Lockerbie, once a little-known Scottish town, is now a name synonymous with one of the worst acts of terrorism the world has ever seen. The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 provoked outrage and when the finger of blame pointed to Libya, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was largely isolated by the international community. Fifteen years on, he is attempting to wipe the slate clean. Libya is now, after all, in the chairman's seat of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. It is an unlikely position for a country widely accused of sponsoring international terrorism, whose leader has supported several militant groups, including the IRA. But though Tripoli has never officially accepted responsibility for the 1989 bombing of a French UTA airliner over Niger, it is hoping that the new compensation deal it has struck with the families of those who died will complete its rehabilitation. It is the latest carefully-calculated move in the colorful career of the colonel who took power aged 27 after overthrowing the monarchy. Celebrations were recently held to mark the 34th anniversary of his coup. With UN sanctions suspended once Libya handed over two suspects for trial in connection with Lockerbie in 1999, the country accelerated moves to improve its international image. And the colonel was eager to be seen in the company of prominent figures on the world stage like the European Commission President Romano Prodi. The Libyan leader has taken a public stand in Washington's so-called war on terror, declaring that he has exchanged intelligence with the US about the al-Qaeda network. How things have changed it seems since 1986, when US planes bombed Libya over claims that Tripoli was the heart of a dangerous terrorist state. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Colonel Muammar Gaddafi