OAU supports justice for Libya

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) drew the condemnation of the United States for a resolution suggesting that come September African nations should ignore parts of the U.S. and UN-imposed sanctions on the north African state of Libya.

The OAU passed the resolution during its June 8-10 summit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. OAU Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim said the resolution was born out of "genuine frustration" at the deadlock in the case.

In 1992, the United Nations approved a U.S.- and British-led effort to impose sanctions on Libya that includes an air embargo. The sanctions were imposed because Libya's leader, Muammar Gadhafi, refused to turn over two Libyan citizens to stand trial in the United States or England allegedly for masterminding the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. More than 270 people were killed in the incident.

Due to restrictions on flights into and out of the country, Libya has suffered unjust loss of life due to medical and food shortages, and people are being killed on the highways as they have to drive from border states across deserts into the country.

The OAU resolution says it will lift the embargo on flights of humanitarian and religious natures if the Americans and British continue to insist that the trials of the suspects be held in either America or England.

Mr. Gadhafi has continued to offer to give up the two nationals to a neutral country or the World Court for trial under Scottish judges. But America and England reject the offer, although some of the victims' families approve the offer. Mr. Gadhafi's concern is that the Libyans receive a just trial, and that should be the concern of everyone involved, including the United States and England. Belittling the concern of the African nations, U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin called the OAU recommendation "short-sighted," "irresponsible," and an "attack on the UN system itself."

He suggested that, "for sanctions to remain an effective tool ... countries cannot pick and choose which sanctions they will observe," and that the OAU action may lead Mr. Gadhafi to "mistakenly" think he doesn't have to abide by UN resolutions.

Mr. Gadhafi labeled the U.S. comments as "racist" and as an attempt to "humiliate the African leaders, Africa itself and the African people."

The OAU is correct in its attempt to make the United States and British governments see the arrogance and hypocrisy in their position. It should be a wake-up call to the United States that member states are increasingly becoming disenchanted with the "UN system" and the grip the United States holds on the Security Council.

Mr. Rubin noted that countries cannot pick and choose which violations of UN resolutions they will become indignant about. Certainly, Palestinians would love to hear the United States raise its ire about Israeli violations of UN resolutions.

The families of the Lockerbie victims deserve closure to the pain and suffering over their loss. Maybe the OAU's resolution can bring some sense to this situation and spark a move to bring the Libyans to a trial setting where they can get justice, instead of a kangaroo court.

[ National News | World News | Features | Columns | Perspectives ]