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American Morning

Interview with Dan, Susan Cohen, Parents of Pan Am Victim

Aired August 14, 2003 - 07:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Nearly 15 years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 a deal has been reached between Libya and families of the victims. Libya will accept responsibility for the bombing for the first time. It will pay victims' families $2.7 billion, and a resolution to lift U.N. sanctions would be introduced.
The explosion killed 270 people -- 259 on the plane, 11 on the ground -- in Lockerbie, Scotland.

Theodora Cohen (ph) was among those killed on the flight just days before Christmas. Her parents, Dan and Susan Cohen, join us from their home in Cape May, New Jersey.

Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, good morning. Thank you for joining us today.

SUSAN COHEN, LOST DAUGHTER ON PAN AM 103: Good morning.

DAN COHEN, LOST DAUGHTER ON PAN AM 103: Good morning.

KAGAN: Before we get to the details of the deal and what you think about it, I think it's important not to forget about whom this is about, and that is your daughter, Theodora (ph). If you could tell us a little bit about her and how she came to be on that flight on that day.

S. COHEN: Well, Theo (ph) was off in London. She was a theater student and a voice student at Syracuse University in New York State, and she was there for a wonderful semester of theater and study. She was talented, she was clever, she was pretty, she was full of life. She was like a lot of young people on the plane -- just an innocent young person with her whole future ahead of her.

And when this happened, it just ripped the heart out of my life. I lost her, and it's indescribable what it is to lose a child.

KAGAN: I can't even begin to imagine, and so I won't even ask you to go and to try to do that. Here we are 14 or 15 years later, the deal is struck. What do you think about it?

D. COHEN: Well, it's a lousy deal, because when you have something like this -- this isn't a product liability suit. You're supposed to -- we're supposed to be talking about justice, we're supposed to be talking about punishment. What we're talking about here is money, you know? Gaddafi is going to give us lots of money, and then we're supposed to shut up and go away. From our standpoint, it's not going to be a $10 million deal anyway. Each family is potentially getting $10 million, but it's not that simple. You get 4 million -- there 4 million to be given to each family when the U.N. sanctions themselves are, you know, formally removed. They were suspended two years ago and, basically they are inoperative now. So, that's not a big thing in any political sense.

The next 4 million comes to families when the United States -- and the United States alone -- removes a whole variety of commercial sanctions against Libya, which will allow businesses and money to flow into Libya. They won't even notice that 2.7 billion they're supposed to be paying out. They're going to make so much money when we lift the sanctions.

KAGAN: We should just point out...

D. COHEN: The...

KAGAN: I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, Mr. Cohen. We should point out that there are some...

D. COHEN: Sure.

KAGAN: ... family members who did lose loved ones who think that this is not necessarily a good deal, but that at least it makes some kind of statement that there is some type of repercussion of participating in terrorism.

S. COHEN: Well, the word repercussion and participating in terrorism in this case is that you get away with it, because there is no real punishment here. Gaddafi is being welcomed back. If that happens, once the sanctions in America are lifted, he will be free to buy technological things. He can buy weapons. He can turn around and have another major act of terrorism against us. It's really, really bad.

I think he should be looked at as Osama bin Laden is looked at, as Saddam Hussein. I mean, he blew up an American plane, and he did it, not just his henchmen. They don't do things like this in Libya...

KAGAN: I certainly appreciate...

S. COHEN: unless Gaddafi.

KAGAN: I certainly appreciate the horror of the idea of putting a price tag on your daughter's life. But will you accept any of the money?

D. COHEN: No -- well, we're going to accept the first $4 million -- the first payment on the lifting of the U.N. sanctions. That was what was called for in the U.N. resolution. It was -- you know, we've known this has been part of the whole case since the very beginning. And, frankly, we're not rich people, you know? We can use the money. We're not young and we're not rich.

S. COHEN: And he took away the only person in my world who would care, you know, and help me when I'm old.

D. COHEN: But...

S. COHEN: Really old.

D. COHEN: But we have instructed our lawyers that we will not touch any money that has to do with the lifting of unilateral or U.S. sanctions against Libya. I think we think that's the important part. We think Libya is guilty. We think Libya should be punished and punished severely, and we're going to forego $6 million because we want to prove that we're serious about this.

KAGAN: Well...

S. COHEN: Because we have to live with ourselves.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

D. COHEN: Yes, we have to live with ourselves.

KAGAN: You certainly are making your statement, and an incredibly difficult decision 15-16 years later -- 14-15 years later the pain obviously still so, so fresh.

Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, thank you for your time.

D. COHEN: You bet.

S. COHEN: It will never leave.

KAGAN: And it sounds like...

D. COHEN: Thank you.

S. COHEN: Thank you.

KAGAN: ... even though they want you to be quiet and go away, it sounds like you're not going anywhere, like, you'll continue to speak out.

D. COHEN: No, no, we're -- oh, no.

S. COHEN: Oh, no! We're here for the long haul.

D. COHEN: Right.

KAGAN: It sounds like it. Appreciate your time. Thank you for talking at what continues to be a difficult time. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, appreciate your time. Thank you.

S. COHEN: Thank you.

D. COHEN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired August 14, 2003 - 07:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Nearly 15 years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 a deal has been reached between Libya and families of the victims. Libya will accept responsibility for the bombing for the first time. It will pay victims' families $2.7 billion, and a resolution to lift U.N. sanctions would be introduced.
The explosion killed 270 people -- 259 on the plane, 11 on the ground -- in Lockerbie, Scotland.

Theodora Cohen (ph) was among those killed on the flight just days before Christmas. Her parents, Dan and Susan Cohen, join us from their home in Cape May, New Jersey.

Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, good morning. Thank you for joining us today.

SUSAN COHEN, LOST DAUGHTER ON PAN AM 103: Good morning.

DAN COHEN, LOST DAUGHTER ON PAN AM 103: Good morning.

KAGAN: Before we get to the details of the deal and what you think about it, I think it's important not to forget about whom this is about, and that is your daughter, Theodora (ph). If you could tell us a little bit about her and how she came to be on that flight on that day.

S. COHEN: Well, Theo (ph) was off in London. She was a theater student and a voice student at Syracuse University in New York State, and she was there for a wonderful semester of theater and study. She was talented, she was clever, she was pretty, she was full of life. She was like a lot of young people on the plane -- just an innocent young person with her whole future ahead of her.

And when this happened, it just ripped the heart out of my life. I lost her, and it's indescribable what it is to lose a child.

KAGAN: I can't even begin to imagine, and so I won't even ask you to go and to try to do that. Here we are 14 or 15 years later, the deal is struck. What do you think about it?

D. COHEN: Well, it's a lousy deal, because when you have something like this -- this isn't a product liability suit. You're supposed to -- we're supposed to be talking about justice, we're supposed to be talking about punishment. What we're talking about here is money, you know? Gaddafi is going to give us lots of money, and then we're supposed to shut up and go away. From our standpoint, it's not going to be a $10 million deal anyway. Each family is potentially getting $10 million, but it's not that simple. You get 4 million -- there 4 million to be given to each family when the U.N. sanctions themselves are, you know, formally removed. They were suspended two years ago and, basically they are inoperative now. So, that's not a big thing in any political sense.

The next 4 million comes to families when the United States -- and the United States alone -- removes a whole variety of commercial sanctions against Libya, which will allow businesses and money to flow into Libya. They won't even notice that 2.7 billion they're supposed to be paying out. They're going to make so much money when we lift the sanctions.

KAGAN: We should just point out...

D. COHEN: The...

KAGAN: I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, Mr. Cohen. We should point out that there are some...

D. COHEN: Sure.

KAGAN: ... family members who did lose loved ones who think that this is not necessarily a good deal, but that at least it makes some kind of statement that there is some type of repercussion of participating in terrorism.

S. COHEN: Well, the word repercussion and participating in terrorism in this case is that you get away with it, because there is no real punishment here. Gaddafi is being welcomed back. If that happens, once the sanctions in America are lifted, he will be free to buy technological things. He can buy weapons. He can turn around and have another major act of terrorism against us. It's really, really bad.

I think he should be looked at as Osama bin Laden is looked at, as Saddam Hussein. I mean, he blew up an American plane, and he did it, not just his henchmen. They don't do things like this in Libya...

KAGAN: I certainly appreciate...

S. COHEN: unless Gaddafi.

KAGAN: I certainly appreciate the horror of the idea of putting a price tag on your daughter's life. But will you accept any of the money?

D. COHEN: No -- well, we're going to accept the first $4 million -- the first payment on the lifting of the U.N. sanctions. That was what was called for in the U.N. resolution. It was -- you know, we've known this has been part of the whole case since the very beginning. And, frankly, we're not rich people, you know? We can use the money. We're not young and we're not rich.

S. COHEN: And he took away the only person in my world who would care, you know, and help me when I'm old.

D. COHEN: But...

S. COHEN: Really old.

D. COHEN: But we have instructed our lawyers that we will not touch any money that has to do with the lifting of unilateral or U.S. sanctions against Libya. I think we think that's the important part. We think Libya is guilty. We think Libya should be punished and punished severely, and we're going to forego $6 million because we want to prove that we're serious about this.

KAGAN: Well...

S. COHEN: Because we have to live with ourselves.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

D. COHEN: Yes, we have to live with ourselves.

KAGAN: You certainly are making your statement, and an incredibly difficult decision 15-16 years later -- 14-15 years later the pain obviously still so, so fresh.

Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, thank you for your time.

D. COHEN: You bet.

S. COHEN: It will never leave.

KAGAN: And it sounds like...

D. COHEN: Thank you.

S. COHEN: Thank you.

KAGAN: ... even though they want you to be quiet and go away, it sounds like you're not going anywhere, like, you'll continue to speak out.

D. COHEN: No, no, we're -- oh, no.

S. COHEN: Oh, no! We're here for the long haul.

D. COHEN: Right.

KAGAN: It sounds like it. Appreciate your time. Thank you for talking at what continues to be a difficult time. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, appreciate your time. Thank you.

S. COHEN: Thank you.

D. COHEN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.