London  - The son of Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi Monday rejected British attempts to gain compensation for victims of IRA bombings in Northern Ireland.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi told Britain's Sky News that the Libyan government would resist such demands. Any such requests would be a matter "for the courts."

Families of attacks of victims of bombing of the formerly terrorist Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the 30 years of civil strife in Northern Ireland have stepped up their calls for compensation.

The families base their claims on the supply of Semtex explosives by Libya for the bombs used by the IRA in what they call "Libyan-sponsored terrorism."

They argue that their demand have gained fresh justification with the release from a British jail of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, on August 20.

Following newspaper revelations in London Sunday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said a Foreign Office team would look into the question of payments.

His statement, made during a visit to Berlin, was welcomed by campaigners in Northern Ireland and their legal representatives.

"Anyone can knock on our door. You go to the court. They have their lawyers, we have our lawyers," Gaddafi's son said. (dpa)