Security Council welcomes Lockerbie hand over pledge

Members of the United Nations Security Council welcomed yesterday Libya's letter to the United Nations' secretary general that said the two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie case would be handed over on April 6 or earlier.

"Security Council members looked forward to the implementation of that hand over in accordance with the agreed arrangements and, taking into account also the information provided by the French authorities regarding UTA 772, to the immediate suspension of sanctions with a view to lifting them as soon as circumstances permit, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions," China's representative, Qin Huasun, the Security Council's current president said.

However, on Monday the US State Department took a wait-and-see approach to the hand over. "It would be imprudent, given past practice, to be optimistic in advance of that happening," said State Department deputy spokesman James Foley.

Foley noted the letter to the letter received by the UN and its promise of a hand over, saying, "That's precisely what we're looking for: the hand over of the suspects on or before April 6."