Libya: Mandela move for Lockerbie deal
The Guardian/The Observer, December 8
Reports by Ewen MacAskill in Pretoria
South African leader marks Prime
Minister's visit with initiative to
secure trial of bomb suspects.
Hopes of an end to the deadlock over the
Lockerbie bombing trial were raised
yesterday when President Nelson
Mandela launched a diplomatic initiative
aimed at getting Libya to hand over the
two main suspects.
Mr Mandela, who expressed optimism that
the outstanding issues could be resolved,
has arranged for a two-man delegation to
go to Libya to meet Colonel Muammar
Gadafy over the next few days. The
development emerged after Tony Blair met
Mr Mandela on the second day of his visit
to South Africa.
The two Libyans are wanted in connection
with the bombing of Pan Am flight 103,
which crashed on Lockerbie 10 years ago,
killing 270 people.
The delegation, made up of Prince Bandar,
the Saudi Ambassador to the United
tates, and Jakes Gerwell, Mr Mandela's
chief of staff, has been given special
permission to travel to Libya by the United
Nations sanctions committee, which
normally bars such flights to the north
African state.
Mr Mandela, one of the few world leaders
with influence over the Libyan leader and
who has been acting as a go between,
said: "We have made good progress and
we think we are on the way to resolving all
the outstanding issues."
But a Downing Street spokesman was
more cautious. While acknowledging
progress had been made, he said: "It still
does not mean that when they [the
delegation] come back, they will have the
two suspects on the plane."
British caution may reflect Downing
Street's desire not to be seen to be giving
any further ground to Col Gadafy, though
there is scope for movement on the terms
of imprisonment should the two be found
guilty, such as rights to visits, diet and
other issues.
Both the South African and British
governments were coy about the details of
the negotiations, which suggest there is
more in the background than has been
revealed at present. Asked if Col Gadafy
had intimated he was ready to comply, the
Downing Street spokesman refused to
comment.
Britain and the US want the two Libyans,
identified by Western intelligence sources
as being involved in the bombing, to stand
trial in Scotland but Col Gadafy blocked
that, claiming they would not receive a fair
trial. A compromise has been on the table
since last year under which the two would
stand trial in a third country but under
Scottish law.
Mr Blair said yesterday: "We have made a
lot of progress on an issue that people
thought was intractable. We will carry on
doing everything we can. We have come a
long way."
Relatives of the dead are keen to see the
trial go ahead in the hope it will throw light
on what happened, even if the two do not
in the end get sent to jail.
___________________________________________
BBC: "Mandela said the two suspects would leave "within days".
Envoys' Lockerbie trial mission. See:
news.bbc.co.uk
____________________________________________
Mandela aide on mission to Libya
The Independent, December 8
By Colin Brown, in Pretoria
Hopes of a breakthrough in the negotiations to bring the two Libyan suspects to trial for the Lockerbie bombing were raised yesterday by Tony Blair and President Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
President Mandela, who interceded on the issue with Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi, announced he is sending his chief of staff, Jakes Gerwel, on a special flight to Libya within 48 hours to seal a deal over the trial with the Libyan leader.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to give special permission for UN sanctions against Libya to be temporarily lifted to allow the direct flight to Tripoli to go ahead.
Mr Gerwel, who is Mr Mandela's under-secretary at the South African foreign office, and the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, are flying to Tripoli to try to secure agreement from Colonel Gaddafi for the trial to take place in The Hague.
Although there have been false dawns over the trial, the South African President and the Prime Minister signalled that it may now go ahead.
"We have made good progress," said President Mandela at a joint press
conference with Mr Blair outside his state mansion in Pretoria.
The Libyan leader was close to agreement on a trial in The Hague last month, after Britain and the United States conceded his demand for it to be held in a third country, but under Scottish law, with Scottish judges.
Colonel Gaddafi objected to the two Libyan suspects having to serve any sentences in a Scottish prison. He threw in another obstacle by insisting on an international panel of judges, including a Libyan.
The Libyan leader was put under renewed pressure to back down by next
month with the threat of further UN sanctions. It was not clear last night what concessions had been made, but British ministers have made clear they would not compromise over holding the trial under Scottish law, and for sentences to be served in Scotland.
Lifting sanctions against Libya would bring economic benefits to the country, which has always denied its involvement in bringing down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie 10 years ago, with the loss of 270 lives.
Mr Blair said: "We have made a lot of progress on an issue which people thought was completely intractable."
The Prime Minister had urged Mr Mandela to use his personal influence with Colonel Gaddafi to find a way through the impasse and had been hoping that his visit to South Africa would herald a breakthrough. |
