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Key facts: Libya sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- Fifteen years after the bombing of Pan Am 103, the U.N. Security Council Friday lifted sanctions against Libya, triggering the release of up to $2.7 billion to the families of the attack's 270 victims. Here is a short factbox on sanctions on Libya. What are the sanctions?U.N. sanctions The U.N. Security Council imposed an air and arms embargo and a ban on some oil equipment on Libya in 1992 and 1993 to pressure Tripoli to hand over two Libyan suspects for trial. Sanctions were suspended when Libya turned them over in April 1999. Intelligence agent Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was convicted. The second suspect was acquitted. To have the U.N. sanctions permanently lifted, Libya must pay compensation to the families of the victims, take responsibility for the attack, renounce terrorism and agree to cooperate in further investigations. Britain drafted a Security Council resolution to end U.N. sanctions on Libya when Tripoli agreed last month to pay $2.7 billion to families of Lockerbie victims. France, a veto-holding Security Council member, threatened to block the move unless Tripoli increased compensation for the 1989 bombing of a French UTA airliner which killed 170 people. U.S. sanctions The United States banned imports of Libyan oil and some exports to Libya in 1982 following a deterioration of relations. Sanctions were expanded after the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco to include a total ban on direct import and export trade, commercial contracts, and travel-related activities. The Iran-Libya Sanctions Act passed in 1996 and amended in 2001 allows the U.S. president to punish non-U.S. firms investing more than $20 million annually in the energy sectors in Libya or Iran. Lifting bilateral U.S. sanctions requires action by the U.S. government, where there are sharp divisions on the issue. Diplomats and U.S. officials do not expect any quick move. Why were sanctions imposed?On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York blew up over Scotland, killing all 259 people aboard the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and 11 residents of the town of Lockerbie. In late 1991, the United States and Britain accused Libyans Abdel Basset al-Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima of involvement. In March 1992, U.N. Security Council Resolution 748 told Libya to surrender the suspects. Libya refused and sanctions were imposed on April 15. What compensation has Libya offered?On April 30, 2003, the Libyan government accepted responsibility for Lockerbie and set up a fund to compensate victims' families. Compensation could reach $10 million per victim. Under the deal an initial $4 million would be paid for each victim once U.N. sanctions are ended. That would be followed by another $4 million if the United States lifts its sanctions and by $2 million if it drops Libya from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. If Washington does not take these steps within eight months, the families would receive only $1 million more, bringing the total to $5 million per victim. Though Libya has never admitted responsibility for the 1989 UTA bombing, it has already paid $34 million to France after a Paris court convicted six Libyans in absentia for the killings. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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