Arab League: Remove Libyan sanction until guilt is established

Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdul Meguid, sent two messages to the head of the UN Security Council, Sergei Lavrov, and to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he asks for the sanctions imposed on Libya to be lifted.

Abdul Meguid said that the Security Council should accept one of the suggestions presented by the Arab League, the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Diplomatic source from the Arabian seven-fold committee concerned with the Lockerbie crisis told ArabicNews.com that Abdul Meguid's message to the Security Council chairman called either for immediate lifting of the sanctions or to suspension of the sanctions until the Intentional Court of Justice issues a judgment in the Lockerbie case.

Recently, the International Court of Justice ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the case of sanctions imposed on Libya due to the Lockerbie incident, as Libya has asserted all along. But more recently the US and Britain who sought the extradition of two accused Libyans agreed to have the trial in a neutral country. The outstanding problems relate to the trial itself (Judicial composition and extra-territorial law modification by some countries involved to allow for external trials), and the sanctions that are currently in effect against Libya.

Abdul Meguid's message asserts that as long as the guilt of Libya has not been established, then the sanctions should be removed or suspended.