ad info

CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
   africa
   americas
   asianow
   europe
   middle east
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 custom news
 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:

 

World - Africa

Diplomat: No obstacles remain for handover of Lockerbie suspects

graphic

March 25, 1999
Web posted at: 11:19 p.m. EDT (2319 GMT)

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- A diplomat involved in the delicate Lockerbie-Libya bombing discussions said no problems remain before the handover of two Libyan men for trial in connection with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, met with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and representatives from the five permanent nations of the Security Council.

After the meeting, he told journalists the two suspects will be turned over for trial in the Netherlands by April 6.

He called the deal a "win-win" situation, "relieving the suffering of the Libyan people who are under seven years of U.N. sanctions and the search for justice by the families of the victims of the plane disaster."

Susan Cohen, whose daughter was killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, expressed caution about the handover, saying she feared it could lead to a "disgraceful international trial."

Libya has repeatedly asked for clarifications and changes in proposals made by the United States and Britain for the handover of the suspects, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhima.

But last week, Tripoli pledged to turn over the suspects by April 6, clearing the way for a long-sought trial after years of diplomatic efforts to try the men.

The United Nations' chief attorney is leading the discussions to hammer out final details of the plan. The prince and U.N. officials refuse to say whether the suspects might be turned over before the April 6 deadline.

If the suspects are indeed handed over, they will be flown to the Netherlands for a trial in a Scottish court. At that point, the U.N. Security Council would suspend sanctions on Libya, pending developments.

The United States and Britain have been pressing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi through the United Nations to accept the arrangement. The bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988 killed 270 people.


RELATED STORIES:
Mandela: Libya sets date for Lockerbie suspects handover
March 19, 1999
Gadhafi journeys to Egypt for talks on Lockerbie suspects
March 5, 1999
Libya 'studying' proposed handover of Lockerbie suspects
March 1, 1999
U.S., Britain give Libya more time to turn over bombing suspects
February 26,1999
Libya seeking clarifications on Lockerbie proposal
February 22, 1999
Diplomats: Deal close over Lockerbie bombing suspects
February 13, 1999

RELATED SITES:
Permanent Mission of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the United Nations in New York
Documents Concerning the Lockerbie Issue
Cairo Times
Egypt State Information Service
United Nations Security Council
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

 LATEST HEADLINES:
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.