S/PV.4820PartI Security Council

The President: The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie was an appalling act of terrorism which cost the lives of 270 people of many different nationalities. Families and friends - many of whom are here today - have endured continuing pain and grief since that date. As a result of painstaking negotiations, we are moving towards a resolution of this terrible affair. Libya has accepted responsibility; Libya has agreed to pay a substantial sum of compensation to the relatives of those who were murdered; and Libya has agreed to cooperate with any further Lockerbie investigation and has renounced terrorism. Those are all very substantial gains, which open the possibility of Libya moving back into the international community and of the lifting of sanctions. The Security Council, in considering the agenda before it, is also conscious of two factors: first, that the Council, in a matter of this gravity, needs to act unanimously; and secondly, that there are other very legitimate concerns pertaining to Libya which still need resolution. It is in recognition of those factors that the Council, in an informal meeting, has had a very lengthy discussion of the related issues, and colleagues have concluded that the most appropriate course today would be for me, from the Chair, invoking rule 33 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, now to propose the adjournment of this meeting until 10.30 am. Friday, 12 September 2003, in the expectation that the agenda we have adopted today will be the agenda before us on Friday. I thus put to the vote the procedural motion that the meeting be adjourned until 10.30 am. Friday, 12 September 2003. A vote was taken by show of hands. In favour: Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, China, France, Germany, Guinea, Mexico, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America The President: The procedural motion is carried by unanimity. The Council is united in its determination that it will address this issue at 10.30 on Friday. The meeting rose at 2.40 p.m.