'˜Progress on Libya'“IRA victims compensation'

Mr Frazer was part of a delegation which travelled to London yesterday to meet Minister of State for the Middle East, Alistair Burt MP.

The country’s late dictator Col Gaddafi supplied Semtex and weapons to the IRA.

“The minister said he recognised there had to be something done regarding compensation but that it is just a question of timing,” said Mr Frazer.

The timing relates to the current civil instability in Libya, he said.

The government recently rejected a recommendation from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee to set up a fund for thousands of Libya-IRA victims, who would be reimbursed in due course.

Mr Frazer added: “The government cannot abdicate its responsibilities. There needs to be a firm commitment of resolute support, the government must ensure rogue nations who deal with terrorists are accountable for their actions.”

Meanwhile, UUP peer Lord Empey said the parliamentary support group that aims to help the victims has secured a meeting with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson today.

This is “a key moment” he said, as MPs try to persuade the government to move from the “ludicrous” position that compensation claims from victims are “a private matter”.

The second reading of Lord Empey’s Asset Freezing (Compensation) Bill also takes place on Friday, October 27. The bill aims to tap £9.5bn of Gaddafi assets, frozen in London, for Libya–IRA victims.