[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5602-S5605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 504 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE CREDENTIALS OF ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE GOVERNMENT OF LIBYA WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING THAT THE
GOVERNMENT OF LIBYA WILL CONTINUE TO WORK IN GOOD FAITH TO RESOLVE
OUTSTANDING CASES OF UNITED STATES VICTIMS OF TERRORISM SPONSORED OR
SUPPORTED BY LIBYA, INCLUDING THE SETTLEMENT OF CASES ARISING FROM THE
PAN AM FLIGHT 103 AND LABELLE DISCOTHEQUE BOMBINGS
Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mr. Graham Mr. Menendez, Mrs. Clinton,
Mr. Reid, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Biden, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Levin, Mr. Kerry,
Ms. Stabenow. Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Dodd, Mr.
Bingaman, Mr. Allen, Ms. Collins, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Burr, Mr. Salazar,
Mr. DeMint, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Reed, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Kohl,
Mr. Hatch, Mr. Coleman, and Mr. Rockefeller) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, in light of the recent announcement to
remove Libya from the State Department's list of state sponsors of
terror, I rise today to submit a resolution expressing the sense of the
Senate that the Libyan Government should meet the terms of its
financial commitment to the families of the victims of the Pan Am
flight 103 bombing and other acts of terror supported by Libya before
the President accepts credentials of any representative of the
Government of Libya. I am pleased that Senators Graham, Menendez,
Clinton, Kennedy, Biden, Lieberman, Levin, Kerry, Stabenow, Mikulski,
Schumer, Boxer, Dodd, Bingaman, Allen, Collins, Burr, Salazar, DeMint,
Lincoln, Dorgan, Reed, DeWine, Kohl, Reid, and Santorum have agreed to
cosponsor my resolution.
In May 2002, Libya made an unequivocal commitment to compensate the
families who lost loved ones in the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie,
Scotland, which killed 270 people, including 189 Americans. To date,
Libya has not resolved these claims in full, particularly the last
installment of compensation that is to be paid to each family upon
Libya's removal from the list of state sponsors of terror. Now that the
Secretary of State has announced Libya's removal from the list, the
U.S. must ensure that Libya honors its commitment.
Before the U.S. normalizes its relationship with the Government of
Libya, it is crucial that we underscore our expectation that Libya will
fully honor its commitment to all these American families. The
resolution also exhorts the President to press the Government of Libya
to make a good faith
[[Page S5605]]
effort to resolve other outstanding cases involving U.S. victims of its
state-sponsored terrorism, including the 1986 bombing of the La Belle
Discotheque in Berlin, Germany, that killed two American soldiers and
wounded dozens of others.
I am pleased that the Senate is considering this important resolution
and urge its immediate adoption.
S. Res. 504
Whereas there has not been a resolution of the claims of
members of the United States Armed Forces and other United
States citizens who were injured in the April 6, 1986,
bombing of the LaBelle Discotheque in Berlin, Germany, and
the claims of family members of the service men and women
killed in that bombing or the resolution of other outstanding
cases of United States victims of terror sponsored or
supported by Libya;
Whereas, on December 21, 1988, terrorists from Libya bombed
Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270
people, including 189 Americans;
Whereas, on May 29, 2002, the Government of Libya offered
to pay up to $2,700,000,000 to settle claims by the families
of the 270 people killed aboard Pan Am Flight 103,
representing $10,000,000 for each victim of the Pan Am Flight
103 bombing;
Whereas, on August 15, 2003, Libya's Ambassador to the
United Nations, Ahmed Own, submitted a letter to the United
Nations Security Council formally accepting ``responsibility
for the action of its officials'' in relation to the
Lockerbie bombing;
Whereas, on September 12, 2003, the United Nations lifted
sanctions against Libya, thereby enabling the first trigger
of the agreement between the Government of Libya and the
families of the victims of the attack on Pan Am Flight 103
for a payment of $4,000,000 per victim that has been paid to
the victims' families;
Whereas, on September 24, 2004, the United States lifted
most economic sanctions against Libya, thereby enabling the
second trigger of the agreement between the Government of
Libya and the families of the victims of the attack on Pan Am
Flight 103 for an additional payment of $4,000,000 per victim
that has been paid to the victims' families;
Whereas, on May 15, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice announced the determination of President George W. Bush
to rescind the designation of Libya on the list of state
sponsors of terrorism, thereby enabling the third trigger of
the agreement between the Government of Libya and the
families of the victims of the attack on Pan Am Flight 103
for a final payment of $2,000,000 per victim;
Whereas, on May 15, 2006, Secretary of State Rice announced
the reestablishment of full diplomatic relations with the
Government of Libya, ending 26 years of isolation; and
Whereas the agreement between the Government of Libya and
the families of the victims of the attack on Pan Am Flight
103 incorporated a timeline for payment of the full
$2,700,000,000 that has not been met even though all of the
other conditions for such payment have been satisfied.
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) it remains an important priority for further
improvement in the relations between the United States and
Libya that the Government of Libya make a good faith effort
to resolve all outstanding claims of United States victims of
terrorism sponsored or supported by Libya;
(2) it is in the best interests of the long-term
relationship between the United States and Libya that final
payment be made to the families of the victims of the attack
on Pan Am Flight 103; and
(3) the President should not accept the credentials of any
representative of the Government of Libya without the
expressed understanding that the Government of Libya will
continue to work in good faith to resolve outstanding cases
of United States victims of terrorism sponsored or supported
by Libya, including the settlement of cases arising from the
Pan Am Flight 103 and LaBelle Discotheque bombings.
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