United Nations -- Almost five years after economic sanctions were imposed on Libya, U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson reaffirmed March 14 that the only way Tripoli can end U.N. sanctions is to turn over the Pan Am 103 bombing suspects.

"Libya continues to violate sanctions. They do not deserve any consideration until they start complying with U.N. resolutions. They've not done that," Richardson said. "They continue to violate them at every turn -- the last example: a flight to Accra, Ghana."

"Until they start complying we should not consider changing our policy....U.N. sanctions on Libya are going to stay on as long as needed until Libya complies," Richardson told journalists after he met with the other 14 council members in closed session.

During its meeting the council determined that there would be no change in the sanctions first imposed in April 1992, said Council President Zbigniew Wlosowicz of Poland.

In his formal statement to the council, which was released by the U.S. Mission after the meeting, Richardson said that "it is unfortunate that for the last five years, Libya has preferred the path of confrontation and intransigence to that of compliance and cooperation with the international community. It is a tragedy for the Libyan people, whose country remains an international pariah, and it is a tragedy for the family members of the victims of the two destroyed airliners, who have waited too long for justice."

The mandatory sanctions cut air links to Libya because of Libyan leader Mu'ammar Qadhafi's failure to cooperate with the United States and Britain in the extradition of two Libyans suspected in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and with France in the investigation of the bombing of the UTA flight. In November 1993, the council added to the original sanctions, freezing assets and embargoing equipment needed by Libya's oil industry.

The sanctions are to remain in place until Libya cooperates with the three nations; agrees to pay compensation; and demonstrates "by concrete actions" that it has definitively ended all terrorist acts and assistance to terrorist groups.

Following is the text of Richardson's remarks:

(Begin text)

In the four months since our last review of Libyan sanctions, it is clear that we are no closer to a resolution of the issues that originally brought about Libya's confrontation with the Security Council. On the contrary, the government of Libya continues to defy the Security Council and its just demands. It actively seeks ways to violate UN sanctions. And all the while, Libya contends that it has done everything it can to satisfy the council.

It has not. Indeed, during the period since the last review, the Security Council has witnessed further evidence of Libyan efforts to flout the will of the council. In January, for example, a Libyan aircraft flew to Accra, Ghana, on what Libyan news media described as an official visit. This clear violation of sanctions is being closely examined by the sanctions committee and the Security Council itself, which issued a Presidential statement responding to this violation. Libya has yet to reply to the committee's inquiries.

Libya's actions in this affair are sadly typical of their response to Security Council resolutions in general. Rather than work seriously to meet the council's demands for justice in the terrorist bombings of Pan Am 103 and UTA 772, the Libyans have repeatedly stalled and evaded. As a result of Libya's continued intransigence, the council has prudently decided to keep sanctions in place, unchanged, after its fifteenth review.

There are those who insist that Libya is trying to cooperate and has complied with council resolutions, and ought therefore to be rewarded. On January 23, representatives of the organization of African states and the Arab league delivered to the President of the Security Council a letter asserting that Libya had fully complied with the demands of the council, and proposing three alternatives to settling Libya's dispute with the council stemming from the terrorist attacks on American and French civilian airliners. Not surprisingly, these proposals were endorsed in a March 7 letter to you, Mr. President, by the permanent representative of Libya, who once again claimed that his country has completely fulfilled its obligations under Security Council resolutions.

We need not go into the details of these proposals here. Suffice it to say that, assertions by the government of Libya and others to the contrary, Libya has not complied fully with a single requirement of Security Council resolution 748:

-- those charged in the pan am bombing, two Libyan intelligence agents, have not been surrendered for trial in the U.S. or the U.K.;

-- the Libyan authorities have not fully cooperated in the U.S., British, or French investigations into the terrorist attacks that brought down Pan Am 103 and UTA 772;

-- appropriate compensation has not been paid;

-- and Libya has not ceased its support for terrorism.

This does not look like full compliance to me or my government. And I am quite sure it does not look like full compliance to other members of the Security Council as well. There are no "alternatives" to satisfying these requirements, and Libya remains legally and morally obligated to comply.

Let me take this opportunity to restate once again the views of my government so that Libya and others acting on its behalf cannot possibly misconstrue them.

-- First, Libya must comply fully with all of the demands of the council as embodied in UNSCR's 731, 748, and 883.

--Ssecond, the demands of the council are crystal clear. They are not negotiable. There will be no "compromise" or "alternative" solutions. No such solutions are possible.

-- Third, United Nations sanctions will remain in place as long as it takes to bring about full compliance with Security Council resolutions.

It is unfortunate that for the last five years, Libya has preferred the path of confrontation and intransigence to that of compliance and cooperation with the international community. It is a tragedy for the Libyan people, whose country remains an international pariah, and it is a tragedy for the family members of the victims of the two destroyed airliners, who have waited too long for justice. Had Libya done the right thing five years ago, much of this pain could have been avoided.

The time for Libya to quit stalling is now. Only if Libya meets its obligations before the council and the international community can we see our way clear to lifting the sanctions. We all hope this will happen soon. But if it does not, we will remain steadfast in our insistence that Security Council resolutions be respected. The choice is up to Libya.

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