MPs NIGEL Dodds and Jeffrey Donaldson are to press the Gadafy administration for compensation for the victims of Libyan-backed terrorism following the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.
The two DUP men are planning to visit Tripoli to organise a meeting between officials there and relatives of the victims of terrorism from Britain and Northern Ireland.
The move follows the decision by the Scottish government to release Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, who is terminally ill and who was rapturously received in Libya last week after his release on compassionate grounds. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds and Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said last night that they were working with IRA victims from Northern Ireland, Warrington, London and Manchester.
Referring to the Libyan compensation fund set up to compensate US terror victims, Mr Donaldson said: “We fully support the condemnation that has emanated from the United States over this release of the Lockerbie bomber.
“We are mindful, however, of the fact that as a bare minimum, US victims of this example of Libyan-sponsored terrorism were financially compensated for their loss. UK victims haven’t even been granted that form of recognition.
“Why is our own government selling short victims who suffered at the hands of the terrorists Gadafy bank-rolled, armed and trained?” he asked.
It was “not an overestimation to say that the Provisional IRA could not have waged the scale of the campaign they did against the people of this country without the assistance of Col Gadafy”.
“Our own government needs to realise and remember that Gadafy was directly responsible and complicit in the death of many people in the United Kingdom,” he said. Families of victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism in Britain have stepped up demands for compensation following the release of Al-Megrahi. They argue that Libya should now demonstrate to the victims’ families the same compassion shown to the Lockerbie bomber by his release.
Jason McCue, lawyer to many of the victims’ families, told the BBC yesterday: “There is no simpler and easier way to do that than to compensate those victims of IRA bombs that utilised donated Libyan Semtex.”
Colin Parry, whose 12-year-old son was killed in the Warrington bombing 16 years ago said: “We see Libya rejoicing over the return of Al-Megrahi, and the Scottish government was, in my opinion, right to show compassion to a dying man.
“But I think it’s now time for Libya to acknowledge the pain and suffering they inflicted by supporting the IRA, and show the same compassion to its victims.”
British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday said he had been repulsed by the nature of the welcome given to the Lockerbie bomber on his return to Tripoli.