BBC News Online: World: Middle East

Lift sanctions on Libya, OIC tells UN

There's pressure on the United Nations to ease the sanctions imposed on Libya in the wake of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

The head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Ezzedine Laraki, has appealed to the UN Security Council to lift the sanctions, pending a decision by the International Court of Justice on where the two Libyan suspects involved should be tried.

Mr Laraki welcomed a ruling by the court on Friday that it had powers to choose a neutral setting for the trial.

The United States and Britain were hoping the Libyans would be tried in their countries.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service