Lockerbie deal closer after talks

Published on Saturday 22 March 2003 00:00

LAWYERS acting for victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing are more hopeful of a settlement with Libya after holding talks with Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s son.

Seif el Islam Gaddafi and the lead Libyan negotiator have met solicitors for families of some of the 270 people killed when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over the town.

In a letter to their clients, the lawyers said: "While we had some concerns beforehand that there might be an attempt to use the meeting to renegotiate the agreement, this did not happen.

"To the contrary, the agreement’s viability was confirmed. Indeed, it is our belief that the meeting was quite constructive and advanced Libya’s commitment to proceed with a prompt settlement of the case."

A bomb destroyed Pan Am flight 103 in December 1988, killing the 259 mostly American passengers and crew, and 11 people on the ground. A Libyan intelligence agent, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who was eventually handed over by Tripoli after much wrangling, was convicted of the crime in 2001. A second defendant was acquitted.

Earlier this month, The Scotsman revealed that Libya was on the verge of admitting civil responsibility for the attack and agreeing to pay compensation.

The international community has demanded that Libya accept responsibility for the crime and pay compensation before now-suspended UN sanctions on Libya are lifted.

However, after the meeting, the legal team told the victims’ families that their optimism that a deal was more likely had to be tempered by concerns that an agreement could be derailed in the aftermath of the US-led war against Iraq.

"We are very concerned about the war with Iraq and its potential impact on our settlement," the letter said.

"While our latest meeting validates our optimism regarding a settlement, we must remain cautious because the war’s effect on foreign relations is unknown."