Blair will ask Mandela to convince Gaddafi to hand over the two Libyans

The spokesman for the office of the British prime minister told the London-based al-Hayat daily on Sunday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair who will start tomorrow an official visit to South Africa will ask President Nelson Mandela to try to convince Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi to hand over the two Libyans suspected of being involved in the Lockerbie incident in order to be tried in Holland.

The spokesman stressed that Blair "will not ask Mandela to mediate, but to try to convince Gaddafi."

He added that Blair hopes Mandela will succeed in his mission. He noted, replying a question, that in in case Gaddafi is persistent in calling for conditions to hand over the two suspects the "situation will not be changed and we will adhere to our offer to hold the trial in a third country before a Scottish court according to Scottish law."