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From: C-upi@clari.net (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.world.africa.northwestern,clari.world.organizations.un
Subject: Accord near on Lockerbie suspects
Keywords: international, US government, united nations, non-usa government,
	government officials, trouble, aviation problems
Organization: Copyright 1999 by United Press International (via ClariNet)
Message-ID: <Ulibya-panam103-unURUvM_9FD@clari.net>
Lines: 38
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 15:11:32 PST
Location: Eastern Europe, Mideast, Africa
ACategory: international
Slugword: libya-panam103-un
Threadword: libya
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Xref: news.cs.columbia.edu clari.world.africa.northwestern:7073 clari.world.organizations.un:18435

  	  				 
	UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-  
General Kofi Annan says he is awaiting official word from Tripoli on an 
agreement reportedly reached by Saudi Arabia and South Africa for the 
trial of two Libyan defendants in the bombing Pan Am Flight 103. 
	The spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said today Annan ``is greatly encouraged  
by the important progress'' reportedly made by envoys from Riyadh and 
Pretoria on Libya's handover of the suspects for trial before Scottish 
judges under Scottish law in the Netherlands. 
	The bombing 10 years ago of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,  
Scotland, killed 270 people on the plane and on the ground. 
	Annan was briefed late Friday by the deputy Saudi ambassador to  
Washington, Rihab Massoud. 
	Eckhard said Massoud reported to Annan ``they have reached an  
agreement with Libya on all outstanding issues.'' 
	The spokesman gave no further details, but added that Annan was ``now  
looking forward to the speedy conclusion of this matter.'' 
	Envoys from both Saudi Arabia and South Africa have had meetings with  
Libyan officials over Tripoli's surrender of the two suspects. 
	Libya has agreed for the suspects to be tried in the Netherlands, but  
under Scottish law and before Scottish judges. But, it has balked at the 
prospect of the two men having to serve time in a Scottish prison if 
convicted. 
	Britain reportedly has promised access of U.N. human rights monitors  
to the two if they are imprisoned. 
	Eckhard said the next step would be to report the progress to the  
Security Council, probably next week, where Britain and the United 
States have been threatening to seek additional sanctions against Libya. 
International flights into the country have been banned since 1992. 
	The spokesman said the only way Annan will go to the council will be  
when he hears officially from Libya it has accepted the plan. Annan 
wants to make sure there is an agreement among London, Tripoli and 
Washington. 
	Most of the passengers aboard the Pan American Boeing 747 were  
Americans and Britons flying from London to New York when it exploded 
over Lockerbie on Dec. 21, 1988. 
  	   	

