Ulster Unionist Westminster candidate for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott has said that Government discussions with Libyan political representatives must yield compensation.
Mr. Elliott was commenting on the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's recent visit to Tripoli in which he met with the Libyan Prime Minister to discuss compensation for the victims of Libyan supplied semtex used by the IRA.
Tom Elliott said:
"Ulster Unionist colleagues and I have been pursuing this issue for many years now. Indeed, Lord Empey began to lobby the UK Government back in 2002 and tried to hold former PM Tony Blair to account for his failure to secure the compensation payments from Libya unlike his counterparts in France, Germany and the U.S. who delivered for their victims.
"During the last Parliament, I helped establish a campaign group comprised of MPs, Peers, activists, legal advisors and most importantly, the families of the victims of Libyan sponsored terrorism. We regularly met with Government Ministers and department officials, secured a number of debates in Westminster and Lord Empey even managed to steer his Asset Freezing (Compensation) Bill through the Lords by achieving huge cross party support before it was frustratingly blocked in the Commonsby the Government.
"The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report, which my Party colleague Danny Kinahan was a key driver of, recommended that unless Libyan authorities are willing to reach a deal, then the UK Government should fund compensation payments while negotiations continue. It is welcome that the pressure applied by the Committee report has led to the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visiting Libya and raising the issue of compensation with the Libyan Prime Minister.
"Such diplomatic movements are long overdue. However, the UK Government must now take concrete steps to ensure the Libyan authorities compensate those who are so desperately in need. The victims of these heinous crimes and their families have waited far too long to receive recognition. The onus is on the UK Government to secure compensation and immediately rectify this wrong."
ENDS