US officials meet with Lockerbie families on Libyan reply

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger met with families of the victims of the 1988 Lockerbie incident to brief them on the current status of the US and British proposal to try the two Libyan suspects in the case in the Netherlands.

US State Department spokesman James Rubin noted "the success we think we've had in turning the tables on [Libyan leader Moammar] Gaddafi and calling his bluff."

"The state of play, as I understand it, is that the UN is answering some of the technical questions that Gaddafi and his lawyers have about this initiative. We've made clear that this is not a negotiation, and we are going to give him some time to respond to what he said he wanted, which was a trial in a third country," Rubin said.

The Libyans have noted a number of concerns surrounding the proposal, including the place where the two Libyans, if found guilty, would serve out their sentence.

Rubin said that the "offer" of a neutral-country trial "will not remain on the table indefinitely," however he did not specify a deadline for a Libyan acceptance, after reporters asked him if December 21, the tenth anniversary of the incident, would be a significant date.

"First, there is a review process for the sanctions which occurs on October 30; and then I think, as the months unfold, there will come a time that it will become clear that the Libyans don't intend to comply and that this was always a ploy and then we will have to decide what to do," Rubin stated.

"We've turned the tables on Gaddafi, increased the chances of a trial and increased the chances of stiffer action by the international community if there isn't a trial," Rubin said.