France To Block Lockerbie Deal

“France considers that compensating the families of the victims of these two abominable attacks is a fundamental aspect in concluding the Libyan dossier at the United Nations,” French foreign ministry spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“That implies in particular that the indemnities paid in the UTA matter should be judged equitable compared to the compensation that the families of the Lockerbie victims will receive,” she said.

Libya was also blamed for the bombing of the French UTA plane, which exploded over Niger on September 19, 1989, killing 170 passengers and crew.

Earlier Thursday, lawyers representing the families said Libya has signed a deal clearing the way for financial compensation totaling some $2.7 billion.

Under the accord Tripoli would pay each of the families $10 million (8.8 million euros) in installments based on the lifting of U.S. and U.N. sanctions and the removal of Libya from a U.S. list of countries viewed as “state sponsors of terrorism.”