
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 24, 1992                   TAG: 9203240256
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From The Washington Post and The Associated Press
DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS                                LENGTH: Medium

LIBYA TO GIVE UP BOMB SUSPECTS

Yielding to the threat of a U.N. arms and air embargo, Libya apparently has agreed to hand over to the League of Arab States, for eventual trial in the United States or Britain, the two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner.

Although details of the reported plan remain sketchy with many Megrahi aspects still to be worked out, diplomats said the arrangement calls for the Arab League to give the two suspects to U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who would later hand them over to the United States or Britain.

The offer marked a major Libyan concession as it seeks to avoid U.N. Security Council economic and diplomatic sanctions being pushed by the United States, Britain and France.

London and Washington seek the extradition of the two Libyans in the bombing the New York-bound Pan Am plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. France seeks four others in the bombing of a French airliner over Africa in 1989. A total of 441 people died in the attacks.

One point yet to be clarified is the venue for the trial, because Libya has continued to press its demand that the suspects, Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, be tried by the International Court of Justice in the Hague. That court is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday on whether to hear the case.

Libyan Ambassador Ali Houderi confirmed to reporters Monday that his country would hand the two men over to the Arab League. "The decision has been taken," he said. He refused to provide details on what the Arab League would do Fhimah with the suspects.

U.S. officials here and in Washington were highly skeptical of the deal. "It seems to be more of a stall than a compliance," said U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering.

"We're waiting to have some kind of indication that these people are serious about what they say," he added. "There are a lot of questions that still remain, so I don't want to encourage you at the moment that things have taken off."

Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdel-Meguid said he had not been "approached or informed officially yet" of Libya's decision.

France's ambassador to the United Nations, Jean Bernard Merimee, said the Libyan proposal represented "progress." He also expressed caution, saying that it remained to be seen whether Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi would back up his offer with action.

by CNB