News

DATE=2/13/99 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-245497 TITLE=LOCKERBIE AGREEMENT (S&L) BYLINE=DELIA ROBERTSON DATELINE=JOHANNESBURG CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA SAYS AN AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED WITH LIBYA TO BRING THE LIBYAN SUSPECTS IN THE LOCKERBIE AIRCRAFT BOMBING TO TRIAL. V-O-A'S DELIA ROBERTSON REPORTS FROM OUR JOHANNESBURG BUREAU THAT THE TRIAL WILL LIKELY TAKE PLACE IN A THIRD COUNTRY. TEXT: PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA SAYS WHAT HE CALLED, "COMMON UNDERSTANDING," WAS REACHED IN TALKS WITH LIBYAN LEADER MUAMMAR GADDAFI AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND SAUDI ARABIA. AS A RESULT, THE TWO LIBYAN SUSPECTS IN THE 1988 BOMBING OF A PAN AMERICAN AIRCRAFT OVER LOCKERBIE IN SCOTLAND WILL BE TRIED. THE SUSPECTS WILL BE TRIED UNDER SCOTTISH LAW, BY SCOTTISH JUDGES, IN A NEUTRAL COUNTRY -- MOST LIKELY THE NETHERLANDS. /// OPT /// THE FINAL AGREEMENT WAS NEGOTIATED OVER RECENT MONTHS BY JAKES GERWIL, MR MANDELA'S CHIEF OF STAFF, AND SAUDI SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE PRINCE BANDAR BIN SULTAN BIN ABDULLAZIZ. UNTIL RECENTLY, LIBYA SAID IT WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY AGREEMENT UNLESS THE LIBYAN SUSPECTS, IF CONVICTED, SERVED THEIR SENTENCES IN A LIBYAN JAIL. HOWEVER, MR. GADDAFI HAS NOW AGREED THEY CAN BE JAILED IN SCOTLAND. BRITISH AUTHORITIES HAVE, IN TURN, AGREED TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR DIETARY, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS. IN ADDITION, THEY WILL BE MONITORED BY UNITED NATIONS PERSONNEL AND PERHAPS A LIBYAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE WHO WILL BE BASED IN SCOTLAND. THE AGREEMENT IS ALSO EXPECTED TO LEAD TO THE END OF SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA, WHICH WERE IMPOSED AFTER THE BOMBING OF THE AMERICAN AIRLINER IN WHICH 270 PEOPLE WERE KILLED. MR. MANDELA HAS FOR MANY YEARS CALLED FOR A NEGOTIATED RESOLUTION TO THE IMPASSE BETWEEN LIBYA ON THE ONE HAND, AND BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES ON THE OTHER. HIS CALL AT FIRST ANGERED THE U-S AND BRITAIN WHOSE LEADERS SAID THEY WOULD NEVER NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS. BUT MR MANDELA'S CALL FOR A NEGOTIATED SOLUTION WAS TAKEN UP BY RELATIVES OF THE SCOTTISH VICTIMS OF THE BOMBING WHO SENT A REPRESENTATIVE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO MR. GADDAFI. MR. GADDAFI AGREED TO A SCOTTISH TRIAL IN A NEUTRAL COUNTRY BUT IT NEEDED THE COMBINED ASSISTANCE OF SOUTH AFRICA AND SAUDI ARABIA TO HELP OVERCOME THE REMAINING OBSTACLES. /// END OPT /// MR MANDELA, WHO ANNOUNCED THE BREAKTHROUGH IN A STATEMENT RELEASED IN PRETORIA, SAID U-N SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN WILL OVERSEE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT. THE SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER DID NOT GIVE A TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. (SIGNED) NEB/DAR/DW/GE 13-Feb-99 9:11 AM EST (1411 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .