Ten years after the bombing of a US airliner over Scotland, the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution aimed at ensuring an early trial of Libyan suspects.
However, doubt was cast on the whole agreement last night when the Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gadafy, told Libyan TV that his country rejected a US demand to "immediately" turn over two Libyans for trial in the Netherlands.
"We are not ready to send human beings like that without guarantees," said Col Gadafy.
A White House spokesman had said earlier yesterday that Libya must immediately hand over the two suspects or face tougher UN sanctions.
The 15-member Security Council had unanimously adopted Resolution 1192 on Thursday providing for the suspension of six-year-old Libyan sanctions once the two Lockerbie bombing suspects arrive in the Netherlands for trial.
The decision came after Libya formally accepted new British and US proposals to hold the trial in the Netherlands, rather than in Britain or the US.
The Libyan ambassador, Mr Abuzed Dorda, informed the council in the clearest terms so far that Libya "accepts that the two suspects be tried in a Scottish court in the Netherlands by Scottish judges according to Scottish law".
However, the Libyan government yesterday called on the US, Britain and the Netherlands to enter into negotiations on judicial procedures for the trial.
Libya's Foreign Ministry, in a strongly critical comment, said it was not committed by the agreement between Britain and the Netherlands attached to the resolution.
British and US representatives challenged Tripoli to hand over the two suspects as soon as possible.
The resolution will pave the way for Britain and the Netherlands to adopt legislation enabling the unprecedented procedure for the trial to go ahead in a matter of weeks.
The two Libyan suspects are wanted in connection with the December 1988, bombing of a Pan Am airliner, which was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.
Libya has been under an air, arms and diplomatic embargo since 1992 for failing to extradite the two suspects to Britain or the US for trial. Tripoli refused on the ground that a fair trial could not be guaranteed.
On Monday, responding to mounting international pressure and faced with a crumbling sanctions regime, Washington and London finally changed their position and offered a trial in the Netherlands under Scottish law, by Scottish judges.
Reacting to Libyan suggestions that there should be no strings attached, British deputy permanent representative, Mr Stephen Gomersall, said "the arrangements for the trial are clear, and there are no hidden conditions".
The resolution warns Libya that the council will consider "additional measures" if the two suspects are not extradited promptly for trial.
The late-night vote took place to enable the Chinese delegation to receive instructions from Beijing.