Libya compensates terror victims

Most of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing were Americans
Libya has paid $1.5bn into a US compensation fund for relatives of victims of terror attacks blamed on Tripoli, the US state department says.

The fund was agreed in August to settle remaining lawsuits in the US.

The attacks include the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people and the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco which killed three and wounded more than 200.

Under the deal, Libya did not accept responsibility for the attacks, but agreed to compensate victims.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says it is the final step in a long diplomatic process, which has seen Libya come back into the international fold.

US contribution

For its part of the deal, the US agreed to pay $300m into the fund for Libyan victims of US air strikes ordered in retaliation for the Berlin bombing.

The first $300m Libyan payment into the fund was made on 9 October, shortly after an historic visit to Tripoli by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Its second payment of $600m was received on Thursday and a final instalment of $600m was made on Friday, said David Welch, the US diplomat who negotiated the settlement.

In exchange, President Bush has signed an executive order restoring the Libyan government's immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismissing pending compensation cases in the US, the White House said.


The US and Libya agreed to the compensation deal in August

Our correspondent says it is unclear why it took so long for the money to be paid into the fund.

She adds that there may have been contributions by American companies lured by business opportunities in Tripoli and keen to expedite the process of normalising ties.

The US State Department, however, has insisted that no money from the American taxpayer will be used for the US portion of the fund.

Libya has already paid the families of Lockerbie victims $8m (£4m) each, but it owes them $2m more.

The fund will also be used to compensate relatives of seven Americans who died in the bombing of a French UTA airliner over Chad in 1989.

In 2004, Libya agreed to pay $35m in compensation to non-US victims of the 1986 Berlin bombing.

In the same year, relatives of non-US victims of the UTA bombing accepted a payment of $1m each from the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations.

Relations between Libya and the US improved in 2003 when Tripoli stopped working on weapons of mass destruction.

The decision led to the restoration of US diplomatic ties with Libya in 2006.

In turn, it was removed from America's list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

__________________
"If you're going through hell, keep going". Winston Churchill

Hang your head in shame and never ever tell any nation ever about terrorism.

THE USA IS A TOTAL F_CKIN JOKE!

__________________
"If you're going through hell, keep going". Winston Churchill

hm.. surely a subject worth while of some pondering..
well not really.

(you know.. its not exactly secret info that US tries sometimes to play the emerging dictators like a well organized puppetshow.. sometimes failing badly. )

__________________

Hitting the bottle again, eh, Spikey boy?

__________________
SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

How does that get them off the list...messing about with the word terrorism takes away a certain amount of credibility...putting states on and then taking them off every five minutes is a little stupid if you ask me....

And Lybia compensates the families of the victims then takes no responsibility for the attacks

Do they think we are daft or what?

__________________
Hi Ho Hi Ho

Its like an absurd tv game show.

The same happened to North Korea remember?...they shut down that Nuclear reactor and then as if by majic they were off the list and had stoped sponsoring terror

It damages the War and Americas cred when they lable states as "Sponsors of terror"

I dont like it....this isnt a game and the American goverment should stop playing with lables

Dont get me wrong I surport the US in this war 100%...but when they keep removing and replacing countries on the list it damages the war and gives out the wrong message

It looks to the outside world as if the US are saying.....2Do as we say and you can come off our list...dont do as we say and you stay on it"

Its a foolish way of going about it

I would expect more of the US

__________________
Hi Ho Hi Ho

You said it man.

I'll just reword to what I was going to post, untill I read your post, but I still want to say it anyway.

It seems more and more, that being labelled a terrorist has less and less to do with being a terrorist and more and more to do with wether or not you are cooperating with the U.S.

Spike, you do have a way with words on a Friday night.

__________________
Humans, a renewable resource?
Bumble Bees Die to sting you

Well at least you know what I think. Unlike a certain individual on here

__________________
"If you're going through hell, keep going". Winston Churchill

.... and Saturday

..... and Sunday


.....and Monday

....and Tuesday..oh wait, no.. Tuesday is Bingo Night with the Grannies...

...and Wednesday

.......and Thursday....


....anndddd back to Friday...

__________________
"Barrel High, Powder Dry!"

"Illic est haud effrego ex Veneratio"