BBC: Libya denies involvement in Lockerbie issue

The Libyan (prime minister) Shukri Ghanem denies his country's involvement in blowing up the American Pan American plane over the Lockerbie village in Scotland in 1988 which resulted in killing 270 persons.

Ghanem told the BBC yesterday that Libya has concluded an agreement to buy peace. He added that the pressure of years of the American sanctions and the UN sanctions and the desire that Libya to end the case as a whole, all forced Tripoli to approve to pay the compensations.

Replying to a question if Libya does not see in the compensation agreement a confession of the guilt in the Plane incident, Ghanem said "yes."

He explained that Libya found it is easier for Libya to buy peace. A matter which makes her agree to pay the compensation. He added that Libya bought peace in this case and is looking forward to the future.

When Ghanem was asked if he agrees with the lawyers who denied the existence of any evidence of Tripoli's being behind the killing of the British female police member in front of the Libyan embassy in London, he said there is no reason to oppose this enlightened view. Libya, however, accepted general responsibility for the killing of the police woman Ivon Fletcher and paid compensations for her family.

However, Ghanem's statements are feared to threaten to escalate the detente in the Libyan relations with each of Britain and the USA at a time when Tripoli exerts efforts to break its isolation and return back to the ranks of the international community.