Support victims, Clinton urged
SUPPORTING the attempt by IRA victims to win compensation from Libya is a chance to secure peace in Northern Ireland, a victims' campaigner has told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
During her visit to Belfast on Monday, Mrs Clinton refused to give her approval to the case taken by British victims to receive compensation for Libyan-sponsored terrorism from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Last year US victims received compensation from the same regime.
Asked whether she would support parity of treatment for victims of terrorist attacks, such as the Lockerbie bombing, Mrs Clinton diplomatically avoided answering the question directly.
Mrs Clinton said that she "grieved for all victims", saying that she has met many, but added: "I do not have an opinion about the question that you asked specifically."
Last year, during his visit to Belfast, former US President George W Bush was urged to back the victims' case against Libya but failed to do so.
Last night Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) director William Frazer, who has led the campaign for compensation from Tripoli, said: "There might never be a better opportunity to bring justice and peace to Northern Ireland than to help the people who have suffered the most.
"If she doesn't have an opinion on that, I don't think that she should be interfering in our affairs because there is nothing more important in
Northern Ireland."
In the House of Commons yesterday, Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague pressed Foreign Secretary David Miliband
for assurances that the Government would "consistently" raise the plight
of the families of IRA victims whenever it had dealings with Libya.
Responding, Mr Miliband said that ministers would continue to discuss the issue but added: "We have come to a very clear view that there is more chance of this being addressed on a humanitarian basis by representatives of the families than there is by government to government negotiation."
Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary Ed Davey also hit out at the
Government's "failure" to secure compensation from Libya for IRA victims and said that "trade came before justice" with regard to the release of Lockerbie bomber Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.
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Weather for Belfast
Monday 28 May 2012
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