The United Nations Security Council has lifted
sanctions from Libya.
The Security Council has passed a resolution by a vote of 13-0 to lift
sanctions from Tripoli passed in 1992. The vote was prompted by a Libyan
settlement of a compensation deal for the families of 270 victims of the Pan
Am airliner bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
The $2.7 billion compensation package by Libya called on the United
States to lift its own sanctions against Libya. Tripoli provided an
eight-month time limit for the lifting of sanctions until Libya reduces by
half the compensation to the families of the Lockerbie victims, Middle East Newsline reported.
In 1999, the Security Council froze sanctions when Libya agreed to
extradite two intelligence agents for trial. A Scottish tribunal convicted
one of the Libyan agents and sentenced him to life in prison.
France and the United States abstained in the Security Council vote on
Resolution 1506. The UN sanctions included a weapons embargo, a ban on
flying to Libya and a prohibition of the sale of certain oil equipment to
Libya.
"We did not want our vote on the resolution lifting sanctions to be
misconstrued as a decision to modify U.S. bilateral measures regardless of
future Libyan behavior," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said
on Friday.
U.S. officials said Washington will not lift sanctions from Libya. They
said Libya continues to be involved in terrorism, demonstrate irresponsible
behavior in Africa, violate human rights and acquire weapons of mass
destruction.
"The United States will intensify its efforts to end Libya's threatening
actions. This includes keeping U.S. bilateral sanctions on Libya in full
force," U.S. deputy representative to the UN James Cunningham said. "Libya
is actively pursuing a broad range of WMD and is seeking ballistic missiles.
In those efforts, it is receiving foreign assistance -- including from
countries that sponsor terrorism. Libya's continued nuclear infrastructure
upgrades raise concerns. Tripoli is actively developing biological and
chemical weapons."