Prince Andrew ‘Had Lockerbie Talks with Gaddafi’s Son’
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Claims that Prince Andrew held secret ‘detailed discussions’ over the release of the Lockerbie bomber with Colonel Gaddafi’s son were at the centre of a simmering diplomatic row last night.

Libyan officials yesterday claimed the Prince held off-the-record talks with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi days after Libya formally applied for convicted terrorist Abdelbaset Al Megrahi’s release.

But last night, despite the Libyan assertions, Buckingham Palace denied any meetings or discussions had taken place between the Prince and Mr Gaddafi on the issue.

The alleged Royal intervention in the controversial affair came while the Prince was on an official Foreign Office-sponsored trip to Algeria in May to open Britain’s new embassy in the country.

Libyan government officials say Colonel Gaddafi’s son – who would later give the terrorist a hero’s welcome on his return to Tripoli – made a special visit to Algiers to discuss the developments with the Prince, Britain’s special representative on trade and investment.

The pair are said to have become friends after Andrew made several official and unofficial trips to Libya. Mr Gaddafi has also been a guest at Windsor Castle.

The Prince’s formal role is to help secure trade and investment deals for Britain and he was in Algeria at the behest of the Foreign Office.

The involvement of the Prince would raise new questions about the deal done with Libya to free Megrahi, the man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103.

But told of the Libyan claims the Prince had played a key role in the affair, Buckingham Palace last night issued a categoric denial.

A spokesman said: ‘We can categorically say that no meetings or discussions took place between the Duke of York and Mr Gaddafi in Algiers on any issue. The Duke has only met Mr Gaddafi on two occasions and was unaware they were in Algiers at the same time.’

He added: ‘It is categorically untrue that the Duke of York met Saif Gaddafi in Algeria.’ >>> Jason Lewis, Mail On Sunday Security Editor and Nabila Ramdani | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Revealed: Libya Paid for Medical Advice that Helped Lockerbie Bomber's Release
“It showed the relations between Britain and Libya are strong and deep. We in Libya appreciate this and Britain will find it is rewarded.” – Abdul Majeed al-Dursi, chief spokesman for the régime

THE TELEGRAPH: The British, Scottish and Libyan governments connived to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

Gordon Brown meets Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: The Telegraph
Medical evidence that helped Megrahi, 57, to be released was paid for by the Libyan government, which encouraged three doctors to say he had only three months to live.

The life expectancy of Megrahi was crucial because, under Scottish rules, prisoners can be freed on compassionate grounds only if they are considered to have this amount of time, or less, to live.

Megrahi is suffering from terminal prostate cancer. Two of the three doctors commissioned by the Libyans provided the required three-month estimates, while the third also indicated that the prisoner had a short time to live.

This contrasted with findings of doctors in June and July who had concluded that Megrahi had up to 10 months to live, which would have prevented his release.

Professor Karol Sikora, one of the examining doctors and the medical director of CancerPartnersUK in London, told The Sunday Telegraph: “The figure of three months was suggested as being helpful [by the Libyans].

“To start with I said it was impossible to do that [give a three-month life expectancy estimate] but, when I looked at it, it looked as though it could be done – you could actually say that.” He said that he and a second doctor, a Libyan, had legitimately then estimated Megrahi’s life expectancy as “about three months”. A third doctor would say only that he had a short time to live.

This weekend it was reported that Megrahi was moved out of an emergency care unit in Tripoli.

The prognosis from the three doctors – two from Britain – was used as part of the evidence by Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, last month when he concluded that Megrahi should be released on compassionate grounds. Our investigation also reveals that:

Mousa Kousa, a senior Libyan politician who was expelled from Britain in 1980 for boasting of a plot to kill Libyan dissidents in London, played a key role in the talks to free Megrahi, and threatened serious consequences if the prisoner died in jail. Mr Kousa, now the Libyan foreign minister, was once implicated in planning the Lockerbie bombing – a claim he vehemently denies. According to the minutes of a meeting on Jan 22 between Libyan and Scottish officials: “Mr Kousa stated that Mr al-Megrahi’s death in Scotland would not be viewed well by the Muslims or Arabs. Nor would it be good for relations.” >>> Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, Robert Mendick and Damien McElroy in Tripoli, with additional reporting by Leonard Doyle in Washington | Saturday, September 05, 2009

Immoral And Incompetent
THE SPECTATOR: The Spectator on the release of Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi

So who to believe? Saif al-Gaddafi, son of the Libyan dictator, has said that the release of Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi was ‘on the table’ during trade talks with Britain. Lord Mandelson, who was holidaying with the young prince of Tripoli in Corfu a few weeks ago, says such a suggestion is not just wrong but ‘quite offensive’. David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, insists it is a ‘slur’ even to suggest that the release of the only man convicted for the Lockerbie bombing would be raised.

As this squalid story has unfolded in the last few weeks, it is becoming all too clear that Megrahi was indeed ‘on the table’. The Libyans were told that Gordon Brown personally wished that Megrahi should not die in a Scottish prison. It is all too typical of the Prime Minister that he has not had the courage to share this view with the British public — we found out via an ambassador, a minister and a declassified document. And this is why the scandal is lasting so long: it offers wider insights into the nature of the government.

Officially, British policy is to encourage Libya to become a responsible actor on the world stage — this has been the case since Gaddafi’s decision six years ago to relinquish weapons of mass destruction that no one had known that he possessed. But the Megrahi affair demonstrates deep flaws in this strategy. If Libya was going to become a genuine partner in fighting terror it should not have been so keen for the return of a terrorist convicted on 270 counts of murder. Nor should the British government bend principles of foreign policy to suit the oil companies hungry for a slice of Libya’s offshore resources. >>> | Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Libya’s Viewpoint: Celebrate Libya Sees Olympic-scale Success While World Watches On
THE TRIPOLI POST: TRIPOLI, Libya: As Western media continue their unfair, confused, disinforming and deceptive coverage of the release of the innocent Libyan citizen Abdulbaset Al-Megrahi from his eleven-year captivity in European prisons, Libya celebrates the First September Revolution’s 40th Anniversary as never before. A grand celebration sets in motion a week of unprecedented events scheduled to sweep through the country started on 1 September. The celebrations offered at least a glimpse into the country’s rich 14,000 [?] year history.

Dignitaries from around the world gathered in Tripoli’s Green Park last night to witness what has been one of the Africa’s largest, most successful and most spectacular events in history. The celebration marked the 40th Anniversary of the Al Fateh Revolution. Guests joined Muammar Al Gaddafi, Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution, for a full schedule of activities from a military parade to an exclusive Iftar dinner and opening ceremony designed to bring to life Libya’s rich history and culture.

Al-Megrahi, however, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 after being unjustly convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. He served eleven years and five months in prison including more than two years in the infamous Camp Zeist prison in Holland. Legal experts in the US, Britain and the rest of the world have made it clear since the begging of the shame [sic] trial in the Netherlands that the trial was unfair and the prosecutor had no case.

Military Precision

The celebrations launched with a perfectly executed military parade involving troops from countries across the world. African nations such as Senegal and Algeria participated alongside European countries including Italy and Ukraine, marching to music and bearing their national flags. Troops from Greece and the French Foreign legion also participated. The soldiers were followed by full artillery of military vehicles, from trucks to tanks, some carrying an anti-aircraft weaponry while naval vessels passed by offshore. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, King Abdullah of Jordan, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani from Qatar, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, Tunisia’s President Ben Ali, Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Boutaflika, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Benin’s President Karekou were amongst the VIP audience as the Frecce Tricolori, Italian acrobatic planes, flew in formation over the parade ground and around Tripoli’s beautiful coastline.

VIP Iftar

Close by dignitaries made their way a specially designed dining area, constructed to float atop the water of the Red Castle lake. A lantern-lit path from the bank of the lake to the VIP iftar was created in front of the Red Castle outer wall onto which unique projections were placed. The projections mark the beginning of what is known as ‘Libya by Light’, a week-long schedule of Libya inspired images across six of the country’s key cities. Some of the best international brands were brought in to offer a new dimension to the proceedings; the meal itself was designed and prepared by acclaimed Parisian restaurant Le Notre and guests were given limited edition gold Chopard watches with outline of Africa on the face and a diamond marking Libya within it.

Libya Takes to the Stage

As hundreds of performers prepared themselves for their grand debut on what is considered by organizers to be one of the largest tent-like stages to have ever been constructed, dignitaries arrived in golf kart manufactured by the likes of Hummer and Cadillac. Joined by the Leader’s family, further guests attended the opening ceremony included Turkey first lady, Prime Minister, Amina Erdogan, former Ukrainian Acting Prime Minister Ioulia Tymochenko, French Minister for Co-operation Alain Joyandet and the President of Chad Idriss Déby and the President of Niger Mamadou Tandja. And the show certainly impressed; acrobats, lasers, projections and illuminated sculptures of animals all came together to give the show a sense of style, grandeur and magic. >>> | Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Chopard >>>

Gordon Brown Did Not Want Lockerbie Bomber to Die in Jail, Minute Reveals
Minutes of the meeting also show the pressure exerted by the Libyan government. Image: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: A Foreign Office minister told Libya in February this year that Gordon Brown did not want the Lockerbie bomber to die in jail, according to an official minute released today.

Abdulati Alobidi, the Libyan Minister for Europe, told how he had warned Bill Rammell, a Foreign Office Minister visiting Tripoli, that Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi should not be allowed to die in a Scottish prison.

"Mr Alobidi confirmed that he had reiterated to Mr Rammell that the death of Mr Megrahi in a Scottish prison would have catastrophic effects for the relationship between Libya and the UK," the note released by the Scottish government said.

"Mr Alobidi went on to say that Mr Rammell had stated that neither the Prime Minister nor the Foreign Secretary would want Mr Megrahi to pass away in prison but the decision on transfer lies in the hands of the Scottish ministers."

The note relates to a meeting in March between Scottish officials and a Libyan government delegation including Mr Alobidi. >>> Philippe Naughton | Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber Row: Details of Blair-Gaddafi Meetings Will Not Be Published
THE GUARDIAN: Papers relating to former PM's meetings with Libyan leader will not be among those published by the government this afternoon

Tony Blair, left, and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during a historic first meeting in 2004 after Libya had renounced its weapons of mass destruction programe. Photo: The Guardian
Downing Street has confirmed that papers relating to Tony Blair's meeting with the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, will not be among the documents about the Lockerbie bomber being released this afternoon.

The prime minister's spokesman said the government would publish all "relevant" correspondence relating to the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 bombing, this afternoon.

The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Justice are putting documents on their website after 2pm. In Edinburgh the Scottish government will also be releasing its own documents, probably later in the afternoon.

But the papers will not cover Blair's meetings with Gaddafi in 2004 and 2007, which paved the way for a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries, Downing Street said today.

Today David Cameron claimed that Gordon Brown's failure to say whether or not he approved of the release of Megrahi showed that he did not have the leadership skills required of a prime minister. Writing in the Times, the Conservative leader says that having the willingness to express an opinion was "a basic requirement of leadership".

The Tories have condemned the Scottish government's decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds. Brown has said that he was "repulsed" by the way Megrahi received a hero's welcome when he returned to Tripoli, but the prime minister has not said whether or not he approved of the decision to grant Megrahi his liberty.

In his Times article, Cameron says: "Mr Brown should have condemned the decision to release al-Megrahi. At the very least, he should have expressed an opinion. But all we got, day after day, was a wall of silence, finally broken after a long week when Mr Brown declared that he was 'angry' and 'repulsed' at scenes in Tripoli. We all were. But that wasn't the point. People wanted to know what the prime minister thought about the decision to release him in the first place.

"Such candour is a basic requirement of leadership – a quality that once again Mr Brown has demonstrated he lacks." >>> Nicholas Watt and Andrew Sparrow | Tuesday, September 01, 2009

The New Libya: ليبيا الجديدة

Muammar Gadaffi’s Son to Move to Britain
THE SUNDAY TIMES: SAIF GADAFFI, the son of the Libyan ruler, is moving his burgeoning media empire to London as he seeks to capitalise on blossoming trade ties with Britain.

Gadaffi, who escorted Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the freed Lockerbie bomber, from Scotland to Tripoli, has bought a £10m home in Hampstead, north London.

Staff at Gadaffi’s television news company, Al Mutawassit, are moving to the UK — with the first broadcast planned this week — and their boss is expected to follow. Ultimately, it aims to rival Al-Jazeera, the leading Arab news channel, with the launch of a website and newspaper.

Whitehall sources confirmed that Gadaffi, 37, had been granted a UK visitor’s visa that allows him to stay in Britain for up to six months. >>> Kevin Dowling | Sunday, August 30, 2009

Kadhafi ne plantera pas sa tente en Amérique
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: NEW YORK | Le numéro un libyen Mouammar Kadhafi a accepté de ne pas planter sa tente de bédouin le mois prochain dans le New Jersey.

Il devait s'installer dans une banlieue de New York où résident des parents de victimes de l’attentat de Lockerbie.

Le dirigeant libyen a prévu de participer fin septembre à New York à l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU, pour la première fois depuis 40 ans, et les habitants d’Englewood, 30 000 habitants, craignaient qu’il ne s’installe pendant la durée de son séjour sur un terrain que possède la Libye dans la commune.

"Je suis très heureux que Mouammar Kadhafi ait apparemment renoncé à venir à Engelwood", a affirmé vendredi le parlementaire Steve Rothman, notant que "sa présence aurait posé des problèmes de sécurité pour les habitants d’Englewood et les diplomates libyens".

Englewood abrite plusieurs familles de victimes de l’attentat de Lockerbie, qui avait fait 270 morts en 1988, et qui ont été choquées par l’accueil triomphal réservé récemment par M. Kadhafi à Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi, condamné pour l’attentat et libéré pour raisons de santé. >>> AFP | Samedi 29 Août 2009

Beduinenzelt von Ghadhafi in New York nicht willkommen
NZZ ONLINE: Libyens Staatschef verzichtet auf Camping während Uno-Vollversammlung

Nach Protesten von amerikanischen Politikern will der libysche Staatschef Muammar al-Ghadhafi während seines Besuchs bei der Uno-Vollversammlung sein Beduinenzelt offenbar nicht in einem New Yorker Vorort aufschlagen. >>> sda/afp | Samstag, 29. August 2009

Attentat de Lockerbie: Les incohérences de la piste libyenne
LE TEMPS: La «piste libyenne» dans l’attentat contre le vol de la Pan Am en 1988 est minée d’incohérences et la libération récente du «coupable», atteint de cancer, arrange pas mal de monde. Un ingénieur suisse au cœur du procès et un professeur autrichien, parmi d’autres, contestent la version officielle depuis des années.

«Répugnant», «un outrage», «insulte à la vraie pitié». Depuis la libération d’Abdelbaset al-Megrahi le 20 août, la colère ne faiblit pas. Comment ose-t-on relâcher – même pour raisons humanitaires (cancer en phase terminale) – le terroriste qui a tué 270 personnes en glissant une bombe dans la soute du vol Pan Am 103?

Vingt et un ans après l’attentat de Lockerbie, les blessures se rouvrent. L’accueil triomphal d’Al-Megrahi en Libye est un acide versé sur la plaie, de même que les déclarations de Saïf Kadhafi, fils de Mouammar, qui qualifie Lockerbie d’«histoire ancienne. La prochaine étape, c’est un commerce fructueux et productif avec Edimbourg et Londres». Du coup, le pèlerinage des chefs d’Etat à Tripoli pour célébrer les quarante ans de la «grande révolution» devient le théâtre de la honte.

Sans doute entre-t-il beaucoup de realpolitik cynique dans le drôle de dénouement de l’affaire Lockerbie. Reste surtout une question: et si ce n’était pas la Libye qui avait fait le coup? Coups de théâtre >>> Jean-Claude Péclet | Samedi 29 Août 2009

Editorial: Lockerbie Terrorist's Release Is an Ugly Act of 'Mercy'
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The muted U.S. reaction to the bomber's repatriation to Libya adds to the insult to justice.

The release by Scotland of Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi, who was expected to spend his life in prison for the 1988 bombing of a Pan American jetliner, was merciful, certainly, but an outrage nonetheless. The "compassionate release” of the terminally ill Libyan terrorist showed no compassion for relatives of the 270 people killed when the jet exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Compounding their trauma was the muted protest of the Obama administration.

Instead of viewing the special relationship between the United States and Britain as a cause for candor, the president, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. resorted to diplomatic circumlocution. The president called Megrahi's release "a mistake" and was reduced to asking Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi not to treat Megrahi as a hero and to place him under house arrest. Clinton issued a statement calling the release "deeply disappointing." Holder shifted into passive voice to say that the interests of justice "have not been served by this decision."

This country has a special interest in punishment for Megrahi because 189 of the victims were Americans, including 35 Syracuse University students returning home for the Christmas season. But whatever their nationality, they were innocent victims of an attack that virtually defined the term "terrorism." For many of their families, a life sentence was the minimum punishment to be meted out to Megrahi. His release and repatriation after serving only eight years thus upends their expectations and undermines the argument that life in prison is an acceptable alternative to execution. >>> Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times | Friday, August 21, 2009

Why Has My Father’s Murder Gone Unpunished?
THE SPECTATOR: Huda Abuzeid, whose father was killed by the Libyan regime, says that we must not turn a blind eye to its acts of intimidation and violence

There is a joke about Libya which goes something like this: why does Libya has [sic] a population of both six million and four million? The answer is that one million are abroad and the other million are in prison.

It’s not a funny joke, but it’s a revealing one. As the country prepares to celebrate 40 years of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, and despite various of our politicians desperately trying to tell us how much Libya has changed and the numerous Sunday supplement articles extolling the virtues of Libya as a holiday destination, Libya remains one of the most intolerant, totalitarian and repressive regimes in the world. Libyan citizens regularly ‘disappear’ — arrested by the authorities. Their loved ones are often left in the dark.

Since 2003 Libya has been extolled by Britain as an example of a reformed state. Tony Blair was quick to take the credit, rushing over to Gaddafi and saying, ‘People should not forget the past, they should move beyond it.’

On hearing that, I felt physically sick. With that one sound-bite, Libyans inside the country and those who like me were living abroad knew that the political will to push for justice in the many unresolved cases was lost.

Cases such as the murder of my father, Ali Abuzeid, whose body I found in his west London shop on 26 November 1995. He had been stabbed to death. A key member of the leading Libyan opposition group in the 1980s, my father had put all his efforts into ridding his homeland of its dictator. My childhood years were spent worrying about him every time he travelled, learning to be careful around other Arabs. I once had to leave Tunisia accompanied by secret police when they found out that a hit squad had been sent to assassinate him after a failed attempt to overthrow the Libyan regime.

Back in London, I remember hearing his name mentioned in a speech by Gaddafi, who had called for him and others to be hunted down. At one point there was a bounty of millions on his head.

After years in exile and the deaths of many of his friends inside Libya who had been rounded up and executed, my father decided to retire from opposition politics. Revolution, he now believed, could only come from within, instead of being led by those in exile. However, from his shop in a neighbourhood populated with Arabs, he remained vocal about his opinions and politics and then, after years of being careful and keeping under the radar, he became an easy target.

So when I answered a call early one Sunday morning in November 1995 from one of his staff, who said the door to the shop was open but the lights were off, my heart began to pound with that familiar childhood fear for his safety. I told myself that maybe he had just fallen down some steps or that he had forgetfully left the door open. >>> Huda Abuzeid | Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber: A Grievous Blow to the Special Relationship
THE TELEGRAPH: British security will be harmed by the Megrahi affair, argues Irwin Stelzer.

Eleven and a half days. That's how much prison time the American commentator Charles Krauthammer reckons Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi served for each of the 270 people he murdered when he planted the bomb that blew Pan Am Flight 103 out of the skies. Alex Salmond is wrong when he says that Scotland's relationship with the US will be unaffected by the decision, and will remain "strong and enduring". It won't, at least not just now.

Congress is more than a little annoyed. Senators Joe Lieberman (Independent, Connecticut) and Chuck Schumer (Democrat, New York) have asked Gordon Brown to mount an inquiry to determine the facts surrounding Megrahi's release. That won't happen.

More important, the American security services are re-examining their relationship with their counterparts in Scotland and England, since the decision to release Megrahi is only the latest thumb in their eye. The British Government has refused on human rights grounds to extradite six suspected terrorists wanted by American authorities, including a Saudi sought in connection with bomb attacks on US embassies. Remember: this is the same Government that raised no objection when British businessmen were extradited to face trial in the United States on various charges. Apparently, the Scottish desire to show compassion to a mass murderer is matched by a British desire to keep suspected terrorists from facing justice in US courts.

There is also a boycott of Scottish goods being promoted online. Last year, visitors from the US accounted for 340,000 trips to Scotland, and spent £260 million (21 per cent of all expenditure by those from outside the UK). The number of Americans cancelling trips is increasing, but whether this will make a significant dent in the Scottish economy is too early to say. All in all, America – Scotland's largest overseas export market – spends almost £3 billion annually on goods and services, much on whisky, financial services and products from BP. American bloggers believe BP has its fingerprints all over what they see as a terrorist-for-oil deal, and that Scottish whisky can be replaced with Canadian and Irish products. Given the shaky nature of the financial system, though, cutting ties with the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has a substantial presence in the US, might be more trouble than it is worth. >>> Irwin Stelzer | Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber: Libya Broke Promise over Hero's Welcome, Says Scottish Justice Minister
THE TELEGRAPH: Kenny MacAskill, Scotland's justice secretary, accused Libya of breaking a promise not to give a hero's welcome to the freed Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Al Megrahi.

He told an emergency session of the Scottish Parliament: "It is a matter of great regret that Mr Megrahi was received in such an inappropriate manner.

"It showed no compassion or sensitivity to the families of the 270 victims of Lockerbie."

He went on: "Assurances had been given by the Libyan Government that any return would be dealt with in a low-key and sensitive fashion."

Mr MacAskill was speaking at a special session of the Scottish Parliament, recalled from its summer recess to allow MSPs to question him on his decision to free terminally-ill Megrahi.

The Justice Secretary defended his actions in freeing Megrahi on compassionate early release grounds, while turning down a request for him to be transferred to jail in Libya.

Earlier, Gordon Brown faced fresh criticism for commenting on England’s Ashes cricket victory, but remaining silent about what he thinks about the release of Abdulbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the Prime Minister’s continued refusal to comment on last week’s controversial release of Britain’s biggest mass murderer "absurd and damaging".

Downing Street maintained that the matter of Megrahi’s freedom was one for the Scottish administration, despite condemnation of the release by Barack Obama and the director of the FBI.

A spokesman for Downing Street, in response to repeated questions about the Prime Minister’s silence, repeatedly stated: “It was and it remains a decision for the Scottish Justice Secretary.”

However, Mr Brown has been more forthcoming about England’s Ashes victory – inviting criticism that he is happy to comment on frivolous matters, but not the release of a man who killed 270. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Monday, August 24, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber: Robert Mueller's Letter to Kenny MacAskill
TIMES ONLINE: The full text of the letter sent by the FBI director to Scotland’s Justice Secretary

Dear Mr Secretary

Over the years I have been a prosecutor, and recently as the Director of the FBI, I have made it a practice not to comment on the actions of other prosecutors, since only the prosecutor handling the case has all the facts and the law before him in reaching the appropriate decision.

Your decision to release Megrahi causes me to abandon that practice in this case. I do so because I am familiar with the facts, and the law, having been the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the investigation and indictment of Megrahi in 1991. And I do so because I am outraged at your decision, blithely defended on the grounds of “compassion”.

Your action in releasing Megrahi is as inexplicable as it is detrimental to the cause of justice. Indeed your action makes a mockery of the rule of law. Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world who now believe that regardless of the quality of the investigation, the conviction by jury after the defendant is given all due process, and sentence appropriate to the crime, the terrorist will be freed by one man’s exercise of “compassion”. Your action rewards a terrorist even though he never admitted to his role in this act of mass murder and even though neither he nor the government of Libya ever disclosed the names and roles of others who were responsible. >>> | Sunday, August 23, 2009

Megrahi: L'Ecosse défend sa décision
leJDD.fr: Face aux critiques des États-Unis et aux réserves du gouvernement de Londres, les autorités autonomes écossaises ont justifié dimanche leur décision de libérer pour motif humanitaire l'ex-agent libyen Abdel Basset al Megrahi, condamné pour l'attentat de Lockerbie qui avait fait 270 morts en 1988. "Évidemment, notre décision a déçu et blessé beaucoup de gens aux Etats-Unis (...) Nous comprenons cela, nous l'admettons mais la procédure de libération pour raison humanitaire n'a rien à voir avec la culpabilité ou l'innocence de la personne concernée. Il s'agit d'une mesure fondée essentiellement sur l'état de santé du détenu", a expliqué le Premier ministre écossais Alex Salmond. [Source: leJDD.fr] | Dimanche 23 Août 2009

The Libyan Ultimatum
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Despite denials, talk persists of pressure and plots behind the freeing of the Lockerbie bomber

They are expecting a magnificent party in Tripoli a week on Tuesday when Libya marks the 40th year in power of Muammar Gadaffi and pays tribute to the deft diplomatic footwork of Saif al-Islam, his son.

The only man convicted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 is finally home; and the suave, shaven-headed Saif, whose name means “sword of Islam”, is credited with a key role in making it happen.

An agreement struck long ago between Tony Blair and Gadaffi had threatened to fall apart with potentially catastrophic consequences for Britain: it has emerged that Libya threatened to freeze diplomatic relations if Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, said to be suffering from cancer, was not released under a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya.

In the end, he was freed by Scotland on “compassionate” grounds and escorted home to Tripoli by Saif, who thrust Megrahi’s hand into the air as they came down the steps of Gadaffi’s airliner to a hero’s welcome that has outraged the families of Lockerbie’s victims.

Yesterday the protests were undimmed, but the official responses were evasive — unsurprisingly, because behind Megrahi’s release lie weeks of intrigue between Westminster, Tripoli, Edinburgh and Washington.

Apart from the unfortunate Lockerbie families, everyone seems to have got what they wanted. Gadaffi and his son have their man. Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice secretary, who signed the release order, has burnished his humanitarian credentials. Gordon Brown has preserved Britain’s politically and economically valuable new relationship with Libya while avoiding any blame for the release. And American politicians have been able to bluster in protest while exercising none of their considerable clout to stop it happening.

The whole exercise reeks of realpolitik and moral evasion.

The reality is that Megrahi’s freedom is a product of the effort to bring Libya out of dangerous isolation. This is as much to America’s advantage as Britain’s, but Washington has too much baggage to be openly involved; it bombed Libya in 1986 in punishment for supporting terrorism, and Gadaffi remains a bogeyman to many Americans. So Britain takes the lead — except when it can devolve the dirty work onto a Scottish politician. >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, August 23, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber: Lord Mandelson Faces New Questions Over Libya Links
THE TELEGRAPH: Lord Mandelson faced fresh questions over his links to Libya last night following the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber.

The Business Secretary denied that the Government had done a deal to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, who was convicted of the 1988 terrorist atrocity that claimed 270 lives. However, his claims were contradicted by Saif Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, in a conversation with Megrahi as the pair flew home from Glasgow.

In a transcript obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Gaddafi tells Megrahi: “You were on the table in all commercial, oil and gas agreements that we supervised in that period. You were on the table in all British interests when it came to Libya, and I personally supervised this matter. Also, during the visits of the previous prime minister, Tony Blair.”

This latest contradiction of the Government’s line will further increase tensions between Britain and the United States, which continued yesterday to express anger over the decision to free Megrahi. Robert Mueller, the FBI director, made public a hard-hitting letter he sent to Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice secretary who ordered the release. Mr Mueller called the decision inexplicable and detrimental to justice, adding: “Indeed your action makes a mockery of the rule of law. Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world.”

Downing Street confirmed last night that Gordon Brown had discussed the possible release of Megrahi with Colonel Gaddafi when the two men met on the fringes of the G8 summit in Italy last month. A letter the Prime Minister sent to the Libyans, dated last Thursday, the day of the release, said: “When we met I stressed that, should the Scottish Executive decide that Megrahi can return to Libya, this should be a purely private, family occasion.”

Libya’s talk of trade deals has shone the spotlight on Lord Mandelson, who is facing mounting questions over his links with Mr Gaddafi, 37, the man widely tipped as his country’s next leader. >>> Andrew Alderson, Patrick Hennessy and Colin Freeman | Saturday, August 22, 2009

Gaddafi empfängt Lockerbie-Attentäter in Tripolis
WELT ONLINE: Libyens Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hat den begnadigten Lockerbie-Attentäter Abdelbasset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi empfangen. Gaddafi lobte die Entscheidung der schottischen Regierung als "mutig" und deutete an, dass die Freilassung des todkranken Terroristen bei wirtschaftlichen Verhandlungen eine Rolle gespielt habe.

Einen Tag nach der Freilassung des Lockerbie-Attentäters Abdelbasset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi aus schottischer Haft hat Libyens Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi den schwer krebskranken Ex-Terroristen empfangen. Wie die libysche Nachrichtenagentur Jana am Samstag berichtete, dankte Gaddafi bei dem Treffen der schottischen Regierung für ihren Mut. Megrahi selbst beteuerte erneut seine Unschuld und kündigte Beweise für ein „Fehlurteil“ an.

Bei dem Treffen mit dem 57-jährigen Megrahi und seiner Familie am Freitagabend lobte Gaddafi laut Jana vor allem den „Mut“ der schottischen Behörden. Sie hätten angesichts des „nicht akzeptablen und nicht angemessenen“ Drucks ihre Unabhängigkeit bewiesen. Die US-Regierung und Angehörige der 270 Opfer des Attentats auf ein US-Linienflugzeug über dem schottischen Lockerbie 1988 hatten sich vehement gegen eine Freilassung des Attentäters ausgesprochen.

Gaddafi verglich die Freilassung al Megrahis mit der Freilassung von fünf bulgarischen Krankenschwestern und einem palästinensischen Arzt vor zwei Jahren. Ihnen war vorgeworfen worden, mehr als 400 libysche Kinder vorsätzlich mit HIV infiziert zu haben.

Der libysche Staatschef bedankte sich dem Bericht zufolge auch beim britischen Premierminister Gordon Brown, bei Queen Elizabeth II. und ihrem zweitältesten Sohn Prinz Andrew. Alle drei hätten die schottische Regierung ermutigt, die „historische und mutige Entscheidung“ zu treffen, Megrahi freizulassen. Dieser Schritt werde „positive Auswirkungen“ auf die Beziehungen zwischen beiden Ländern und alle Bereiche der Zusammenarbeit haben, sagte Gaddafi.

Gaddafis Sohn Seif al-Islam hatte zuvor in einem Fernseh-Interview gesagt, dass die Freilassung Megrahis bei wirtschaftlichen Verhandlungen mit Großbritannien eine Rolle gespielt habe. Bei Verhandlungen über Öl- und Gaslieferungen sei auch der Fall des Lockerbie-Attentäters auf den Verhandlungstisch gekommen, sagte Islam, der ein wichtiger Unterhändler in den Gesprächen mit der schottischen Regierung war und Megrahi bei seiner Rückkehr begleitete. >>> | Samstag, 22. August 2009

Megrahi: Provocations libyennes
leJDD.fr: Abdel Basset al Megrahi, condamné pour l'attentat de Lockerbie, aurait été libéré dans le cadre d’échanges commerciaux entre la Lybie et la Grande-Bretagne. C’est du moins ce qu’affirme l’un des fils de Mouammar Kadhafi. Le dirigeant libyen a par ailleurs reçu avec les honneurs Megrahi. De quoi alimenter la polémique sur la justesse de cette libération pour raison de santé.

Alors que les Etats-Unis ont accueilli avec colère la libération d’Abdel Basset al Megrahi, jugé responsable de l’attentat de Lockerbie, la polémique grandit avec les provocations de la Libye. D’après Saïf al-Islam, l’un des fils de Mouammar Kadhafi, le sort de l’ancien agent des services secrets libyen aurait été réglé dans le cadre des relations commerciales entre Tripoli et Londres. Officiellement, c'est pourtant le gouvernement d'Ecosse qui a ordonné cette libération. "Dans tous les contrats commerciaux, de pétrole et de gaz avec la Grande-Bretagne, al Megrahi était toujours sur la table des négociations", a-t-il expliqué. "Tous les intérêts britanniques étaient liés à la libération d’al Megrahi", dont le dossier était "évoqué à chaque visite en Libye de l'ancien premier ministre britannique Tony Blair", a-t-il ajouté, pour enfoncer le clou.

Un scénario qui paraît crédible pour nombre d'observateurs. Les affaires et la politique sont "inextricablement liées" en Libye, a souligné sur la BBC Lord Trefgarne, un ancien ministre britannique, actuellement président du comité d’affaires Grande-Bretagne-Lybie. Il y aura des "profits" à attendre de cette libération, a-t-il ajouté. Des assertions évidemment démenties par Downing Street. "Il n'y a aucun arrangement", a assuré un porte-parole du Premier ministre Gordon Brown. Et un porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères de renvoyer la balle dans le camp écossais: "Les décisions relatives au cas Megrahi ont été exclusivement du ressort de ministres ecossaise". >>> Maud Pierron, leJDD.fr | Samedi 22 Août 2009