Now personally for me, no amount of money could replace a loved one or fill that empty space, but at least the Libyan government is making an attempt to make amends, the only way they really can.
WASHINGTON — Libya has started making payments into a fund to compensate the families of American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks in the 1980s, another step in the full normalization of long-strained ties between Washington and Tripoli, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.
The “substantial amount” deposited into a U.S. bank account is not the full amount needed to fulfill a compensation agreement reached earlier this year, but the official said it demonstrated Libya’s willingness to resolve outstanding claims, particularly over the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the 1986 bombing of a German disco.
The exact amount of the package has never been made public, but it is believed to be in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars.
“We believe that direct deposit of these funds … is evidence of Libya’s commitment to fully implementing the claims settlement agreement,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.
“This initial deposit to implement the claims agreement demonstrates Libya’s commitment to fully resolving outstanding claims,” the official said. “We will continue to work with Libya to ensure the expeditious receipt of the remaining agreed funds to compensate the victims and families.”.
The official would not quantify the amount of the payment or say whether it had been deposited by the Libyan government or private Libyan entities that have paid similar compensation in the past.
Under the agreement, the Bush administration pledged to restore the Libyan government’s immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismiss pending cases, but the official stressed that it is not obligated to do so until the full compensation is paid.
The first payment had been expected in early September but was inexplicably delayed.
It was received just days after the opening of a U.S. commercial office in Libya’s capital and a historic visit there last month by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in more than 50 years.
Read the rest of the article here.
Related posts:
- VA Tech: The Victims
- Libya “Detains” And “Tortures” Four Christians For Leaving Islam
- Mumbai: Doctors find signs of torture on victims
- Italy politely tells Libya to mind their own business regarding Italian politics
- Video: Lockerbie terrorist gets hero’s welcome in Libya
- Libya releases 88 terrorists linked to Al Qaeda
- Iraq: in one year, victims of attacks down by 75%
- Libya blocks UN condemnation of Jerusalem terrorist attack
- UN Watch speaker exposes hypocrisy of UN over Durban II
- Iran launches book mocking Holocaust victims
