Libya asks Security Council to delay action on Lockerbie suspects resolution

Libya asked the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to postpone action on a Security Council resolution calling for the quick handover of two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan-Am airliner over Scotland where 270 passengers and crew were killed.

In a letter addressed to the president of the 15-nation council, Libya said it needs time to study various documents presented by the United States and Britain, the sponsors of the resolution, as well as an agreement between the Netherlands and Britain concerning Scottish legal proceedings.

Under the draft, six-year old sanctions against Libya could be lifted as soon as the two suspects have been handed over for trial in the Netherlands.

The British government said on Wednesday that it saw no reason for Libya to delay the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution over Lockerbie after London and Washington agreed to a neutral trial for the two Libyan suspects.

However, the British Foreign Office said that it accepts that Libya needs time to examine the proposals set out by Britain and the US earlier this week that the two Libyan suspects could be tried in the Hague, Holland, by a panel of Scottish judges under Scottish law.

Yesterday, Libya approved of the US-UK initiative to have a trial in the Hague, a position Libya has long called for, promising to "deal positively" with the US-UK initiative. What was not made clear was whether Libya will accept "conditions" put forth by the US on the nationality of the Judges which the US said should by Scottish.

Libya said in a statement yesterday that the US's and UK's sincerity and seriousness "shall be confirmed to the world through the procedures" to be adopted "if they were free of any preconditions from the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom aimed at obstructing the trial."