[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9705-S9706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DEMANDING AN APOLOGY FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF LIBYA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign 
Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
253, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 253) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate that the Government of Libya should apologize for the 
     welcome home ceremony held to celebrate the release of 
     convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements 
relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 253) was agreed to, as follows:

                              S. Res. 253

       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the August 20, 2009, release from prison in 
     Scotland of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the lone person convicted 
     in connection with the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over 
     Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, including 189 
     Americans;
       (2) condemns the lavish welcome home ceremony held in 
     Tripoli, Libya, to celebrate the release of Mr. al-Megrahi; 
     and
       (3) calls on the Government of Libya to apologize for the 
     public celebration of Mr. al-Megrahi's release.

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have a brief statement I would like to 
make about the resolution.
  I rise today in support of S. Res. 253, a resolution condemning the 
release and vile welcome home celebration held for Libyan terrorist and 
convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi. I also express my 
sincere thanks and appreciation to my colleagues, Senators Lautenberg, 
Gillibrand, Webb, Voinovich, Cardin, Casey, McCaskill, Menendez, and 
Mikulski for agreeing to cosponsor this resolution.
  Mr. President, it is upsetting that Libyan leader COL Muammar Qaddafi 
is in New York City at this very moment and will be given an 
opportunity to speak before the United Nations General Assembly. I am 
disappointed because I sympathize enormously with the families and 
victims of the deadly Pan Am terrorist attack who will be reminded of 
that deadly day in December almost 21 years ago when they see Qaddafi 
grandstanding at the U.N.
  On December 21, 1998, Pan Am Flight 103, en route from London's 
Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, 
suddenly exploded over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 
on board and 11 people on the ground. Many New Yorkers and New Jersey 
residents were among the 189 Americans killed in the bombing. A young 
man from my neighborhood, whose family was active in a neighboring 
parish--Our Lady Help of Christians--was killed in the bloom of his 
early life. That story could be repeated over and over because there 
were many students who were coming back from a program affiliated with 
Syracuse University. We know people all over New York State were lost, 
and many young college students.
  In 2001, at least the families of the victims found some solace when 
justice appeared to have been delivered as Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was 
convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. But to the shock 
of many people on both sides of the Atlantic, on August 20 of this 
year, the Scottish Government released al-Megrahi, who is currently 
suffering from prostate cancer and is predicted to have about 3 months 
to live. The Scottish Government claimed the release was a 
compassionate gesture given his failing health.
  Upon his return, thousands of young men, who had been transported by 
the Libyan Government, gathered at the airport in Tripoli to greet the 
terrorist. They waved banners, threw flower petals after al-Megrahi was 
escorted from prison by Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the son of COL 
Muammar Qaddafi. The hero's welcome Libya gave to this terrorist truly 
shocks the conscience and deserves a formal rebuke.

[[Page S9706]]

  It is outrageous that the Libyan Government would so blatantly 
disregard the suffering the families have endured for more than two 
decades. S. Res. 253 demands the Government of Libya apologize for the 
gross homecoming celebration of al-Megrahi.
  This resolution does three important things: First, it condemns the 
August 20, 2009, release from prison in Scotland of Abdel Baset al-
Megrahi, the lone person convicted in connection with the 1988 bombing 
of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people; 
second, it condemns the lavish welcome home ceremony held in Tripoli to 
celebrate the release of al-Megrahi; and third, it calls on the 
Government of Libya to apologize for the public celebration of al-
Megrahi's release.
  Al-Megrahi only served 8 years in jail. He committed one of the most 
dastardly terrorist attacks that has been known in the last 100 years. 
Eight years later, the families haven't recuperated. They live with 
their losses every day, every minute. There is a hole in their hearts 
that will never heal. To release al-Megrahi is terrible; to celebrate 
the release of this awful terrorist is even worse. And for the world to 
remain silent, the U.N. not to condemn but to greet Qaddafi--strike 
three. It is an awful situation.
  I call on the Senate to support S. Res. 253 condemning the release 
and the vile welcome home celebration. I hope all Senators will join us 
in cosponsoring the resolution. Murder and terrorism are not forgivable 
offenses, and refuge should never be offered to those determined to 
terrorize and murder the innocent. If we do so, we are encouraging 
future terrorists to repeat these awful crimes.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.

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