§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of the involvement of Colonel Gadaffi in terrorist incidents since 1988. [85760]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe United Kingdom has no proof of recent Libyan government involvement in recent terrorist incidents. Recent progress in the Lockerbie (1988) and UTA (1989) cases has led to the suspension of United Nations sanctions against Libya under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The United Nations Secretary-General is required to report on Libya's 309W compliance with all the requirements of those resolutions, including renunciation of terrorism, before UN sanctions can be lifted.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent he has taken into account his Department's assessment of the alleged role of Colonel Gadaffi in terrorist incidents since 1988 in deciding to seek to normalise relations between the UK and Libya. [85759]
§ Mr. HoonThe United Kingdom has no evidence of recent Libyan government involvement in recent terrorist incidents.
Following the handover of the Lockerbie suspects and subsequent suspension of the UN and related EU sanctions against Libya, we have been in contact with the Libyans to discuss other outstanding bilateral issues.
We hope that these can be resolved quickly and to our satisfaction. The extent to which we can develop more normal relations with Libya depends on the progress we make.