Suspects al-Megrahi, left, and Fhimah are interviewed by journalists before leaving Tripoli, Libya, Monday RELATED VIDEO CNN's Richard Roth talks with residents of the Dutch town of Zeist, where the trial will take place Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K  ALSO Lockerbie rare diplomatic coup for Nelson Mandela Key events since U.S., Libya agreed on Netherlands trial  MESSAGE BOARD Lockerbie trial

April 5, 1999
Web posted at: 11:39 a.m. EDT (1539 GMT)

In this story: Trial could take months Investigators believe suitcase carried bomb RELATED STORIES, SITES

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The two men accused of blowing up a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, have arrived in the Netherlands for trial before a Scottish court, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced Monday.

Annan said he would notify the U.N. Security Council of the suspects' arrival, which he called "an important step forward" in international law.

The surrender of the two men -- Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, 47, and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, 43 -- also clears the way for an end to sanctions on Libya that have been in place since 1992.

"The council will act to suspend the sanctions immediately," Annan said. The council can vote to lift the sanctions 90 days after they are suspended.

Annan said he was confident the suspects will receive a fair trial. International monitors will keep an eye on the proceedings against them, he said. ( 188 K/17 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

The two men are accused of planting the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988. The bombing killed all 259 aboard the jetliner, and 11 people on the ground died when the plane's shattered hulk plunged to earth.

Al-Megrahi and Fhimah boarded an Italian-provided U.N. plane in Tripoli on Monday, waving to a crowd of supporters on the tarmac as they left. They arrived in the Netherlands about 3:45 p.m. (9:45 EDT), Annan said.

Both of the suspects have declared their innocence, and Libya denies any involvement in the bombing.

The 1988 crash of PanAm flight 103 killed all 259 aboard the jetliner and another 11 on the ground

Trial could take months

The trial of the accused is likely to drag on for months and will be preceded by extradition proceedings between Britain and the Netherlands.

The suspects will be held in Rotterdam until formally extradited to a temporary detention unit at Camp Zeist, a former U.S. air base near Utrecht. The camp will serve as British territory for the trial. The extradition proceedings could be over in minutes or could take months, officials said.

In the Netherlands, preparations continued Monday for the long-awaited trial.

A temporary detention unit at Camp Zeist is ready for the suspects, Scottish officials said.

Sheriff Graham Cox, the regional judge who will oversee pre-trial proceedings, was expected to arrive in the Netherlands on Monday. Scottish prosecutors Norman McFadyen and Jim Brisbane were already there.

Investigators believe suitcase carried bomb

The United States and Britain accuse al-Megrahi, 47, and Fhimah, 43, of planting a bomb in a suitcase aboard the 747.

The jetliner blew up on December 21 at 31,000 feet over Lockerbie during a flight from London to New York. Most of the dead were Americans.

Last August, Britain and the United States dropped their insistence on a trial in either of their countries and agreed to a venue in a neutral, third country.

More than 100 Scottish policemen and court officials plus scores of media representatives have descended on the Camp Zeist. Some area residents told CNN they were worried about personal safety because of the impending trial, but others said they were not concerned.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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