Wreckage from the crash of PanAm flight 103 at Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988

April 8, 1999
Web posted at: 8:38 p.m. EDT (0038 GMT)

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United States, which has had no diplomatic contacts with Libya since 1980, has told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that it is prepared to meet with Libya's U.N. ambassador to move toward a full lifting of U.N. sanctions against the country.

Before Abdel Basset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, the two suspects in the Pan Am 103 bombing, were handed over to authorities in the Netherlands on Monday, the acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Peter Burleigh, said the United States had "made it clear" it would be willing to hold such talks -- face-to-face -- if the suspects were handed over.

U.N. sources said such a meeting could possibly take place toward the end of April.

Asked about such a meeting concerning lifting sanctions, British U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock downplayed its significance for his country because, he said, the United Kingdom has already had frequent bilateral meetings with Libya's U.N. ambassador, Abuzed Omar Dorda.

"We want to take our relationship forward, so there's no big deal about this," Greenstock said.

There are three main steps Libya would have to take in order for the sanctions to be lifted: cooperation with the ongoing trial of the two suspects in the Netherlands; a renunciation of terrorism; and assurances that if the suspects are found guilty, Libya will pay compensation to families of the victims of the bombing, which killed 270 people 11 years ago.

Current sanctions on Libya have been suspended. Annan will report to the U.N. Security Council within 90 days on Libya's compliance with the three basic U.N. demands. Based on Annan's report, the Council will take a vote on full lifting of the sanctions.

Washington withdrew its embassy from Tripoli in 1980. Some time after that, the U.S. closed Libya's embassy in Washington.