ULSTER MPs have held their first talks with Libyan officials about compensating IRA victims.
The DUP MPs Nigel Dodds and Jeffrey Donaldson met the Libyan Charges des Affairs in London to discuss the possibility of a visit to Tripoli by politicians and IRA victims.
Libya was once a pariah state on the international stage because of the regime's support for terrorist organisations and in particular the IRA, although the country is trying to change that image.
There are also improved trade links between the United Kingdom and Libya but the former rogue state has a long way to go.
Our politicians are right to keep up the pressure.
The country and its leader, Colonel Gaddafi, must be left in no doubt about the pain and suffering caused by the guns and bombs supplied by Libya and used by the IRA.
The people who died at the hands of the IRA will not come back to life but their families and loved ones are entitled to proper compensation, as well as official recognition of the evil forced upon them.
The longer Libya wrangles about the issue, the more suffering will be piled on the victims.
If Libya is serious about finding a new place in the world order, now is the time to act positively and quickly. And the way to do that is to help the victims, the people who need and deserve it the most.