RI promises to help Libya on sanctions

RI promises to help Libya on sanctions

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia pledged yesterday to use its influence
as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council
to help remove UN sanctions imposed on Libya.

Libya is accused of harboring the suspects responsible for the
1988 Pan Am bombing in Lockerbie, Scotland.

After a meeting with his Libyan counterpart, Omar M.
Muntasser, Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas
stated that Jakarta would strive to convince fellow members of
the Security Council to re-evaluate their position when the
sanctions come up for review in the next few months.

"We will urge the Security Council to review the matter,"
Alatas said here yesterday.

Two Libyans have been accused by the United States and Britain
of the downing of a Pan Am jet which killed 270 passengers,
though Libya has vehemently denied any involvement.

However, Libya has since agreed, under a compromise proposal
by the Arab League, to extradite the two suspects to the UN's
International Court of Justice, or a neutral third country, for
trial under Scottish law.

"Unfortunately the U.S., Britain and France continue to reject
this compromise," remarked Alatas, frustrated with the insistence
of the three countries to prosecute the suspects in either
Scotland or the U.S.

"We argue that Libya's willingness to prosecute the suspects
in a third country is an important factor in reviewing the whole
matter and will of course try to convince the other members to
accept this compromise as a way out," he added.

Muntasser himself argued that recent evidence casts further
doubt on Libya's involvement in the bombing.

British and Scottish newspapers reported last month that U.S.
Air Force intelligence documents pointed to the involvement of an
Iranian who bankrolled the radical Abu Nidal group to carry out
the attack.

"These all raise doubts which should induce the Security
Council to review the whole issue versus Libya. All of the
sanctions should be abolished until a thorough investigation is
carried-out to find out the truth," Muntasser said.

Alatas noted that as chair of the 111-nation Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) Indonesia would have the support of fellow NAM
members in the Security Council.

Known as the NAM Caucus, they include Botswana, Nigeria, Oman
and Rwanda.

When asked to comment on Indonesia's strong support for Libya,
Muntasser remarked that "Indonesia is always supporting whatever
is right and our position has always been right."

"The whole world knows that there is plenty of doubt in the
accusations," Muntasser said while calling for an unbiased body
to investigate those truly responsible for the bombing.

"We're sure we're not involved in it, somebody else is," he
remarked without pointing fingers.

Before returning home, Muntasser will meet with President
Soeharto today and is expected to discuss the matter at length
with the NAM chairman.