Remains of Pan Am 103

Date: 21 January, 1990

Nelson Mandela issued a statement condemning the Lockerbie bombing and loss of life that occurred as a result. He also proposed dealing with the issue in a way that would avoid confrontation and sustain peace and stability. Mandela proposed different approaches to dealing with the issue: "If no extradition treaty exists between the countries concerned", must be conducted in the country where the accused were arrested. Alternatively, the trial should be conducted in a neutral country by independent judges, or The Hague by an international court of justice.

After the bombing, Western leaders avoided visiting Libya as sanctions were imposed on the country for refusing to hand over suspects of the 1988 bombing. In 1997, after the fall of apartheid, Nelson Mandela, accompanied by Graça Machel and Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfred Nzo, defied the international isolation of Libya and visited Muammar Gaddafi. The delegation flew from the Tunisian resort island of Djerba to the Libyan border town of Ras Adjir and then completed the 160 km journey to the Libyan capital of Tripoli by road, due to an air embargo imposed on Libya by the United Nations. Mandela defied criticism from the United States of America to meet Qaddafi.

In 1999, Mandela successfully mediated in a long standing dispute between Gaddafi and the West. Part of the compromise was that the United Nations would not press criminal charges against Gaddafi provided Gaddafi accepted civil responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing, and handed over the suspects to the international court. The deal saw Libya handover suspects of the Lockerbie bombing for trial in the Netherlands.

References:

1. SAHO, Nelson Mandela's statement on the Lockerbie disaster, from South African History Online, [online] Available at www.sahistory.org.za [Accessed: 12 January 2011]

2. Anon, (1997), Despite U.N. Ban, Mandela Meets Qaddafi in Libya October 23, from the New York Times, [online] Available at: www.nytimes.com [Accessed: 12 January 2011]

3. Anon, (1997), 'Gadaffi my friend' 23 October, [online] Available at: www.dispatch.co.za [Accessed: 12 January 2011]

4. Anon, (1997), 'South African President Nelson Mandela tried to solve the Lockerbie -Tragedy in Libya and in Scotland' 22 October, [online] Available at: http://plane-truth.com   [Accessed: 12 January 2011]

5. Anon, (1997), 'Nelson Mandela visits Libya, embraces Moammar Gadhafi' , 22 October, from Cable News Network (CNN), [online] Available at:  www.cnn.com  [Accessed: 12 January 2011]