De Villepin said on Thursday that families of the 170 people killed in the 1989 bombing of a French UTA DC-10 reached a compensation deal with Libya the night before.

CNN: France 'stops blocking Libya deal'

PARIS, France -- France says it will no longer oppose a U.N. resolution to lift sanctions on Libya after UTA bomb victims' families reached a deal, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said.

CNN: France 'stops blocking Libya deal'

It said it wanted more compensation for the families of 170 victims of the UTA plane bombed over Niger, but eventually dropped its opposition after a more favorable deal with Libya was reportedly struck over the crash.

CNN: France: Pay more to UTA families

Libya has never accepted responsibility for the downing of the UTA flight above Niger which claimed 170 lives, but agreed to pay compensation after a Paris court convicted six Libyans of the bombing in absentia.

BBC: NEWS | Africa | UN lifts Libya sanctions