Tragically, their wish does not look likely to be granted. For even in the unlikely event of the trial's location being resolved, Gaddhafi is asking the impossible with a further demand that the U.S. hand over six airmen involved in the 1986 air-strike on Tripoli. "Otherwise," fumed the colonel, "to hell with them." Which leaves the Lockerbie relatives exactly where they were nine years ago: struggling with a lot of unresolved questions.
Lockerbie's Day in Court
THE HAGUE: Almost nine years after Pan Am Flight 101 exploded
over the remote Scottish town of Lockerbie, how close is justice for
families of the 270 victims? That question could be answered Monday, as the
International Court of Justice weighs in on the issue of where to try the
two Libyans suspected of planting a suitcase bomb on board. Colonel Gaddhafi
would like his two countrymen tried at the World court in the Hague or in an Arab
country, claiming they won't have much of a chance in Washington or London.
The Americans and British say this is another delaying tactic. All the
families want, in the words of one of their lawyers, is "a trial, for
heaven's sake."