UN: The UK was yesterday expected to call on the United Nations Security Council for a formal end to sanctions on Libya, a move that officials said would draw an important diplomatic line under the country's isolation following the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
UN diplomats said Britain was likely to ask for a vote by the end of the week, although Libya first needed to place $2.7 billion (€2.4 billion) in a special account to compensate the families of the 270 people killed in the bombing. In a letter to the Security Council on Friday, Libya accepted "responsibility for the actions of its officials", and said the funds would be transmitted within days.
But France continued to push for an improved settlement for the 1989 bombing of a French UTA airliner over Niger before agreeing to the move. "In principle we are very much in favour of lifting sanctions on Libya; \ we are focusing on ongoing negotiations with Libya for a more equitable deal," said an official. France, Britain and the US had discussed "a way for us to have enough time to discuss [the issue\] with the Libyan side".
Libya's Foreign Minister, Mr Mohamed Abderrhmane Chal- gam, appeared to rule out paying more over the weekend, but France's foreign ministry said yesterday that "important progress" had been made towards "an agreement on fair damages in relation to those that will go to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie attack". The move comes as the Security Council is attempting to restore some sense of unity following its deep split over the war in Iraq. - (Financial Times)