League of British families victims support Libyan stand on Lockerbie, as does the Arab League

Chairman of the league of the British victims families in the incident of the US Pan American plane explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, Jim Swire, and Professor Robert Black, a professor of Scottish law at the University of Edinburgh, returned from Libya with optimism that a solution is at hand.

They said in statements on Wednesday, on their way back home following a meeting with the Libyan President Col. Moammar Gaddafi on Tuesday in Tripoli, that matters which delay the trial of the two Libyans accused to be involved in the incident can be settled within a "few weeks."

They added that their meeting with Gaddafi was constructive, noting that they will provide new proposals to UN officials aimed at accelerating the process of convening the trial.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdul Meguid sent yesterday a written message to colonel Moammar Gaddafi, the leader of the Libyan revolution, concerning the developments in the Lockerbie case.

The secretary general delivered the message to Salma Rashid, Libya's delegate to the AL, during a meeting with her.

Talat Hamed, the AL's spokesman, said that Abdul Meguid reviewed with Rashid the latest developments in the Lockerbie case and the consultations he will make with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and with the foreign ministers of the countries concerned with the crisis in New York during the coming week.

Mohammed Zakaria Ismail, the AL's assistant secretary general for political and international affairs, denied that the AL has received any demand that indicates Libya's suspension of some of its activities at the AL, assuring the AL's adherence to overcoming the current situation and emphasizing the AL's continuous support for Libya.