the Foreign Minister, Omar Mustafa al Montasser, said that if the men were found guilty they would have to serve their sentences in Libya. He was commenting on a statement by the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, who yesterday said that there would be no alternative to a prison sentence in Scotland. ``There is no alternative to serving any sentence in Libya,'' Montasser told Reuters in Tunis. ``If we were to accept that they be jailed in Scotland, we would have accepted such a trial years ago,'' he said.

The issue is one of the main stumbling blocks holding up a trial in the Netherlands . Montasser said that some progress had been made on guarantees of a fair trial as a result of contacts with the United Nations and ``talks in general terms'' with South African and Saudi envoys, but some ``touching up'' was still needed. ``There has been noticeable progress on the (trial) guarantees, but we still have not reached their end,'' he said. He would not say how long it might take to conclude the negotiations. He said one of the points on which progress had been made was agreement that U.N. sanctions imposed on Libya in 1992 would be ``lifted'' as soon as the suspects were extradited to the Netherlands, not only ``suspended'' as previously stated by Britain and the United States.

Mr al Montasser said Libya no longer trusted Britain after reports that London once plotted to assassinate the country's leader, Muammar Gadaffi. `History had not permitted us to have confidence in the English. They say there is no hidden agenda, but they had plotted to assassinate our leader (Muammar Gaddafi)...There is machiavellism in the Western (states') policy,'' he said. Montasser was speaking during a visit to Tunis, where he held talks on Monday with President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on bilateral cooperation.

South African to Hold Lockerbie Talks in Libya

08-FEB-99 LONDON (Reuters, Xinghua+others) - South African envoy Jakes Gerwel will travel to Libya this week to try to persuade its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, to hand over two men accused of carrying out the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet, Britain said Monday. "He is not going to negotiate on our behalf," a Foreign Office statement said. But Britain welcomed his efforts to persuade Libya to hand over the suspects for trial in the Netherlands. The statement was issued after British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook held talks with Gerwel in London on monday. South Africa has always played the role of mediator between Libya and the U.S and Britain.

After the 30-minute meeting between Mr Cook and Mr Gerwel, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "He [Mr Gerwel] is not going to negotiate on our behalf but we welcome his efforts to persuade Libya to comply with the US-UK initiative on Lockerbie. "The foreign secretary was pleased to use the opportunity of emphasising to Mr Gerwel that there is no alternative to the two accused, if convicted following afair trial in a Scottish court, serving any sentence imposed in Scotland.

The Foreign Office statement added: "Their rights of consular access and respect for Islamic culture would be protected, they would not be manipulated or used in any way to undermine the Libyan government." The Scottish court would sit in the Netherlands under a proposal put to Tripoli, and to which Cook said he wanted "an early formal Libyan response." Britain has "no hidden agenda," the Foreign Office said. "Libya has had several months to consider the US-UK initiative and has received comprehensive clarifications on it. We now await an early formal Libyan response."

Libyan foreign minister Omar Montassar said last week that his country was "very close" to announcing a decision to hand over the two suspects in Lockerbie bombing for trial. After meeting former Liberal Democrat Leader, Lord Steel, and former Conservative MP, Sir Cyril Townsend, on a trip by the two parliamentarians to Libya, the foreign minister told them that they could expect a decision this month.

Libya had now had several months to consider whether to agree to the U.S.-British proposal for a trial in the Netherlands and had received comprehensive clarifications on the plan, the Foreign Office said. Saudi envoy Prince Bandar Bin Sultan went to Libya earlier this month to try to clinch a deal for the handover of the two men. A British newspaper said Gaddafi was convinced United Nations sanctions on his country would effectively be removed once the two suspects -- Abdel Basset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah -- were surrendered. The Saudi prince, who is ambassador to the United States, and Gerwel also met Gaddafi last month and said some progress was made. Efforts to organize a trial in the Netherlands under Scottish law have stalled on several issues, not least where the two men would serve their sentences if convicted.

Background info: See News Archive for more on the recent developments in the Lockerbie case
Legal background info: About a possible upcoming trial and its legal issues

U.N. Approves Flights for Libyan Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

08-FEB-99 UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United Nations on Monday approved flights for Libyans to travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage to the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina. The United Nations has banned air travel in or out of Libya since 1992 to force it to turn over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. But the security Council's sanctions committee on Libya has made an exception for the pilgrimage, or hajj. The committee on Monday authorized direct flights on non-Libyan airlines.

To ensure the flights are used for this purpose, the committee said planes would be inspected before leaving Libya and after returning. It said all flights would require prior approval. Muslims are obligated to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives if they can afford it.

Background info: Detailed information about the UN sanctions/embargo against Libya

Ministry Criticizes Albright's Senate Statements

The General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (i.e. Libyan foreign ministry) has issued a statement. It says:

The General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation expresses its extreme surprise and deep regret at the irresponsible statements given by US Secretary of State [Madeleine Albright] and the FBI director on 4 February 1999 before the Senate's approbations sub-committee where they forced the name of the Great Jamahiriyah onto the so-called list of countries supporting terrorism. The list has become a sword drawn against the free countries that reject the policy of containment, hegemony, and tutelage.

The whole world bears witness that the United States is the country that should be put at the top of the list of [countries supporting] terrorism, in view of the fact that it exercises official state terrorism in full view and hearing of the world. It is the one that shelled the innocent and the civilians in the Great Jamahiriyah in 1986, and its fleets, battleships, aircraft carriers, and nuclear submarines continue to cruise the world seas to flex their muscles and threaten international security and peace.

American lies do not convince anyone. The American administration has lost all credibility. Everyone knows that it heaps accusations at random in accordance with its private whims and suspicious interests. It levels these accusations against any side that resists its reckless policy and hated authority. The best evidence against the falsity of American lies is the recent revelation about the arrest at the White House of an official who was caught red-handedly slipping misleading reports about Libya's alleged backing of terrorism.

Regarding the American Secretary of State's attempt to mislead international public opinion over the so-called Lockerbie issue, the Jamahiriyah's position, and the civilized way by which it dealt [with the issue] is not hidden from anyone. It was the side that proposed trying the suspects in a neutral country in view of its desire to put an end to this fabricated issue in order to reveal the truth and achieve justice. However, the intransigent position of the United States and Britain is responsible for delaying a solution to the dispute and for increasing the suffering of the Libyan people and the victims' families.

In the end, the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation wants to recall that the ruling of the International Court of Justice [ICJ] considers decisions issued against Libya by the Security Council null and void, because the Security Council is not competent to [deal with] the Lockerbie issue, according to the ICJ ruling. In view of this, any discussion of the Lockerbie issue by the Security Council is null and void and is against the UN Charter and international laws. Therefore, the Security Council does not have the right to review the sanctions, because the sanctions per se are null and void, in accordance with the ICJ ruling.

Concerning the American Secretary of State's saying that the Security Council will this month review the sanctions imposed on Libya, we say to the Security Council that if it carried out this revision, in accordance with the American wish, it would have violated the charter [as heard], ended international legitimacy, and blew up the legal bases and the UN Charter.

Prince Bandar Concludes 'Crucial' Secret Mission to Libya

Subslug: Report by Salah Jamil: "Prince Bandar Concludes New Mission in Libya Aimed at Advancing Lockerbie Solution"

London -- Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar Bin-Sultan Bin-'Abd-al-'Aziz was due to conclude a visit to Tripoli yesterday at the end of a new mission aimed at completing the one he undertook last month to advance efforts to find a solution to Lockerbie. London denied rumors that the visit is a "last attempt" to persuade Libya to hand over the two suspects before tightening the sanctions, but did not rule out that they might be tightened if there is no change in the Libyan position. Prince Bandar's visit, which was supposed to remain secret, lasted three days. Al-Sharq al-Awsat has learned that the objective of the mission, described by sources as "crucial," was to persuade Libya to hand over the two suspects and leave the other details to be dealt with by the UN secretary general's office. Prince Bandar visited Tripoli last month in the company of Jakes Gerwel, South African President Nelson Mandela's envoy, and discussed with Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhafi the remaining points of disagreement preventing Libya from handing over the suspects.

A British Foreign Office spokesman told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that there are currently no plans to tighten the sanctions before they are reviewed mid-February, and pointed out that London and Washington are in agreement on this point. He added nevertheless that "we will have to assess our position in line with the Libyan stance."

Tunisian leader and Cohen discuss Lockerbie

TUNIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen on Monday held talks on the Lockerbie issue, the Middle East and the Iraqi crisis, Tunisian state television said. The television quoted Cohen as saying the discussions touched on Iraq, the region and on Tunisia's security. It said President Ben Ali, who a few hours earlier also held talks with Libyan Foreign Affairs Minister Omar Mustapha al-Montasser, reiterated Tunisia's desire for peaceful solutions to both the Iraqi and Lockerbie issues.

``President Ben Ali reiterated Tunisia's position calling for an honourable solution to this (Lockerbie) issue, preserving all parties' rights and accelerating the lifting of the embargo, and contributing to the containment of the tension in the region,'' the television said. Cohen said President Ben Ali would visit the United States at the invitation of President Bill Clinton, but gave no date. Cohen stopped for a few hours in Tunis on his way from Germany to South Africa.