22 July 1999
(Neumann wants to see positive actions taken by Libya) (580) By William B. Reinckens USIA Staff Writer Washington -- Libya must fulfill all of the U.N. Security Council requirements before the U.S. will consider lifting economic sanctions says Ronald Neumann, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. This includes renouncing and ending all support for terrorist activities, acknowledging responsibility for the actions of its officials, cooperating with the trial of the two suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing and paying appropriate compensation, Neumann said July 22 at a hearing of the House subcommittee on Africa. Ambassador Neumann testified on the United States' relationship with Libya since the April 1999 turnover of the two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing. He also provided background on the U.N.'s suspension of sanctions and discussed Libya's growing diplomatic role in southern Africa. Upon surrender of the suspects, Neumann said, U.N. sanctions were suspended. However, U.S. unilateral sanctions remain in place. "Only when Libya has complied fully will we be able to consider lifting U.S. sanctions," he said. "Right now, such steps would be premature." Before the U.N. sanctions were lifted, Neumann said, the Libyans were invited to meetings with British and American diplomats and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York to outline what was required of them before sanctions would be removed. "We stressed to them that we are serious about full compliance and that such compliance is not impossible," he said. Annan reported to the U.N. Security Council earlier this month that Libya had made assurances it would fulfill all requirements but "had not yet done so." "The world community is now clearly on record as agreeing that additional requirements remain and that they must be fulfilled" before sanctions are completely lifted for Libya, Neumann said. Libya has pledged to cooperate with the Scottish court which will try the two men in Holland next year. Neumann recognized the important contributions of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, South African President Nelson Mandela and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in bringing the Libyans to the negotiating table. "We acknowledge Libya's recent declarations of its intention to turn over a new page, but given its history, such statements are not enough," Neumann said. "Positive actions are essential if Libya is to be re-integrated into the international community," he said, noting recent pledges by Libya to play a more constructive role in regional conflicts. Libya's new role in sub-Saharan Africa was addressed by subcommittee chairman Congressman Ed Royce, Republican from California. Over the years, Libya has provided military aid to numerous rebel groups, including the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, he said. "Libya has also emerged as a diplomatic player, injecting itself into Sudan, Ethiopia-Eritrea and Democratic Republic of the Congo conflicts," noted Royce, "sometimes in the guise of peacemaker, often times as arms supplier." "It's hard to look at Libya's involvement in these conflicts as a plus," Royce said. He acknowledged, however, that "It's clear that Libya's profile is changing." Libya's recent statements about not supporting groups opposed to the Middle East peace process was welcomed by Neumann, who noted that similar statements have also been made by Syria. "These things need to be checked out. We need to pay careful attention to see if actions back up their words."