Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 Call on Congress and
Administration to Hold Libya Accountable
Families of the victims
of Pan Am Flight 103 have called on the Bush Administration to hold
Libya fully accountable for an agreement the Libyan government
reached with the victims' families three years ago. The families
were joined by a bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators
at a Capitol Hill press conference, after an afternoon meeting with
State Department officials.
"This Libyan regime has put our families through the worst pain
imaginable. No settlement will ever take away our grief or anger,
but this settlement is the only form of justice meted against the
Libyan regime. They must fulfill the obligations they made to our
families and pay it in its entirety," said Kara Weipz, the
president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, who lost her brother in
the bombing.
Under a 2003 agreement, Libya took responsibility for the
bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and agreed to a settlement with the
families to avoid going to trial. While 80 percent of the
settlement has been paid, the remaining 20 percent was to be paid
to the families upon Libya's removal from the list of designated
state sponsors of terror.
On May 12, 2006, President Bush started the 45 day process to
remove Libya from the list. Since then, Libya has made no public
comment on their intent to pay. The families have been urging the
Bush Administration and the State Department to take an active role
in pressuring the Libyans to live up to the commitment they made
and resolve this issue.
"We understand the diplomatic realities facing the State
Department, but we need the State Department to understand the
frustration of our families," said Weipz.
"Our government should
be fighting for us, not making excuses for the Libyans."
At the press conference on Wednesday, Members of the U.S. House
and Senate joined with dozens of families who lost loved ones on
Flight 103. Congressman Michael Ferguson (R-NJ) and Congressman
Robert Andrews (D-NJ) released a letter they are sending to
President Bush urging him to push Libya to resolve this issue. The
letter is co-signed by more than 65 Members of the House of
Representatives.
"We appreciate Senator Frank Lautenberg, Congressman Andrews,
Congressman Ferguson, and the many other Members of Congress who
have stood by our families. Their support means so much to us, and
we are confident they will do everything in their power to ensure
that Libya fulfills its commitments," said Weipz.
Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 is the official umbrella
organization of the family members and friends of those whose lives
ended when a Libyan terrorist bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103
over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988.
They represent families from across the United States,
including: New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Texas, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Maryland, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Vermont, Arkansas, North
Dakota, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Virginia and Mississippi.
They remain "committed to seeking the truth about this tragedy
and keeping the memory of our loved ones alive."
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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