23 January 2002

White House Report: Libya, Detainees

U.S. GOVERNMENT NOT NEGOTIATING A COMPENSATION SETTLEMENT WITH LIBYA

Fleischer denied a report in the January 23 newspaper USA Today that the United States and Libya were close to a deal under which Gaddafi's government would pay as much as $6 billion in compensation for the bombing of Pan Am 103 and then Libya would be taken off the State Department list of rogue nations.

The London-to-New York flight was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people, most of them Americans.

Discussions "have been under way involving several of the parties with Libya. But the report this morning that there is any type of agreement is substantially, widely off the mark," Fleischer said.

"There is no such agreement. There have been conversations, but Libya knows what it needs to do, and that is to follow the United Nations' policies about paying reparations to the victims of the attack at Lockerbie, as well as to apologize for the attack. And that has not yet taken place.

"And that's a separate matter from de-listing Libya as a terrorist state that sponsors terrorism. That's a matter that's with the State Department and is separate and apart from Libya simply conforming to the actions that they are supposed to conform to in accordance with the U.N. obligations."

"There have been positive discussions with Libya, but Libya still has not fully complied with its United Nations Security Council resolutions. The United States government is not -- not -- negotiating a compensation settlement with the Libyans. As we've said before, we are committed to preserving the right of the families of Pan Am 103 victims and will not undercut their pending claims," Fleischer said.

DETAINEES IN GUANTANAMO RECEIVING HUMANE TREATMENT

Fleischer said international organizations that allege the detainees in Guantanamo Bay are not receiving humane treatment have been influenced by one photograph put out by the U.S. Defense Department that "is not befitting the facts" of their treatment.

President Bush, Fleischer said, "is perfectly satisfied that the traditions of the United States, which are to treat people well, to treat people with dignity and to treat people humanely are being kept at our base in Guantanamo.

"The President also understands that the people who are detained there are detained because, for the most part they're all al Qaeda, and if they were free they would engage in murder once again.

"These are not mere innocents. These are among the worst of the worst who are being detained because of what they have done, because of the suicidal nature of the actions that they have taken -- their willingness, their training to go out and kill and destroy and engage in suicide if they can take others with them.

"And the President is also concerned that as they are treated humanely and fairly and consistent with the Geneva Convention, that the young men and women of the United States military who are guarding them are not subject to harm and subject to danger, as was done in the prison uprising in Mazar-e Sharif. Those are also the brothers and sisters and the sons and daughters of Americans, who are in harm's way by guarding those prisoners. And it's not easy duty," Fleischer said.