Washington - US Senator Robert Menendez (D - New Jersey) today released the following statement on reports that Muammar Gadhafi may have directly ordered the Lockerbie bombing in 1988:

"Muammar Gadhafi is a terrorist - plain and simple. Today's report, if correct, affirms that fact. What's more, his personal involvement in the Pan Am bombing would not be a surprise, but rather confirms his defective character. It explains his personal advocacy for the release of convicted bomber Abdulbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi - to ensure that he would not confess Gahdafi's role in the bombing."

Yesterday, Senator Menendez released a draft resolution that would :
(1) Urge suspension of arms sales to Libya until it can guarantee rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(2) Urge for the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against humanity committed by Gadhafi against the Libyan people;
(3) Urge the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Libya's rights of membership in the Human Rights Council.

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