For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 15, 2003
Statement by the Press Secretary
Today, in a letter to the UN Security Council, Libya stated it "accepts
responsibility for the actions of its officials" in the bombing of Pan
Am 103 on December 21, 1988, and has made arrangements to pay
compensation to the families of the victims in accordance with an
agreement worked out directly between the families and the government
of Libya.
In recognition of these steps, and to allow the families'
settlement to go forward, the United States has notified the United
Nations Security Council that it will not oppose the lifting of UN
sanctions on Libya, which were suspended in 1999.
The Libyan regime's behavior -- including its poor human rights
record and lack of democratic institutions, its destructive role in
perpetuating regional conflicts in Africa, and its continued and
worrisome pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their related
delivery systems -- remains a cause for serious concern. The United
States will intensify its efforts to end threatening elements of
Libya's behavior, and U.S. bilateral sanctions on Libya will remain in
full force until Libya addresses these concerns. Libya must also
continue to take definitive action to assist in the fight against
international terrorism.
The efforts undertaken by the U.S. government in this matter serve
to remind all who would engage in terrorist acts that the United States
will always seek justice and redress for its citizens. Combating the
evil of terrorism remains a paramount commitment of the United States
and we will not relent in that continuing struggle.
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