LONDON Ñ Western diplomatic sources said the Bush administration is prepared to
end the crisis in relations with Libya.
They said Libya's admission of responsibility for the bombing of a U.S. airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland
in 1988 paves the way for a restoration of diplomatic relations between
Washington and Tripoli.
"The sticking point that delayed agreement was Libya's acceptance of
responsibility for the incident," Libyan ambassador to Britain Mohammed
Abdul Zwai said. "This problem has been solved with Libya's admitting to
what its employees have done regardless of any other consideration."
Two years ago, a Scottish court convicted a Libyan intelligence agent
for the bombing and sentenced him to life in prison. A second Libyan was
found not guilty, Middle East Newsline reported.
Abdul Zwai said Libya has not yet reached agreement on compensation for
the families of the victims. Attorneys involved in the negotiations have been
quoted as saying that Libya pledged to pay $10 million to the family of each
victim.
"We have agreed that a suitable compensation should be given to the
victims' families, according to the UN Security Council resolution, but the
details of the amount has been left for discussion by another team," Abul
Zwai said.
U.S. officials have briefed the families of the 270 victims of the Pan
Am Flight 103 bombing. The families appear ready to resolve the issue as
well.
Britain, Libya and the United States have agreed in principle on ending the Lockerbie episode. The formula
required the Libyan admission of responsibility, a major demand by London and
Washington. The Libyan compensation package has not yet been finalized.
