Eleven years ago, on December 21, 1988, the downing of jumbo jet Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie, Scotland shocked the whole world, killing 259 passengers and crew and eleven people on the ground. Among the dead were 189 Americans, including Joseph K. Miller, an officer of the Orthodox Union.

According to the State Department, the bombing was a “Libyan government operation from start to finish” although both Syria and Iran were also implicated in the horrific attack at the time. International sanctions were imposed by the UN against Libya as Libya failed to deliver the two suspected in the bombing for trial.

As the two Libyans faced with charges of bombing the jet liner were delivered yesterday to the Netherlands to face trial in a Scottish court, Betty Ehrenberg, OU Director of International Affairs, said, “The handover of these two suspects, Fhima and al-Megrahi, is only a first step.

The trial of these two cannot be considered the ultimate goal and true justice must be pursued to the end as ultimately this heinous crime is the responsibility of the Libyan government and of its leader, Muammar Quaddafi. As the UN Security Council will consider officially lifting sanctions against Libya in the near future, the UN must closely scrutinize and monitor Libyan actions. All those who are ultimately responsible for the Pan Am 103 tragedy must be brought to justice and Libya must comply with all specified conditions including cessation of all terrorist activities and support of terrorism. States that foster and encourage terrorism must be severely punished so that global terrorism can finally be defeated.

Justice has not yet been done. In fact, this is only the very beginning of the attempt to get at the truth. World leaders must exert pressure to make sure that all the criminals should be brought to justice, not only the henchmen.

The message must be sent that terrorists and terrorist states cannot continue to act with impunity.”