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Gaddafi son resists IRA pay-out Gaddafi son resists IRA pay-out
(about 1 hour later)
The son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi has said his country will resist demands from the families of IRA victims for compensation. Colonel Gaddafi's son has said Libya will resist demands from the families of IRA victims for compensation.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said any claims for compensation based on Libya's supply of explosives to the IRA would be a matter for "the courts". Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said any claims for compensation based on Libya's supply of explosives to the IRA would be a matter for the courts.
He told Sky News: "They have their lawyers, we have our lawyers."He told Sky News: "They have their lawyers, we have our lawyers."
Compensation campaigners welcomed Mr Gaddafi's remarks as a "positive sign of engagement". It has emerged that Gordon Brown had declined to put formal pressure on Libya for compensation. He has said the UK will support families making claims.
On Sunday the relatives also welcomed Gordon Brown's announcement on the government's support for compensation.
Mr Gaddafi's comments came hours after Mr Brown announced that he was setting up a dedicated Foreign Office team to assist the IRA families' victims.
The move was seen by opposition MPs as an U-turn, which had left Britain looking "weak". These claims are denied by Downing Street.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said what had emerged "was certainly a new position... compared to the position he [Gordon Brown] had been taking".
'Sign of engagement'
Speaking about the looming British attempts to claim compensation, the Libyan leader's son said: "Anyone can knock on our door. You go to the court."Speaking about the looming British attempts to claim compensation, the Libyan leader's son said: "Anyone can knock on our door. You go to the court."
Ministers' letters
And when asked if his answer to the compensation demand would be "no" in the first instance, he replied: "Of course."And when asked if his answer to the compensation demand would be "no" in the first instance, he replied: "Of course."
The response by Mr Gaddafi - seen by many as the most likely successor to his father's leadership - was welcomed by campaigners as a sign of Libyan "engagement".The response by Mr Gaddafi - seen by many as the most likely successor to his father's leadership - was welcomed by campaigners as a sign of Libyan "engagement".
Victims' families' lawyer Jason McCue said: "I am optimistic about the Libyan response. Lawyer Jason McCue, who represents some of the victims, said: "It means they have decided to engage with us whereas previously there was no engagement.
IRA victims' lawyer Jason McCue:"PM has made the right decision"IRA victims' lawyer Jason McCue:"PM has made the right decision"
"It means they have decided to engage with us whereas previously there was no engagement.
"We always expected this to go to the courts and now it means there will be a process to getting compensation.""We always expected this to go to the courts and now it means there will be a process to getting compensation."
The families had previously welcomed the prime minister's change of mind over whether or not it was "appropriate" to put pressure on Libya. In the latest row to follow the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Al Megrahi, by the Scottish government, the Sunday Times published ministers' letters to campaigners for IRA victims.
Mr McCue told the BBC their cases "had been very much in the hands of the civil servants", so they had gone "straight to the prime minister". In them Mr Brown wrote that the government did not "consider it appropriate to enter into a bilateral discussion with Libya on this matter".
"We asked for a principled decision, rather than a bureaucratic decision," he said. But on Sunday the PM announced that he was setting up a dedicated Foreign Office team to assist the IRA families' victims - ministers have denied it was a U-turn but opposition leaders say it has left Britain looking "weak".
He did not believe it was a U-turn by the prime minister, he said, as Mr Brown had "overruled the Foreign Office". 'No U-turn'
Mr McCue also criticised opposition parties for dabbling in "petty politics" over the issue. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said what had emerged "was certainly a new position... compared to the position he [Gordon Brown] had been taking".
On relations with Libya, he said, we were "dealing" with the past. "We are talking. I think that's very positive". Schools Secretary Ed Balls told the BBC: "It's not a U-turn because as I understand it what Gordon Brown said last night is the same as he said to families [in the past]."
'Disgusting, immoral' He added: "The judgement of the British government in the case of the IRA victims, unlike the Lockerbie victims, it wasn't possible to pursue a government-led case for compensation given the agreement a few years ago with the Libyans where it was decided to recognise what had happened in the past, put it behind us and move on."
Also in the interview with Sky News, Mr Gaddafi condemned British opposition politicians as "disgusting and immoral" for using the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi to make political capital. I think it is time he [Gordon Brown] changed his position that it's not appropriate for the British government to raise this directly with the Libyan government William HagueShadow foreign secretary class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6966&edition=2">Send us your comments
"They are trying to use this human tragedy for their own political agenda," he said. He said it had been a huge achievement to work with Libya, then a rogue state and a threat, for the common good - including the safety of people in Britain.
"It's completely immoral to use this case to advance your own political agenda." Mr Balls also implied that British ministers had not wanted the Lockerbie bomber released telling the BBC: "I have to say that none of us wanted to see the release of [Abdelbaset Ali] Al Megrahi. But that wasn't a judgement made by the British government it was a decision made by the Scottish executive."
On the question of whether Prime Minister Gordon Brown had involved himself in the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Mr Gaddafi said: "He didn't." But shadow foreign secretary William Hague said: "It is a very partial U-turn it is not exactly clear what is going to happen, what support is going to be provided for the families looking for compensation of terrorism in Northern Ireland.
The discussions had been "very, very technical", he said. "I think it is time he [Gordon Brown] changed his position that it's not appropriate for the British government to raise this directly with the Libyan government.
He added: "It couldn't be discussed at a high level. It is not something that should be discussed at a leadership level." "I think it would be very strange under all these circumstances for the British government to be helping the families involved, for this to be a major item of discussion in Britain and for British minister to sit down with a Libyan minister and not to mention and not to try to pursue this issue."
Conservative foreign affairs spokesman William Hague told the BBC's Today programme the decision to support the IRA victims' families was a "very partial U-turn", but called for "much more of a U-turn".