Libyan Lockerbie suspects in Holland, sanctions suspended
On Monday night UN sanctions imposed on Libya since April 1992 were suspended Monday night (6pm Libya local time) after the UN was handed over the two Libyans who are suspected of being involved in the Lockerbie incident, Abdul Bassit al-Miqrahi and al-Ameen Khalelfa Fahima, who were transported to Holland to be tried before a Scottish court.
The two Libyans arrived in Holland on Monday afternoon in a private plane which transported them from Libya. US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed this measure.
UN Assistant Secretary General for Legal Affairs Hans Corell delivered the two suspects.
In a speech he made, the Secretary of the Libyan people's committee (foreign minster), Omar Muntasir delivered a speech in which he thanked members of the Arab seven-member committee, the African five-member states, the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement and of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Al-Muntasir also thanked Saudi Arabia and South Africa for their efforts to settle this issue and expressed his confidence that the two suspects are not guilty.
The two suspects announced that they surrendered themselves at their own will without any pressure. They explained they are not guilty and hoped to return to their home country very soon.
The celebration for seeing off and handing over the two suspects was attended by Arab, African and international delegations, including the representatives of the Arab seven-member committee -- Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania and Libya -- AL representative Ahmad Bin Hali, Gambia's representative whose country is a non-permanent representative at the UN, Organisation of African Unity Assistant Secretary General Ahmad Hajjaj and the secretary general of the Organization of African Unity.
The celebration was also attended by the director of South African President Nelson Mandela's office, Saudi ambassador in Washington Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, and several members of families of victims of the Lockerbie incident in 1988.
Saudi Arabia and South Africa exerted great efforts to reach a settlement to the Lockerbie incident.