Libya: Terrorism

(asked on 29th June 2017) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the release of Libyan assets in the UK to compensate the UK victims of Gaddafi-IRA sponsored violence; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Alistair Burt Portrait
Alistair Burt
This question was answered on 7th July 2017

The UK wishes to see a just settlement for all victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism. The Foreign Secretary raised the issue of compensation most recently during his meeting with Prime Minister Serraj in Tripoli on 4 May 2017. He emphasised again the importance the UK attaches to this issue and encouraged the Libyan authorities to engage with UK victims' groups and their representatives. Prime Minister Serraj expressed sympathy with those who had suffered from the previous regime, but it was also clear from his discussion with the Foreign Secretary that the Libyan government continues to face numerous challenges and that progress on the issue of compensation is likely to remain slow. We will continue to make clear to the Libyan authorities that this issue is a priority for us.

Libyan assets in the UK were frozen under UN Security Council Resolution 1973 at the instigation of the Libyan authorities in 2011. In order to amend the UN resolution governing the freezing of Libyan assets in the UK, the Libyan government would need to submit a request to the UN Security Council. The UK is not aware of any such request. There is no legal basis which would permit releasing frozen funds to compensate victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, and also no legal basis upon which the UK could withhold Libyan assets once the relevant Libyan entities are removed from the list and the assets unfrozen. Once these assets are released they belong to the people of Libya and by law have to be returned for their benefit.

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