Annan names two observers to attend appeals phase of Lockerbie trial

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has named two additional international observers to attend the appeals phase of the Lockerbie trial being conduced by a Scottish court in the Netherlands.

In a letter to the President of the Security Council, Mr. Annan said that Justice Ben Hlatshwayo, representing the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and Dr. Awad El Hassan El Noor, representing the League of Arab States, would serve as observers. They are not required to report to the UN on the trial.

During the first phase of the trial, one Libyan national, Abdelbasset al-Megrahi, was found guilty of involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Another, Lamin Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted.

The bombing killed all 259 passengers and crew aboard the flight, as well as 11 people on the ground.