World Court deals Libya a victory on Lockerbie
Libya, Judicial, 2/27/1998

Libya won a victory today in the International Court of Justice, which ruled that it has jurisdiction to deal with a dispute between Libya and the United States over the extradition of two Libyan suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie Scotland to the US. The ICJ, which heard arguments from both sides last October on the contested points, voted 13-2 that it has jusridiction.

It also ruled 12 votes to 3 that the Libyan application, contested by the US, is admissible, although it would not rule on US claims that the application is without substance because of UN Security Council resolutions. The court also refused a US request to rule immediately on the complaint.

Libya welcomed the decision by the world court saying the decision "shows the justness of the Libyan position and the approach Libya has regarding this subject from the beginning of the crisis."

Libya said this proves that "despite the pressure from opposing governments," this shows that the decision by the Security Council against Libya is illegal, and that they have taken political advantage of the international vacuum with regard to the Lockerbie crisis.

The ICJ will now proceed to establish a time frame for further written and oral proceedings.

Libya insists that this decision implies the immediate removal of economic sanctions placed on it by the UN Security Council and the immediate implementation of this decision as a "legal decision," and not a political one.

Based on this decision, Libya said the US and Britain should open political dialogue with Libya to solve outstanding political problems.

Libya filed the case with the IJC in 1992, claiming that the US has no right to demand the extradition of the two men and that Libya has the right to try the men itself. In the interim, Libya has offered to make the two suspects available for trial in a neutral location, an offer the US and Britain both refused.

270 persons were killed in the explosion of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988.

Previous Stories:
  AL regrets renewed sanctions on Libya   (11/13/1997)
  Libya requests Washington not to interfere in International Court of Justice   (10/21/1997)
  Arab differences with Britain, US over Lockerbie   (10/8/1997)

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