[What follows is the text of a report published yesterday on the website of The Daily Orange, the newspaper of Syracuse University, New York:]
US Rep Ann Marie Buerkle, seizing on public frustration with the new Libyan government after the attack that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans, wants to turn up the heat on the new regime regarding Pan Am Flight 103.
Buerkle has proposed a House resolution that calls for Libya to cooperate with US authorities who have never closed the books on their investigation of the 1988 bombing that killed 270 people when a flight from London exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Among the dead were 35 Syracuse University students returning from a semester abroad and five others with ties to Central New York.
Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a former Libyan agent, was the only person convicted in the attack. The new Libyan government has promised to cooperate with the FBI and Justice Department in finding others who may have conspired in the attack.
Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, said her resolution will formally express the “disappointment and concern” of Congress regarding the stalled US probe of the bombing and the “failure of Libya” to grant permission for US authorities to investigate and gather evidence in Libya.
Buerkle’s resolution also would require the Justice Department to report what resources it has devoted to the open investigation over the past 24 years and the costs associated with the investigation.
In December, the new Libyan ambassador to the United States attended the annual memorial service for Pan Am Flight 103 victims at Arlington National Cemetery. Ambassador Ali Aujali told the families at the service that the new government will help bring to justice those responsible for the attack.
Separately, Buerkle is working on a second piece of legislation to help the families of Pan Am 103 victims obtain additional compensation from a fund set up in 2004 after the US received a $1.5 billion payment from Libya. Buerkle could introduce the bill when the House returns to session after the November election.
MISSION LOCKERBIE, 2012:
ReplyDeleteTo Ann Marie Buerkle, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 25th congressional districts :
Please don't forget: already the ex "Libyan Regime" had the United Nations contractually promised to continue to cooperate in the PanAm 103 investigation. see:
SECURITY COUNCIL POSTPONES ACTION ON LIFTING LIBYA SANCTIONS UNTIL 12 SEPTEMBER, 2003, SC/7866
The Council was now moving towards resolution of that terrible affair, he continued. Libya had accepted responsibility for the ACTION OF ITS OFFICIALS - (MEBO: in the assumption that he has made such) - renounced terrorism and arranged for payment of appropriate compensation for the families of the victims. It had also expressed its commitment to cooperate with any further requests for information in connection with the investigation. All those were substantial gains, which could allow Libya to move back into the international community and bring the Council closer to lifting the sanctions.
by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Telecommunication, Switzerland, URL: www.lockerbie.ch
It is easy to forget how distant America is on some cultural issues because of the one-sided way their Government and media report international events.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why I’m not shocked by Ann Marie Buerkle’s resolution on behalf of her constituents, but believe it as an opportunity to make progress and change minds in America.
This is because her resolution asking for details about the costs of the ‘on-going’ investigation could incite new questions about the fake investigation itself.
Once this happens, just like PE1370, it keeps the whole issue alive, allowing time for more embarrassing facts to emerge and the political mood to change.
And if A M Buerkle and The Daily Orange are sincere and knew the facts about al-Megrahi they could become advocates for the truth about Lockerbie?