United Nations -- More than four years after economic sanctions were imposed on Libya, U.S. Ambassador Madeleine Albright said November 15 that the only way Tripoli can end U.N. sanctions is to turn over the Pan Am 103 bombing suspects.
During a periodic Security Council Libya sanctions review, Albright said Libya's "obstinate refusal" to comply with the council's demands are "the actions of a regime determined to lie to the world in hopes that the world will forget."
"Well, we will not forget," the ambassador said. "We will not forget the 441 victims of the terrorist attacks on Pan Am 103 and UTA 772, nor the thousands of family members who have been left to mourn their deaths.... And we will make certain that Libya does not forget it either."
During its meeting, the council determined that there would be no change in the sanctions first imposed in April 1992, said Council President Nugroho Wisnumurti of Indonesia.
The mandatory sanctions cut air links to Libya because of Libyan leader Mu'ammar Qadhafi's failure to cooperate with the United States and Britain in the extradition of two Libyans suspected in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and with France in the investigation of the bombing of the UTA flight. In November 1993, the council added to the original sanctions, freezing Tripoli's assets and embargoing equipment needed by Libya's oil industry.
The sanctions are to remain in place until Libya cooperates with the three nations; agrees to pay compensation; and demonstrates "by concrete actions" that it has definitively ended all terrorist acts and assistance to terrorist groups.
Albright rejected Libya's suggestion that the suspects face trial by a Scottish court in a so-called neutral venue as "an empty ruse." "There is absolutely no precedent for holding a trial on Scottish or U.S. criminal charges outside the country that brought the charges," she said.
Following is the text of the ambassador's statement released after the private council meeting:
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Four months after our last review of Libyan sanctions, we meet once again in this chamber to consider the report of the sanctions committee and glean any signs of Libyan compliance with Security Council resolutions. Unfortunately, it is quite clear that the Libyan regime is no more serious today than it was in July, or at any time during the previous thirteen such reviews, about ending its confrontation with the international community and its defiance of the United Nations.
Libya's challenges to this council continue. In two letters to the President of the Security Council in July, Qadhafi stated that the sanctions do not apply to him as head of state, a view decisively refuted in a subsequent Presidential statement. Libya persists in its obstinate refusal to hand over the two intelligence agents accused of involvement in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and despite the visit to Libya last July by a French magistrate, has failed to cooperate fully with French judicial authorities regarding UTA 772. These are hardly the actions of a government that wishes to meet its responsibilities to this body. On the contrary, they are the actions of a regime determined to lie to the world in hopes that the world will forget.
Well, we will not forget. We will not forget the 441 victims of the terrorist attacks on pan am 103 and UTA 772, nor the thousands of family members who have been left to mourn their deaths. We will not forget that Libya has yet to meet its obligations, including turning over for trial the suspects in these crimes, cooperating fully in the investigations, compensating the families of the victims, and ending its support for international terrorism. We will not forget that the only way for Libya to end its confrontation with this council and the world is full compliance with Security Council resolutions. And we will make certain that Libya does not forget it either.
Libya has spent a great deal of time and effort trying to convince others that it bears no responsibility for the continuation of sanctions, and that it is up to the injured parties to compromise to bring this affair to an end. Libya has persisted in its efforts to offer a misleading "compromise" solution, by supposedly offering to accept a trial by a Scottish court in a so-called "neutral" venue. One does not have to examine this ploy too closely, however, to expose its obvious contradictions.
For example, one notices that Libya has stated only that it would not object if the two suspects agreed voluntarily to submit to trial in a third country. And Libya has not offered to surrender the two suspects, claiming its law does not permit extradition in the absence of a treaty. Indeed, there is much less to Qadhafi's proposal than meets the eye.
There is absolutely no precedent for holding a trial on Scottish or U.S. criminal charges outside the country that brought the charges. In either venue, a fair trial and all elements of due process are guaranteed to the defendants. No, this Libyan stratagem should be seen for what it is: An empty ruse that falls far short of full compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions. And nothing less than full compliance will satisfy the demands of justice or of this council. For this reason, this so-called "compromise" is not and cannot be acceptable.
Mr. President, the United Nations has made great strides in recent years in confronting the scourge of terrorism. In 1994, the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the "Declaration on Measures to Combat International Terrorism," which was reaffirmed last year by General Assembly resolution and will, we trust, be reaffirmed once again this year. Valuable work is now being done in the sixth committee to develop further measures to strengthen the framework of international cooperation in this field. The will of the world community on this issue has never been clearer. We would betray that will, the will of this council, and most important, the families of the victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism were we to retreat now into unwarranted and shameful compromise with a terrorist-supporting state.
The United States is second to no one in its profound desire to
resolve this issue and see that justice is done. But let me reiterate
that a satisfactory resolution can only come through Libya's complete
compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions 731, 748,
and 883. We urge Libya to take the opportunity before it to end its
confrontation with the international community. We are confident that
the council will remain steadfast until it does so.