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Libya Reverses Stance on Pan Am Bombing
2004-02-26
Libya on Wednesday affirmed it was responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988. The statement by the Jamahiriya news agency disavowed assertions by the Libyan prime minister that Libya had not acknowledged it blew the jetliner out of the skies over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, including 181 Americans.
My, that was fast.
Secretary of State Colin Powell and spokesmen for the White House and State Department said they had not concluded their assessment of the Libyan retraction. As a result, a White House announcement on lifting travel curbs that have been in place for 23 years remained on hold.
It squeaked out. See the next article in this section...
The statement, which appeared at midday on Libya’s web site, said Libya had helped bring two suspects to justice "and accepts responsibility for the actions of its officials." Referring to the prime minister’s statement that Libya had not acknowledged responsibility in a letter to the United Nations, the news agency said "recent statements contradicting or casting doubt on these positions are inaccurate and regrettable." State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said he could not immediately analyze the statement, but "it’s really the facts that matter much more than any statements." He said the administration was watching the way Libya follows up on a pledge to get rid of its nuclear weapons program and whether it takes steps to cut connections to terror groups.
Words, meet action.
Susan Cohen, of Cape May, N.J., whose daughter, Thea, 20, was killed in the bombing, was skeptical of the statement. "This is typical of the Libyans," she said on the telephone. "They do this thing all the time. They say confusing things. This doesn’t cancel out that (Libyan leader Muammar) Gadhafi keeps telling people they did not commit the bombing." Mrs. Cohen said the U.S. government should demand that Gadhafi "come out and say, ’yes, we did it’."
I too would like to her Q-man say that. On TV. In Arabic.
"They are the same old Libyans," she said. "If they don’t accept the responsibility right up to Gadhafi, this whole thing is a fraud."
Smart lady! Wonder if there’s an opening at State for her?
Posted by:Steve White

#3  Speaking of which... does Utah have the Bomb?
Posted by: Shipman   2004-2-26 4:21:10 PM  

#2  MO doesn't do anything halfway... I'm getting the feeling he may be a a new Mormon.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-2-26 4:20:42 PM  

#1  Damn--they flipped on that in record time! I bet even John Kerry is impressed!
Posted by: Dar   2004-2-26 12:52:55 PM  

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