February 17, 1999

THE UNITED NATIONS AND LIBYA PRAISE SAUDI ARABIA AND SOUTH AFRICA FOR THEIR ROLE IN REACHING AN AGREEMENT TO RESOLVE THE LOCKERBIE CRISIS. AMERICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AGREE TO INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF OBSERVERS FOR THE LIBYAN SUSPECTS IN THE EVENT THAT THEY ARE FOUND GUILTY AND IMPRISONED IN SCOTLAND. KOFI ANNAN EXPECTS A SPEEDY END OF THE ISSUE PAVING THE WAY FOR THE LIFTING OF SANCTIONS FROM LIBYA. After intensive mediation efforts lasting over a month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and South Africa have succeeded in reaching an agreement between the United Nations, The United Kingdom and Libya that could end the Lockerbie crisis and pave the way for a trial of the two Libyan suspects, Abdul Basset Al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifa Fahima, on charges of blowing up a PanAm airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, causing the deaths of 270 people. Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States, who represented his government in these mediation efforts, announced that positive results had been achieved regarding the Lockerbie issue, adding that this "had happened with God's help, and the sincere co-operation which our esteemed brother, Colonel Gadhafi, leader of the Libyan revolution, accorded us. This is a happy day for the fraternal Libyan people and the Arab and African people and all people who love peace". He added that: The agreement is the result of the sincere and dedicated efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz , Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the Saudi National Guard, South African President Nelson Mandela and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan said that all details would be presented to Kofi Annan. He said: "In the end our task was to support his efforts and to co-ordinate with him". Prince Bandar and South African envoy Jakes Gerwel delivered a proposal to Colonel Gadhafi from the United States and The United Kingdom relating to the imprisonment of the two Libyan suspects in the event that they are found guilty by the Scottish judges in the Hague in Holland who will try them under Scottish jurisdiction. The United Kingdom and the United States proposed that UN-appointed observers could accompany the two men in Scotland's biggest prison which would be specially adapted for this purpose and Libya agreed to this after initially requesting that the two should be imprisoned in Libya under UN supervision. Meanwhile, Gerwel also announced that a general understanding had been reached on all of the unresolved issues relating to Lockerbie. He added: Kofi Annan, who entrusted us with this initiative, has received a full report. There must now be a strong, legal and comprehensive agreement". The South African envoy declined to reveal the details of the agreement other than to confirm that the issues which had been agreed upon included the two main points : where the trial would take place and where the sentence would be carried out in the event that the two suspects are found guilty. Libya announced later that "positive results relating to the so-called Lockerbie issue" had been reached "following intensive efforts by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of South Africa." President Mandela confirmed that a "common understanding" had been reached with Libya concerning the crisis and a statement issued by the South African President confirmed that positive results had been achieved and that there was a common understanding in all issues relating to this question. A statement issued by the United Nations General Secretariat said that Kofi Annan was highly encouraged by the important progress that had been achieved towards resolving the Lockerbie issue thanks to the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The statement added that the Secretary General now anticipated a speedy resolution to this issue. Diplomatic sources say that if an agreement is reached on the issue of handing over the two Libyan suspects for trial in Holland under Scottish jurisdiction, this will pave the way for the next step, which will be to suspend the sanctions imposed on Libya, before eventually cancelling them through a formal United Nations Security Council resolution. Libya has been subjected to sanctions, including an air embargo, since 1992, when the UN Security Council imposed sanctions because of Tripoli's refusal to hand over the two suspects for trial to any outside authorities.