Libya officially accepts Lockerbie blame

Libya officially accepted responsibility in a letter delivered Friday to the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Mikhail Wehbe. The letter was part of a $2.7 billion settlement with the families of the 270 people killed in the bombing, most of them Americans.

Each of the families is likely to receive at least $5 million and could receive $10 million from the $2.7 billion fund that Libya will deposit next week in a Swiss bank.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

In a joint letter delivered to the Syrian ambassador, whose government currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, the United States and Britain said they were "prepared to allow the lifting" of UN sanctions imposed in 1991 once Libya deposited the compensation into an escrow account.

However, a US official said the United States would probably abstain rather than vote for the resolution, would maintain US sanctions against Libya, and had no plan to remove Libya from the State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "The Libyan regime's behaviour - including its poor human rights record and lack of democratic institutions, its destructive role in perpetuating regional conflicts in Africa and its continued and worrisome pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their related delivery systems - remains a cause for serious concern."

The United States will intensify its efforts to end "threatening elements" of Libya's behaviour and US sanctions on Libya will remain in full force until Libya addresses these concerns, McClellan said in a statement.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a statement, said "combating the evil of terrorism remains a paramount commitment of the United States. We will not relent in that continuing struggle."

Libyan Ambassador Ahmed A. Own wrote in behalf of his government that Libya has helped bring to judgement two suspects in the bombing and "accepts responsibility for the actions of its officials."

Libya "is committed to be cooperative in the international fight against terrorism," the letter said. "It is also committed to cooperate with efforts to bring those who are suspects to judgement."

Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Emyr Jones Parry, said the Libyan letter "set out very clearly" that Libya has met the conditions for lifting UN sanctions and that the United States agreed.

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said Libya's acceptance of responsibility for the bombing was a major victory for the United States and the families of the victims.

AFP adds: Britain said Saturday it would "shortly" table a draft security council resolution to lift UN sanctions against Libya after Tripoli formally accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Junior Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane said in a statement: "Libya has accepted responsibility for that outrage. At the same time it has agreed to pay substantial compensation to the relatives of those who were murdered.

"It has renounced terrorism and has agreed to co-operate with any further Lockerbie investigation."

The White House said the United States would not oppose the lifting of sanctions. But it still has concerns about Moamer Kadhafi's administration in Libya and a dispute with France, which has threatened to block the resolution, must also be settled to get the resolution passed.