21 July 1998
(Says goal has always been to bring bombers ot justice ) (790) Washington -- President Clinton says the United States is working on ways to bring to justice the perpetrators of the bombing of a Pan American plane over Lockerbie, Scotland ten years ago. During a July 21 question and answer session with reporters following an Oval Office office briefing on health care policy, Clinton said there "may be some possibility of standing up a Scottish court in another country, but there are lots of difficulties with that as well, apparently. "All I can tell you is that it's one of the things that we have explored with a view toward accelerating the day -- it's been a long time now, it's been a lot of years since that terrible day when Pan Am 103 crashed over Lockerbie." The President said "our first goal was to bring the perpetrators of Pan Am 103 murders to justice," and that since he took office "we've been looking for ways to do that." Clinton noted the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom are "trying to find some way that has real integrity, that will work. But there are all kinds of practical difficulties that I'm sure our folks can explain. I don't know if we can do it, but we're working on it." Asked about a broadcast report, since repudiated by its authors, that United States forces used nerve gas during one particular operation into Laos during the Vietnam war, Clinton said: "All I know is what Secretary Cohen has said to you, to the public and to me, which is that their view is that it did not occur." Following is the White House transcript: (begin transcript) Q: Mr. President, your administration is making a new push to end the standoff with Libya over the Lockerbie bombing, including possibly holding a trial in a neutral country, under U.S. or Scottish jurisdiction. Are you optimistic that this climate might help and what has brought on this new push? THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have always said that our first goal was to bring the perpetrators of Pan Am 103 murders to justice. That's our first purpose. And since I got here we've been looking for ways to do that. We have had conversations with representatives of the British government, as well. We've always said we thought that there had to be a trial under American or Scottish law. There may be some possibility of standing up a Scottish court in another country, but there are lots of difficulties with it as well, apparently. All I can tell you is that it's one of the things that we have explored with a view toward accelerating the day -- it's been a long time now, it's been a lot of years since that terrible day when Pan Am 103 crashed over Lockerbie. And we're looking at it, but I don't know that it can be done. Our people have spent a lot of time on it. We've talked to the British at great length about it. We're trying to find some way that has real integrity, that will work. But there are all kinds of practical difficulties that I'm sure our folks can explain. I don't know if we can do it, but we're working on it. Q: What brought it up now? I mean, what all of a sudden, after so many years? THE PRESIDENT: I don't know why it is just now coming into the press. But it's not just being brought up now. We have literally been working for years; I have personally been engaged in this for years, trying to find a way to get the suspects out of Libya, into a court where we thought an honest and fair and adequate trial could occur. And in a case like this, like every other case, as the years go by you run more and more chances that something will happen to the evidence that is available, to any witnesses that might be available. So we've had a sense of urgency about this for some time. But my guess is that it has come to public light because a significant number of conversations have had to be held between the American and the British authorities and between others in potential third-party venues, like the Netherlands. And I know there's been some discussion of that. But it has not been resolved yet. Q: Sir, can you comment on CNN's nerve gas report, that the Pentagon - THE PRESIDENT: All I know is what Secretary Cohen has said to you, to the public and to me, which is that their view is that it did not occur. (end transcript)