Gadhafi Demands Guarantees

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi demanded guarantees from the United States and Britain Thursday that they will not play "tricks" if he surrenders two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner.

Gadhafi, following up on his qualified acceptance of a U.S.-British plan to try the suspects in the Netherlands, said Libya and the Western countries still must work out the details before any trial could be held.

He added that he expected Britain and the United States to try to impose conditions that would "make the trial impossible."

"More details must be clear. You cannot say give us these people quickly. They are not tins of fruit," Gadhafi said in an interview with CNN.

For more than six years, Libya has been subjected to U.N. sanctions aimed at forcing Gadhafi to surrender two Libyan suspects in the 1988 attack of the jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, including 189 Americans.

On Wednesday, Libya accepted a U.S.-British compromise to try the two suspects in the Netherlands, but also urged that U.N. sanctions against Libya be lifted.

Gadhafi said Thursday he had "no objection" to the proposal to try the Libyan suspects in the Netherlands with a three-judge panel and under Scottish law.

"But I am not sure America and the UK have good intentions to solve this problem. I'm not assured they are serious," he said.

Libya will wait to see the details of the proposal before handing over the suspect, he said, without elaborating.

There are likely to be intense behind-the-scenes negotiations during the coming weeks concerning details of any trial, which could still fall through.

At the United Nations Thursday, the U.N. Security Council considered a resolution that would suspend U.N. sanctions once the two Libyan suspects appear for trial in the Netherlands. A vote was possible later Thursday, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

These developments became possible after Washington and London agreed to drop their earlier insistence that any trial be in Britain or the United States.

Both sides would see the Netherlands trial as a victory. Libya has long demanded a trial on "neutral" ground, and America and Britain have long sought justice in the terrorist attack.

Libyan defense attorney Ibrahim Legwell was quoted Thursday in Cairo's Al-Ahram Weekly as saying only the defense team could accept or reject the U.S.-British proposal.

He also said the defense team would insist on procedures to ensure the safety of the suspects and to limit access to them "to spare them any pressure by American or British intelligence."

For years, Gadhafi has carried out high-profile acts of defiance of the U.N. sanctions, which bar air travel to and from Libya. He has flown to friendly countries and has allowed Muslim pilgrims to fly to the holy city of Mecca.

But the sanctions have largely hel.

Visitors must take a ferry to Libya or fly to neighboring Egypt or Tunisia and drive to Libya, which can take up to half a day. Tourism to the country, which boasts exquisite Roman ruins, is virtually non-existent.

Written by Salah Nasrawi