Libya reject US - British accusations of wasting time in Lockerbie case

Libya rejected American and British accusations that it is wasting time in the Lockerbie case, stating that it is waiting for an explanation concerning the proposed trial of the Lockerbie incident Libyan suspects in the Netherlands.

A statement issued by the Libya foreign ministry yesterday broadcast by Libyan television said that Libya is not the one to be blamed for the delay.

The U.S.A and Britain asked African and Arab countries to exert pressure on Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gaddafi to deliver the Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie case.

The statement expressed Libyan astonishment toward the harmony between the British and US statements, a matter which it said proves that the US - British initiative is only a premeditated and organized trick to mislead regional and international organizations as well as public opinion.

On Monday, US State Department spokesman James Rubin noted "the success we think we've had in turning the tables on Gaddafi and calling his bluff" by issuing the proposal to try the two suspects in a neutral country under Scottish law.

Rubin did not set a deadline for the Libyan response to the proposal, but said, "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."