Lybia's acceptance of trial offer causes disputes among Lockerbie victims families
Libya-UK, International, 4/23/1998

The representative of the British families victims of Lockerbie explosion in 1988 Jim Swire said on Wednesday that Tripoli has agreed to try two Libyan suspected to be involved in the explosion in Holland according to Scottish law, providing that the court's chairman is to be a judge appointed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Upon arriving in Cairo on Tuesday following a visit to Tripoli where he met with Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi and other Libyan officials, Swire noted: "They have reiterated their pledge and commitments," in regards to Tripoli's offer in 1994 to permit the trial of the two suspected Libyans in a neutral state.

Swire and the Scottish legal expert Robert Black proposed that the trial take place in the Netherlands or in any other neutral state and according to the Scottish law.

Washington opposed the idea. US lawyer Lee Grindler, who said he represents 20 or more of the families of the British victims in addition to the families of US victims of the Lockerbie bombing, said on Wednesday, "The agreement does not work," adding that Swire just represents himself.

In the same context, the spokesman for the White House said, "Libya is obligated, according to UN resolutions, to hand over the two suspected persons to the judicial sides in the US or Britain."

Swire said, "We had a very good plan which will end the sufferings of families of the victims as well as the sufferings of the suspected men and Libya."

Swire is expected to meet with the secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity, Salim Ahmad Salim, and Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdul Meguid.

Since 1992, the UN has imposed sanctions on Libya for refusing to extradite the two Libyan suspects, Abdul Baset Ali Muhammad al-Miqrahi and Elamine Khaleifa Fahima, who are reportedly officers in the Libyan intelligence, al-Nahar said.

While in Libya, Swire and a delegation of Lockerbie families' victims paid a visit yesterday to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's house, bombed by a US airplane in an attack on Tripoli and Beni Ghazi in 1986.

After seeing the photo of Gaddafi's daughter who was killed in this attack, Swire said he feels a profound pain for the Libyan victims as he does for his daughter who was killed in Lockerbie.

Meanwhile, Bishop Giovanni Martili, the representative of the Catholic Church in Libya, has called for the lifting of UN sanctions agaisnt Libya because these procedures do not rely on any just basis, he said.

Previous Stories:
  Gaddafi receives representatives of Lockerbie victims' families   (4/21/1998)
  Lockerbie victims agree with Abdul Meguid and Libyan justice minister   (4/21/1998)
  Libya gets a chance to be heard about the sanctions tomorrow   (3/19/1998)

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