Lord Empey: US success over terror attack should encourage UK to fight for IRA victims

The Ulster Unionist peer was commenting after a $30 million settlement was agreed to compensate the families of 56 US sailors killed or injured by an Al Qaeda bomb blast in October 2000.

Although the suicide bomber attack on the destroyer USS Cole took place while the ship was refuelling at Aden in Yemen, the attack was found to have been orchestrated in Sudan with the support of the north African country, Lord Empey said.

Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi supplied weaponry and Semtex explosives to the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles, and Libya has already paid out substantial compensation to US, German, and French victims of IRA terror attacks.

In October last year, Lord Empey repeated his call for compensation to be paid from the billions of pounds in assets belonging to Libya which have been frozen in the UK.

Responding to the latest development in Sudan, he said: “It was announced this week, almost 20 years later, that the government of Sudan was to pay $30 million in compensation to the relatives of those who died.

“Back in 2007 a US court required that $13 million in frozen assets be paid to the relatives as well.

“It was determined that while the attack took place in Yemen, it was orchestrated from Sudan, and could not have succeeded were it not for support from that country.”

Lord Empey said pressure is building on the UK to act.

“Compare and contrast that with the way the UK government (HMG) has dealt with the actions of LIbya, where for over 30 years the government of that country, led by Col Gaddafi, waged war on the United Kingdom by supplying weapons, training, finance and Semtex explosives to the IRA.

“Only under extreme pressure from parliamentarians and victims groups, London has been embarrassed into appointing a special representative, Mr William Shawcross, to look into the situation facing victims and to make recommendations.”

Lord Empey said he welcomed the fact that Mr Shawcross is due to visit Northern Ireland, but said the government must “drop the foolish idea” that it was the responsibility of affected individuals to pursue the Libyan government for compensation.

“The contrast between the US and the UK could not be greater. While America has pursued those who attacked it until compensation was paid, the UK has done none of these things.

“I acknowledge and support the actions of HMG in trying, via the United Nations, to find a settlement to the conflict in Libya, and see a proper government established, but none of that relieves London of the responsibility to ensure that this country and its victims are properly and justly treated and compensation secured for the injured and relatives of the dead,” he said.

Commenting on previous calls to seize frozen assets, a Treasury spokesman told the News Letter: “When assets are frozen, there is no lawful way in which we can seize them or change their ownership.

“In accordance with international law, the assets belong to the sanctioned individual or entity, and sanctions can only be lifted by the EU or UN. The government wishes to see a just solution for all victims of Gaddafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, and takes this issue extremely seriously.”