Politicians in Libya for compensation talks

Published Saturday, 31 October 2009

A delegation of politicians from Northern Ireland have arrived in Libya for talks about compensation for victims of IRA violence.

The three MPs and three members of the Lords have been invited by the Gaddafi regime to discuss the legal attempts to secure redress for Libyan involvement in supplying the IRA with bomb-making equipment.

Among the cross-party group are DUP MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and Nigel Dodds.

They will meet Libya's minister for Europe and other officials.

Semtex explosives supplied by Libya were one of the IRA's most lethal weapons in its decades-long terror campaign.

Links between the IRA and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi are thought to stretch back as far as 1972, and Libya is understood to have supplied the Republican group with Czech-made Semtex in the 1980s.

The parliamentarians - who will be in Libya until Monday - revealed details about the trip earlier this month.

Although members of the victims' families were not invited on the trip, the fact that the trip was taking place was welcomed as a sign of progress in the long-running campaign.

The lawyers in a statement: "The victims view this as a significant step forward, as well as recognition by both countries that their plight will not be overlooked as Anglo-Libyan relations develop.

"They sincerely hope that, following the parliamentarian team's visit, Libya will review its position toward them and appreciate that they wish to visit Libya in the spirit of peace and reconciliation."

Comments

5 Comments

Gerard in Belfast wrote (1,301 days ago):

Its up to Libya if they want to give compensation to the victims of the IRA, but my only concern is that the voice of victims of loyalist paramilitaries is not being heard and politicians from the likes of the SDLP and Sinn Fein are not saying anything about the South African government funding them and supplying them with weapons, so in my opinion the victims of loyalist paramilitaries shoud be comprensated by the South African government

lorna in limavady wrote (1,301 days ago):

John Paul. Yes there should be compensation for victims of the loyalists. From what I believe those victims were happy to take the money £12.000 from the British government so let them and those who say they are innocent victims of the state (not terrorist ) for no one should be rewarded for terror, I had hope that this would be an honest and direct approach to help with the suffering inflected on our people by the help given by Libya but I see it is being used in a bad way by such as you saying its only to appease the unionists. IT IS NOT TO BE USED BY POLICITIANS

john in Belfast wrote (1,301 days ago):

good luck to the politicans. for too long the republicans have been getting compensated for this that and the other.

John Paul Murphy in Belfast wrote (1,302 days ago):

If Libya do give compensation to appease the unionists then victims of loyalist / UDA violence should also get compensation from South Africa and its government and also from crown forces that coluded to gain such weapons. After all fair is fair

Liambo in Belfast wrote (1,302 days ago):

Will this man just please pay up already.Jeffery Donaldson and Cohorts are nothing but a pack of attention seeking moron's.