| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa North |
| US receives $1.5b in compensation from Libya |
| 2008-11-01 |
| The United States said Friday it has received $1.5 billion from Libya, the entire sum required to compensate the families of victims of terrorist attacks. "The Bush administration will now move expeditiously to arrange for distribution of these funds," a statement by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice certified to Congress that the United States has received $1.5 billion pursuant to the U.S.-Libya Claims Settlement Agreement," McCormack said. The sum is to compensate U.S. and other families for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, and for U.S. families of a Berlin disco bombing that killed two Americans and hurt 50 others. Settling the issue of terrorism claims is a key factor in improving ties between the two former foes, which first began warming after Libya gave up its weapons of mass destruction program in 2003. On August 14, Libya and the United States signed the compensation deal in Tripoli for victims of Libyan attacks and Libyan victims of U.S. reprisals, paving the way for full normalization of ties between the two countries. Under the deal, a U.S.-Libya fund of $1.8 billion was set up, with 1.5 billion dollars for Americans and 300 million dollars for Libyans. State Department officials said the families of non-American victims of the Pan Am bombing are covered by the 1.5 billion dollars. The deal prompted a visit to Tripoli in September by Rice, who became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Libya in more than 50 years. Other diplomatic steps are expected to follow. Libya made a substantial payment earlier this month, but U.S. officials said then that they could not start making payments until they had received the remaining agreed amount. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 GDP somewhere around $50 billion, it is a significant payment from Sprokets POV, didn't re-animate anyone tho. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-11-01 05:07 |