Libya 'IRA Compensation' Bid Goes On

Widespread expectations of the imminent fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya has been welcomed by a Westminster MP.

DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds (pictured) has praised the progress made by rebel forces in Libya and said the fall of the Gaddafi regime is good news for democracy and a triumph over tyranny.

He also said regime change will signal a new phase to the campaign for compensation from Libya over their backing for IRA terrorism.

He said that a standing Parliamentary delegation will continue its work and be engaging with any government which is put in place, adding: "The fall of Gaddafi will not end our campaign.

"We must remember the victims of Gaddafi sponsored IRA terrorism," he said.

Mr. Dodds, the DUP's Parliamentary Leader, visited Libya two years ago and met with the then Libyan authorities whilst lobbying for victims of Gaddafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

"The fall of the Gaddafi regime is good news for democracy and the people of Libya who have been living under his evil dictatorship for over 40 years.

"In Ulster, and throughout the United Kingdom, we suffered over many decades from the appalling consequences of IRA terrorism, heavily funded and sponsored by rogue states such as Libya.

"Fuelled by a hatred of Britain, Colonel Gaddafi supplied the Provisional IRA with weapons and cash for many years.

"One of the most lethal of those weapons was the deadly Semtex explosive that made one of its first appearances in Enniskillen in November 1987, [and] was used to bomb towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland, tore the heart out of the city of London, and left a trail of death and destruction in Omagh in 1998.

"As a result of Libya's prolonged and persistent support for the IRA, many innocent men, women and children are dead, and their relatives scarred, physically and psychologically, for life.

"We may be living in more peaceful times in Ulster today, but those scars will never heal, and the victims must never be forgotten.

In November 2009 Nigel Dodds along with fellow DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson travelled to Libya and had a series of meetings at a very high level in Tripoli at the invitation of the Libyan authorities.

He said they presented a proposal that Libya participate in a humanitarian programme for peace and reconciliation for the benefit of all affected in the United Kingdom, particularly in Northern Ireland.

He said these would be including substantial business and infrastructure investment and wide ranging community development projects all aimed at 'bringing closure' for those who have suffered in the past, including resolution of existing claims by UK citizens involving Libya.

The full delegation was Nigel Dodds MP, Jeffrey Donaldson MP, Lord Daniel Brennan, Andrew MacKinlay MP and Lord Paul Bew.

(BMcC/GK)