Council Not Ready to Lift Libya Sanctions

The U.S. persuaded Libya’s supporters on the Security Council to accept that Tripoli still has to meet U.N. demands related to the Pan Am bombing trial before sanctions can be permanently lifted. Namibia had pushed for a lifting of the measures, now suspended, based on the April 5 hand-over of two suspects in the 1988 bombing and pledges by Libya to cooperate in their trial and pay compensation to the victims’ families, if the men are convicted. But the U.S. had threatened to veto its resolution. In its statement, the council said it welcomed Libya’s “significant progress” in complying with U.N. demands. Deputy U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh noted, however, that “it means that council members agree that there’s more that needs to be done by Libya.”