Libya concert marks US bomb raids

Lionel Ritchie said Col Gaddafi's dead daughter was honoured

Libya has marked the 20th anniversary of the US bombing raids on Tripoli and Benghazi with a high-profile concert.

US soul singer Lionel Ritchie and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras performed in front of the bombed house of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital.

About 40 people died in the attacks on 15 April 1986, including Col Gaddafi's adopted daughter, Hanna.

President Ronald Reagan ordered the strikes, accusing Libya of involvement in bombing a nightclub in Berlin.

Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman were killed and least 230 people injured in the explosion.

Compensation

The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the anniversary of the raids on Libya was marked in a surprisingly festive way.

Three people were killed in the 1986 bombing in Berlin

A crowd of diplomats, businessmen and politicians was brought to their feet, with soul veteran Lionel Ritchie dominating what was called the "concert for peace".

"Hanna will be honoured tonight because of the fact that you've attached peace to her name," Ritchie told the audience.

In 2001, a German court ruled that the Libyan secret service was responsible for the Berlin attack.

Tripoli has agreed to compensate victims, but refuses to do so for the US families saying Libyans also had a right to be compensated.

Relations between Washington and Tripoli began to improve in 2003 when the Libyans renounced weapons of mass destruction.

The US has now lifted most of its sanctions against Libya.