Libyan Praises Court For Lockerbie Ruling

The lawyer for two accused Libyans praised the World Court on Monday for its ruling that rejected arguments by the United States and Britain in their dispute with Libya over the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner.

The court ruled Friday that it had jurisdiction to settle the dispute over where to try two Libyan agents accused of carrying out the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.

The ruling by the World Court, the United Nations’ highest judicial body, did not address the crucial question of where a trial could be held, but cleared the way for the court to make that decision eventually. The ruling is not binding, however.

Libya claims that a 1971 civil aviation convention gives it the right to try the suspects and contends that they would not get a fair trial in a U.S. or Scottish court, as requested by the United States and Britain. Libya also maintains the men’s innocence.