UN council promises to end anti-Libya sanctions as soon as possible

The UN Security Council welcomed Libya's commitment to cooperate in the lockerbie investigation and promised to lift sanctions "as soon as possible."

The council took this action late Friday night, in a statement read out by its current president, Martin Andjaba of Malaysia.

The council's five non-aligned members had asked for the immediate lifting of sanctions, since Libya had fulfilled its commitment by surrendering the two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The security council imposed an arms and air embargo in 1992 for Libya's failure to surrender the two suspects.

The council suspended the sanctions last April after the two men were delivered to the Netherlands to be tried by a Scottish judge panel.

"The security council welcomes the positive developments identified in the report (of secretary-general Kofi Annan) and the fact that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has made significant progress in compliance with the relevant resolutions," the statement said.

"It welcomes also the commitment given by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to implement further the relevant resolutions in order to meet all the requirements therein. it encourages all parties concerned to maintain their spirit of cooperation," the statement said.

"The council recalls that the measures set forth in resolutions 748 (1992) and 883 (1993) have been suspended and reaffirms its intention to lift those measures as soon as possible, in conformity with the relevant resolutions," it said.

Libya's obligations under the resolutions include cooperation with the investigation and the trial.