Libya offers $10m to every Lockerbie bomb victim
“My country has accepted civil responsibility for the actions of its officials in the Lockerbie affair, in conformity with international civil law and the agreement reached in London in March by Libyan, American and British officials,” he said.
Rahman said full payment was conditional on UN sanctions against Libya being lifted after payment of an initial installment of $4m to each victim. Once US sanctions were lifted, Libya would make a further payment of $4m to each victim.
Then after payment of the final instalment of $2m, Libya would ask to be removed from the US list of countries supporting terrorism, he added. The total sum of $2.7 billion was the same as US officials said on March 12 Libya had offered as compensation in talks with the United States and Britain.
They also said Tripoli was prepared to assume limited responsibility for the downing of Pan Am flight 103, something it has previously refused to do.
He said his country accepted civil responsibility for the 1988 atrocity. However, this statement was not likely to satisfy America which has demanded that Libya admits full responsibility.
Long-running talks over the matters have been ongoing between London, Washington and Tripoli. A British Foreign Office spokeswoman yesterday said: “In light of this latest report we will be looking forward to further dialogue with the Libyan government.”
The Boeing 747 blew up and crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, after taking off from London, killing all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground.
In January 2001, a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, one of two Libyan agents charged with the Lockerbie bombing, and sentenced him to life in prison.
Al-Megrahi’s appeal was rejected in March last year.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
