UN lifts Libya sanctions

Chemical Ollie · September 12, 2003, 19:50

Source: BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3102342.stm

Quote:

UN lifts Libya sanctions

The bombing of Flight 103 in 1988 killed 270 people
The United Nations Security Council has voted to lift more than a decade of sanctions against Libya.
The move clears the way for the payment of compensation to families of the victims of the bombing of a Pan Am jet above the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988.

Libyan state radio hailed the vote as a "victory" which opened a "new page" in Tripoli's drive to normalise relations with the West.

France had threatened to oppose the draft resolution, but abstained in the vote after Libya agreed to increase compensation payments to relatives of those who died when a French airliner was bombed over Africa in 1989.

There were 13 votes for the draft resolution, none against, and two abstentions - the other being the US which was set to maintain its own separate sanctions on Libya.

UN SANCTIONS
Imposed in 1992 and 1993
Forbade aircraft movements to or from Libya unless UN approved
Banned sale of aircraft equipment/parts
Halted operation of Libyan Arab Airlines office abroad
Banned sale of arms, military equipment
Limited diplomatic staff in Libya
Froze Libya's assets abroad
Banned sale of oil-related equipment
Suspended in 1999

Analysis: Libya pays a price

"The United States continues to have serious concerns about other aspects of Libyan behaviour," James Cunningham, the deputy US ambassador to the Council, said.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed the "result of patient but firm diplomacy".

"This is a result of Libya doing what the Security Council has demanded: accept responsibility for the horrendous Lockerbie bombing in 1988...; renounce terrorism; pay compensation; and undertake to co-operate with any future Lockerbie investigation."

Rebuilding relations

BBC News Online world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds says the lifting of UN sanctions means that Libya has largely, though not wholly, emerged from its long period of international isolation.

The sanctions - a ban on flights and sales of some oil equipment and the freezing of some Libyan assets - were suspended in 1999 when Libya handed over two suspects in the Lockerbie bombing.

Their formal removal will help Libya's new policy of trying to repair its external relations, our correspondent adds.

Libya's leader is keen to secure foreign investment in Libya
Libya called for all nations to open a dialogue with Tripoli, and said it was "committed to world peace".

Mohammad al-Zuai, the official in charge of the Lockerbie negotiations, said: "We welcome the Security Council decision, which shows that Libya has kept all its promises and respects international law and legality".

Libya has agreed to pay $2.7bn in damages to relatives of the Lockerbie victims, but the sum was considerably more than the $34m paid to victims of the downed French plane in 1999.

Embarrassed, France threatened to veto the resolution at the UN unless Libya revised the settlement figure.

Judicial claims 'dropped'

After negotiations, Libya reportedly offered to pay up to an additional $1m to the French families.

Libya has never accepted responsibility for the downing of the UTA flight above Niger which claimed 170 lives, but agreed to pay compensation after a Paris court convicted six Libyans of the bombing in absentia.

The compensation agreement will mean France drops all judicial claims against Libyans, Libya's official news agency Jana reported.

The BBC's David Bamford says there is a sense of relief in Washington that the last-minute intervention by the French Government did not throw the negotiated deal with Libya completely off course.

France has done itself no favours as far as American public opinion is concerned, particularly in the wake of its stringent opposition to US policies in Iraq, our correspondent says.

The UN sanctions were imposed in the early 1990s to pressure Libya into handing over two men suspected of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing.

They were suspended in 1999 after Libya handed over the two suspects for trial.

This means that my neighbour two blocks away will get several million dollars in damage for their daughter who was killed in Lockerbie. They will become the richest family in my home town, by far. But they would rather want their daughter back.

SlowwHand · September 12, 2003, 19:54

Kadaffy has calmed much since getting his home rocketed.

VetLegion · September 12, 2003, 19:55

Me and Gadafi, we have it all figured out... but nobody listens, nobody ever does..

DinoDoc · September 12, 2003, 19:57

France must have been able to extort thier own pound of flesh from Libya. The last I heard they were holding this deal up.

SlowwHand · September 12, 2003, 20:00

Not France! They wouldn't hold up anything,would they ?

Imran Siddiqui · September 12, 2003, 20:03

Hehe, yeah Slow, they are the ones who are for morality and decency, right?

Chemical Ollie · September 12, 2003, 20:07

I think the French were right to push their position. After all, the Libyans blow up a French airliner too.

Bereta_Eder · September 12, 2003, 20:08

Well if normalization of Libya's relations with the international community is the result, the this is great.

More democracy, more wealth = less terrorism.

SlowwHand · September 12, 2003, 20:12

paiktis, with some people wealth means zilch.
Bin Laden's family is enormously wealthy.

Bereta_Eder · September 12, 2003, 20:17

On a wide social scale Sloww, not wealth for a few indivinduals.

DinoDoc · September 12, 2003, 20:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie
I think the French were right to push their position. After all, the Libyans blow up a French airliner too.

IIRC, a settlement had already been reached with Libya previously. The French were pushing to fatten that one up substantially.

Chemical Ollie · September 12, 2003, 20:41

Quote:

Originally posted by DinoDoc
IIRC, a settlement had already been reached with Libya previously. The French were pushing to fatten that one up substantially.

To make a French life worth as much as an American life. What's your problem with that?

DinoDoc · September 12, 2003, 20:46

That it was uselessly holding up an important deal.

Bereta_Eder · September 12, 2003, 21:04

With that logic, the US should have negotiated a lower price then, the same as the French.

Chemical Ollie · September 12, 2003, 21:06

Do you seriously think Libya would have accepted the French demands if they had come AFTER the sanctions had been lifted? France did the only right thing. America is not the centre of the world.

DinoDoc · September 12, 2003, 21:13

Quote:

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie
Do you seriously think Libya would have accepted the French demands if they had come AFTER the sanctions had been lifted?

France had worked out a deal with Libya. Why should I care if they were embarrassed the Americans were able to work a larger settlement with Tripoli than they were?

Bereta_Eder · September 12, 2003, 21:19

With your logic it was actually the US which screwed up the deal and then tried to blame it, unsuccesfully, on France. That or the US didn't have enough diplomatic wisdom to forsee it. In both cases, with your logic and arguments, the US screwed up.

The Mad Monk · September 12, 2003, 22:53

The US still walked away with more...interesting way to "screw up".

notyoueither · September 13, 2003, 00:21

Is everything the US vs France? This shtick is getting old, fast.

France got what it wanted. The UK got what it wanted. The US got what it wanted, presumably. Libya got what it wanted. Can't everyone win, just once?

Well, not everyone. There are still the victims and their families.

Nubclear · September 13, 2003, 00:54

Quote:

Originally posted by notyoueither
Is everything the US vs France? This shtick is getting old, fast.

France got what it wanted. The UK got what it wanted. The US got what it wanted, presumably. Libya got what it wanted. Can't everyone win, just once?

Well, not everyone. There are still the victims and their families.

LoneWolf · September 13, 2003, 01:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie
Do you seriously think Libya would have accepted the French demands if they had come AFTER the sanctions had been lifted? France did the only right thing. America is not the centre of the world.

On the contrary, America IS the center of the world. The French (God bless their poor souls) proved it. Thye couldn't cut a decent deal on their own, so they waited until we did, and they free loaded. What more to say?

Az · September 13, 2003, 02:42

Please remind me, why were the sanctions imposed in the first place?

notyoueither · September 13, 2003, 02:48

Libyan support of terrorism?

Do they still do that?

The Mad Monk · September 13, 2003, 02:52

Dunno, I think they've been behaving themselves.