UN renews sanctions against Libya

NEW YORK (Reuter) - The United Nations Security Council decided yesterday to retain sanctions imposed on Libya for failing to hand over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and for not co-operating in the investigation into the bombing of a French airliner.

In a resolution on 31 March, the Security Council ordered the severing of airline links and arms sales to Libya and the downgrading of diplomatic relations, until Libya complied. The mandatory sanctions, which took effect on 15 April, are to be reviewed every 120 days. This was the first review.

Pan Am flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the French airliner exploded in 1989 over Niger. A total of 441 people were killed in the two disasters. After closed-door consultations among members, Council President Li Daoyu of China read a statement saying 'there was no agreement that the necessary conditions existed for modification of the measures of sanctions'.