US-Libyan deal to compensate bombing victims

Libya and the US have signed an agreement to compensate all American and Libyan victims of bombings involving the two countries. It paves the way for a renewal of diplomatic relations, including the opening of a US embassy in Tripoli and direct US aid.

US Assistant Secretary of State David Welche said: “This is a very important day in US-Libyan relations. With the signature of this agreement, we open the possibility of completely new normalised relations.”

Libya said about 40 people were killed in US strikes on the capital Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986, including leader Muammar Gaddafi’s adopted daughter.

The American victims include those who died in the bombing of the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in 1988. Relations between the two nations have improved dramatically since 2003, when Libya admitted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing.

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