Gadhafi Meets Lockerbie Family Members

<!-- IMAGE -->

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has held a brief meeting with two Americans whose relatives were killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Lisa Gibson, who lost her brother in the crash, said Mr. Gadhafi warmly welcomed her and another person who had lost his father.

The 10-minute meeting took place at the Libyan Mission to the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, the same day Mr. Gadhafi delivered a rambling 96-minute speech during his first appearance before the General Assembly.

Gibson, an attorney from Colorado Springs, in the western U.S. state of Colorado, said she requested the meeting to begin reconciliation with Libya.

Gibson says the Libyan leader expressed appreciation for the humanitarian work she is doing in his country.

Other Lockerbie relatives said Gibson does not represent their views and expressed concern Mr. Gadhafi would use the meeting as propaganda.

Mr. Gadhafi was met by loud protesters outside the United Nations Wednesday.

The Libyan leader infuriated many in the international community last month, when he staged a hero's welcome for Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi. Megrahi returned to Libya after Scotland authorities released the terminally ill Libyan on humanitarian grounds.

Ties between Libya and the United States have been strained during Mr. Gadhafi's four decades in power. But relations improved in 2003 after Libya publicly abandoned its weapons of mass destruction program. Libya has also officially accepted responsbility for the Lockerbie crash and agreed to pay restitution to victims' families.


Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.