Lockerbie Bomber Megrahi Has Died in Libya: Brother
REUTERS.COM: The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people has died, his brother said on Sunday. He was 59.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi died at home after a long battle with cancer. His health had deteriorated quickly overnight, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters.

"He was surrounded by his family and died in his house," Abdulhakim said on Sunday. » | Hadeel Al Shalchi | TRIPOLI | Reuters | Sunday, May 20, 2012

Tony Blair Facing Parliamentary Probe over Secret Meetings with Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair is facing a parliamentary investigation into his close relationship with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Senior MPs are demanding that Mr Blair reveal all details of his private meetings with the dictator since leaving Downing Street.

The move follows revelations in The Sunday Telegraph that Mr Blair had at least six meetings with Gaddafi since quitting as prime minister.

Five of those meetings took place in a 14 month period prior to the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber sent back to Tripoli to serve out the rest of his prison sentence in the comfort of his own home.

On at least two occasions Mr Blair and his sizeable entourage flew to Tripoli on a private jet paid for by the Gaddafi regime at a cost of about £150,000.

One meeting in January 2009 has been linked to a multi-billion dollar deal between the Libyans and a Russian company being put together by JP Morgan, the US bank which pays Mr Blair about £2 million a year as a senior adviser. » | Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter | Saturday, October 08, 2011

Tony Blair must be the most hated ex-prime minister ever! He screwed his own country, cheated, lied, and now profits – BIG TIME! In addition, he brought the world strife and wars. Yet he was made peace envoy for the Middle East! How are we to understand this absurd contradiction? The Palestinians have got it right about him. They find him despicable. As he is supposed to be trying to bring peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, it is surprising indeed that his position hasn't already become untenable. Were I to be he, I should hang my head in shame and go into hiding. – © Mark

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Libya: Tony Blair and Col Gaddafi's Secret Meetings

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New questions over Tony Blair's ties to Col Muammar Gaddafi and his role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber have emerged from documents discovered in Tripoli.

The letters and emails, found by The Sunday Telegraph, show Mr Blair held secret talks with Gaddafi in the months before Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was freed from a British jail.

He was flown to Libya twice at Gaddafi's expense on one of the former dictator's private jets - visiting the him in June 2008 and April 2009, when Libya was threatening to cut all business links if Megrahi stayed in a British jail.

The disclosure of the meetings – of which Mr Blair makes no mention on his various websites – prompted calls by relatives of Lockerbie victims for Mr Blair to make public all his dealings with Gaddafi and his regime. Mr Blair even brought an American billionaire to one of the meetings. Sources say the financier was asked by Gaddafi for help in building beach resorts on the Libyan coast.

In the correspondence, Mr Blair's private office refers to Gaddafi deferentially as "The Leader". Pam Dix, whose brother died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on Dec 21 1988, said yesterday: "The idea of Gaddafi paying for Mr Blair's visit is deeply offensive.

"These new meetings between Mr Blair and Gaddafi are disturbing, and details of what was discussed should now be made public. I am astonished Tony Blair continued to have meetings like this out of office." » | Colin Freeman, in Tripoli and Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter | Saturday, September 17, 2011

Tony Blair Issues Arab Spring Warning to West

THE GUARDIAN: Dictators must 'change or be changed' says ex-PM as western leaders urged to prepare wider plan for Middle East

Tony Blair warns the west today that it urgently needs a wider plan to respond to the Arab spring, including a warning to autocratic leaders across the Middle East "to change or be changed".

His call for a clearer strategic approach comes in a new foreword to the paperback edition of his bestselling autobiography, The Journey.

The former prime minister also praises Europe, and by implication David Cameron, for showing leadership in Libya, saying it would have been inconceivable to leave Muammar Gaddafi in power.

He said that if America and Europe had done nothing, "Gaddafi would have retaken the country and suppressed the revolt with extraordinary vehemence. Many would have died."

If he had been left in power while the west was willing to see President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt deposed, "the damage to the west's reputation, credibility and stature would have been not just massive but potentially irreparable. That's what I mean by saying inaction is also a decision."

Blair does not call for immediate military intervention across the region, saying instead that "where there is the possibility of evolutionary change, we should encourage and support it. This is the case in the Gulf states." » | Patrick Wintour | Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Is this hypocrisy, or what? This is the man who courted Qadhafi not so long ago, and it was his party, NuLabour, that was complicit in releasing Megrahi – the man of Lockerbie infamy! Go back to sleep, Blair! Your ‘wisdom’ is not needed at this time. – © Mark

Libya: Britain Told US Not to Intervene in Lockerbie Bomber Release
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The British ambassador to the US told America it should not intervene to stop the release of the Lockerbie bomber from a Scottish prison, according to leaked diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and passed to the Daily Telegraph.

Nigel Sheinwald told James Steinberg, the US Deputy Secretary of State, that he was "concerned" that the demands of victims' families were unduly influencing US policy.

His comments came during critical negotiations over whether Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of the murder of 270 passengers on Pan Am Flight 103, should be switched to a Libyan jail to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Sir Nigel was Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser between 2003 and 2007 and played a key role, alongside the Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, in bringing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi back into the international fold. He was at Mr Blair's side for the first meeting with Colonel Gaddafi in 2007 that resulted in a substantial BP oil contract.

The cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and passed to the Daily Telegraph, is dated February 2009. It states: "Sheinwald asked that the US continue to consult with the UK in the possible transfer of ailing Pan Am bomber Abdel-Basset al-Megrahi from the UK to Libya. Specifically, he said HMG supported the discussions this week between UK and US officials to define a common strategy.

"Sheinwald cited concern that the Pan Am victims' families were asking for direct US intervention to stop the transfer. He asked that the United States delay "for a few days" any intervention with the Scottish authorities, who will ultimately decide on the transfer." » | Steven Swinford | Sunday, April 10, 2011

Moussa Koussa Profile: High-profile Lockerbie Spymaster
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister who defected from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, was one of the architects of its rehabilitation in the international community but a deeply controversial figure who is likely to pose David Cameron a particularly thorny political problem.

As the highest-profile defection from the ranks of Col Gaddafi's loyalists, he is a plum prize who is likely to be of great value in helping to dismantle his dictatorship.

The former spy chief's resignation also comes at a critical time in the coalition's attempts to dislodge Col Gaddafi, as the rebels are retreating under fresh onslaughts and Whitehall sources suggested they were unlikely to win without arms or training from outside.

So his information and contacts among Col Gaddafi's generals will be all the more valuable.

However, the former head of Libya's external intelligence, was the mastermind accused of planning the Lockerbie bombing and any attempts to rehabilitate him are likely to be an exceedingly hot potato.

Mr Koussa has been a close confidant of Col Gaddafi's for 30 years and helped secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. Continue reading and comment » | Andy Bloxham, and Damien McElroy | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya: Moussa Koussa resigns – factbox: Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa arrived in Britain on Wednesday and has quit Muammar Gaddafi's government, according to the Government » | Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lockerbie Bomber Evacuated from Tripoli
Mar 22, 2011 – Megrahi leaves Libya before air strikes

Libya's Ex-Minister Reportedly Claims Qaddafi Ordered Lockerbie Bombing
FOX NEWS: Swedish tabloid Expressen says Libya's ex-justice minister claims Muammar al-Qaddafi personally ordered the Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people in 1988.

Expressen on Wednesday quoted Mustafa Abdel-Jalil as telling their correspondent in Libya that "I have proof that Qaddafi gave the order about Lockerbie." He didn't describe the proof.

Abdel-Jalil stepped down as justice minister to protest the violence against anti-government demonstrations.

He told Expressen Qaddafi gave the order to Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

"To hide it, he (Qaddafi) did everything in his power to get al-Megrahi back from Scotland," Abdel-Jalil was quoted as saying. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Shabby Politics and the Appeasing of a Monster
MAIL ONLINE: With Col Muammar Gaddafi’s troops turning their guns on their own people, reportedly causing hundreds of fatalities, it is clear that the Libyan dictator is nastier and more ruthless than any other Arab despot in the region. That is saying something.

Gaddafi has long been in a class of his own, once rivalled only by the now deceased Saddam Hussein of Iraq, whom it took a war to remove. Among many atrocities for which the Libyan leader has been responsible was the alleged massacre of more than 1,200 prisoners at Abu Salim prison in Tripoli in a single month in 1996.

The man is a monster, and mad and corrupt as well. Yet, starting in 2004, Labour set out to appease him and make deals with him. There was socialising with Gaddafi’s bizarre son, Saif al-Islam. Most serious of all, the last government worked to secure the early release of the ‘Lockerbie bomber’, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who had been convicted of murdering 270 people in 1988.

How on earth did this happen? How was it that a government which preached an ‘ethical foreign policy’ in 1997 – and which went to war against Saddam under the banner of democracy – ended up not just doing business with this tyrant but cutting sordid deals with him, and selling him water cannons and armoured cars which he is using against his own people? Read on and comment >>> Stephen Glover | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Disgusting British Politicians! UK Ministers 'Wanted Lockerbie Bomber Released'
BBC: The previous UK government did "all it could" to help facilitate the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, a report on the case says.

Sir Gus O'Donnell, the country's most senior civil servant, said there was an "underlying desire" to see Megrahi released before he died.

But his report concluded that it was made clear to Libya that the final decision was up to Scottish ministers.

And there was no evidence of Labour pressure on the Holyrood government.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who set up the investigation, said the release had been "profoundly wrong" but added there was no need for a fresh inquiry.

Labour's Gordon Brown, who was prime minister when Megrahi was freed in August 2009, said the decision had been made by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and "no-one else".

But Stephanie Bernstein, from the US, who lost her husband in the bombing, told the BBC: "It's disgusting, absolutely appalling. It looks as if the Labour government were acting as attorneys for the Libyans." >>> | Monday, February 07, 2011

WikiLeaks Files Reveal 'Cold, Callous and Brutal' Behaviour of Ministers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A mother who lost her daughter in the Lockerbie attack has condemned the “cold, callous and brutal” behaviour of British ministers after WikiLeaks documents revealed how they secretly advised Libya on securing the successful early release of the bomber.

Documents obtained by the Daily Telegraph show that a Foreign Office minister sent Libyan officials detailed legal advice on how to use Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s cancer diagnosis to ensure he was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds.

The Duke of York is also said to have played a behind-the-scenes role in encouraging the terrorist’s release.

Susan Cohen, whose only daughter Theodora, 20, was one of 35 students from Syracuse University who died, said: “I am not surprised by this latest news but I am glad it is out there.

“I almost feel like laughing. This confirms everything that we have been saying, that business and oil deals were being done behind the scenes.”

Mrs Cohen attacked the Scottish Government's request for families of the victims to contribute in the lead-up to the decision, noting that the new documents suggest ministers had already made up their mind to approve Megrahi's return home.

“How cruel that was to put the families through that,” she added. “It shows how cold, callous and brutal this whole affair has been. >>> Auslan Cramb, Christopher Hope and Robert Winnett | Tuesday, February 01, 2011

WikiLeaks: Britain Secretly Advised Libya How to Secure Release of Lockerbie Bomber
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers secretly advised Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan regime how to secure the successful early release of the Lockerbie bomber, documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph have disclosed.

Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi clasps the hand of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's son, after arriving back in Tripoli. Photograph: The Daily Telegraph
A Foreign Office minister sent Libyan officials detailed legal advice on how to use Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s cancer diagnosis to ensure he was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds.

The Duke of York is also said to have played a behind-the-scenes role in encouraging the terrorist’s release.

The Libyans closely followed the advice which led to the controversial release of Megrahi – who was convicted of the murder of 270 passengers on Pan Am Flight 103 – within months of the Foreign Office’s secret intervention.

The disclosure seriously undermines British Government claims that is was not complicit in the release of al-Megrahi, and that the decision to free the convicted terrorist was taken by the Scottish Executive alone.

It will also lead to renewed pressure from senior American politicians on David Cameron to release all internal documents detailing Britain’s role in the scandal. Last summer, the Prime Minister pledged to release the relevant information – but the publication has yet to occur sparking fears that a cover-up may have been ordered. >>> Christopher Hope and Robert Winnett | Monday, January 31, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: WikiLeaks cables show Government was 'playing false' over Lockerbie bomber: WikiLeaks documents that disclose how British ministers secretly advised Libya on securing the successful early release of the Lockerbie bomber demonstrate that Tony Blair's Government was "playing false" over the issue, Alex Salmond has said. >>> Christopher Hope, and Robert Winnett | Tuesday, February 01, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: WikiLeaks: How Libya trade fears forced British ministers to back release of Lockerbie bomber >>> Robert Winnett and Christopher Hope | Monday, January 31, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: WikiLeaks: Yvonne Fletcher suspect 'a key player in US-Libya relations' – One of the two men who faces accusations over his role in the shooting of the British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher is now a “key player” in American-Libya relations, the documents show. >>> Christopher Hope | Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Photograph: Google Images
Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi 'In a Coma'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is in a coma and may have only days to live, according to reports from those close to him.

The health of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has "deteriorated badly" according to the Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

Megrahi was given three months to live when he was released from Greenock Prison in Scotland in August last year on compassionate grounds, and flown home to Libya.

The fact that he is still alive 15 months later has added weight to American anger that he was released. Files revealed this week by Wikileaks have also described the pressure Libya brought to bear on the United Kingdom not to allow him to die in prison.

Col. Gaddafi was speaking in the Libyan capital Tripoli, to back Megrahi's family who have said they will sue the Scottish authorities for neglecting Megrahi's health in prison. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, December 09, 2010

The More We Learn About the Release of the Lockerbie Bomber, the More It Stinks
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – CON COUGHLIN: What on earth was Sir Vincent Fean, Britain’s ambassador to Libya, thinking of when he warned that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi could “cut us off at the knees” if we refused to hand over Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person to be convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people?

Has Libya suddenly become one of the world’s leading superpowers? Does a half-baked revolutionary zealot like Gaddafi really have the ability to damage Britain? Admittedly Gaddafi caused us a great deal of discomfort during the 1980s when he thoughtfully provided the IRA with the Semtex they needed to carry out their campaign of terror against the British mainland.

But that hardly brought the country to its knees, and I very much doubt that any other hare-brained schemes the “mad dog” of Libya – as former American president Ronald Reagan once described him – might come up with would cause us serious harm. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Showing the Spineless Side of “Great” Britain! WikiLeaks: Britain Feared Colonel Gaddafi Could 'Cut Us Off at the Knees' Unless Lockerbie Bomber Was Freed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain feared that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi could “cut us off at the knees, just like the Swiss”, unless the Lockerbie bomber was released, leaked WikiLeaks cables show.

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Sir Vincent Fean, the UK's ambassador to Tripoli at the time, also warned that continuing to hold Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi in a prison in Scotland could have “disastrous implications for British interests in Libya”.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, 57, was jailed in 2001 for the atrocity which claimed 270 lives in 1988. He was freed on compassionate grounds in August 2009.

The warnings were contained in secret communiqués sent from US embassy staff in Tripoli in August 2009, and produced in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.

One cable said: “The British ambassador expressed relief that Megrahi likely would be returned to Libya under the compassionate release program.

“He noted that a refusal of Megrahi’s request could have had disastrous implications for British interests in Libya.”

Then the cable appeared to quote the ambassador saying: “They could have cut us off at the knees, just like the Swiss.” >>> Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

This just goes to show how spineless we Brits have become. Churchill must be turning in his grave! How disgusting! This story makes one feel ashamed to admit one is British. Get a grip! – © Mark

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WikiLeaks Cables: Lockerbie Bomber Freed After Gaddafi's 'Thuggish' Threats
THE GUARDIAN: Megrahi case led to threats against UK's Libyan interests, while Scots who released him had turned down 'a parade of treats'

WikiLeaks cables say Muammar Gaddafi bullied and cajoled British politicians and bureaucrats to release convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi (left), seen with the Libyan leader's son, Saif al-Islam, on his arrival in Tripoli. Photograph: The Guardian
The British government's deep fears that Libya would take "harsh and immediate" action against UK interests if the convicted Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison are revealed in secret US embassy cables which show London's full support for the early release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, made explicit and "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals with Britain and harass embassy staff if Megrahi remained in jail, the cables show. At the same time "a parade of treats" was offered by Libya to the Scottish devolved administration if it agreed to let him go, though the cable says they were turned down.

Britain at the time was "in an awkward position" and "between a rock and a hard place". The London charge d'affaires, Richard LeBaron, wrote in a cable to Washington in October 2008. "The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly." >>> David Leigh | Tuesday, December 07, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: US Diplomats Struggle with an Eccentric Despot: For American diplomats, Libya is a notorious hardship post. With his quirky habits, hard bargaining, whiny sons and Ukrainian nurses, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is far from easy to deal with -- and a master of political extortion. >>> Juliane von Mittelstaedt | Saturday, December 04, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ärger mit Libyen: Schweizer schlitterten hilflos in Geiselkrise – Die Affäre um die beiden Schweizer, die fast zwei Jahre lang in Libyen festgehalten wurden, war nach SPIEGEL-Informationen brisanter als bisher bekannt. US-Kabel zeigen, wie hilflos die Diplomaten der Alpenrepublik agierten. Demnach wäre die Krise beinahe EU-weit eskaliert. >>> | Sonntag, 05. Dezember 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Calmy-Rey bricht den Negativrekord: Mit nur 106 Stimmen zur neuen Bundespräsidentin gewählt >>> sda/bbu. | Mittwoch, 08. Dezember 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Haarsträubende Details zur Libyen-Affäre: Der GPK-Bericht enthält vor allem Neues zu den Exfiltrationsplänen und zu Merz' Reise nach Tripolis >>> Simon Gemperli, Bern | Samstag, 04. Dezember 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Calmy-Rey, présidente de la Confédération la plus mal élue de l’Histoire >>> Xavier Alonso et Romain Clivaz | Mercredi 08 Décembre 2010

LE TEMPS: Election misérable de Micheline Calmy-Rey : La socialiste genevoise n’obtient que 106 voix sur 189 bulletins valables. Vingt-et-un députés fédéraux n’ont pas jugé bon de participer à l’élection >>> Bernard Wuthrich | Mercredi 08 Décembre 2010

LE TEMPS: Micheline Calmy-Rey la mal-aimée du parlement : La socialiste genevoise doit être élue à la présidence de la Confédération mercredi. A Berne, l’embarras règne. Pas uniquement à cause du dossier libyen, mais aussi parce qu’elle irrite de nombreux parlementaires>>> Bernard Wuthrich | Mardi 07 Décembre 2010

Lockerbie Bomber’s Family ‘To Sue Over Prison Ordeal’
DAILY EXPRESS: THE family of the Lockerbie bomber is preparing a compensation claim against Britain for false imprisonment, Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi revealed last night.

He said the case against 58-year-old former secret serviceman Abdulbaset Ali Al-Megrahi had been fabricated by former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher and ex-US President Ronald Reagan.

Gaddafi even suggested that CIA agents were behind the atrocity – a theory already advanced in a controversial film and a number of books.

“These are the people who created this conspiracy,” he said. “The charges directed towards Libya were based on unfounded evidence in an attempt to weaken the Libyan Revolution and limit its resources and abilities.” >>> John Chapman

Lockerbie Bombing: US Calls for Megrahi to Be Returned to Jail
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has made an impassioned plea for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, to be returned to jail.

The Obama administration used the anniversary of the bomber's release on compassionate grounds – because he had advanced prostate cancer – to condemn the decision.

The US president's office said it had advised Libyan officials of its view that Megrahi should not be free.

John Brennan, Barack Obama's counter-terrorism adviser, criticised the "unfortunate and inappropriate and wrong decision."

He said: "We've expressed our strong conviction that Al Megrahi should serve out the remainder – the entirety – of his sentence in a Scottish prison."

Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, said that a "cloud of suspicion" hung over the decision to release Megrahi, who is now living with his family in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. >>> Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter | Saturday, August 21, 2010

Libya Has Made Fools of Us All Over Lockerbie Bomber Megrahi, and Much Else Besides
THE TELEGRAPH: Gaddafi was playing Tony Blair long before the release of the Lockerbie bomber, argues Con Coughlin.

It doesn't matter how much money BP stands to make from its deep-water exploration off the Libyan coast – it is never going to compensate for the humiliation Britain has suffered over last year's decision to repatriate the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.

Britain's leading oil company says it has postponed plans to drill its first deep-water well in Libya's Gulf of Sirte until later in the year, because of the concerns that have been raised by the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But that is not the only reason BP is holding fire: its senior executives fear that if work commences just as Megrahi is celebrating his first year of freedom, it would further infuriate the members of the US Senate who are already demanding a full Congressional inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Megrahi's release.

The fact of the matter is that Megrahi, according to what we were told at the time, should not be alive, and certainly not the subject of the sickening spectacle that has been arranged today by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator's son and political heir. This will see 500 teenagers, flown in from around the world at vast expense, acting as guests of honour at a ceremony to mark the one-year anniversary of Megrahi's return home from his Scottish prison cell.

Precisely what role BP played in securing Megrahi's release, or what bearing this had on its $900 million oil exploration contract, remains unclear. The company says it did no more than lobby the Scottish Parliament for a prisoner swap. But many senior officials in the Obama administration believe that BP was more deeply involved. They point to the role played by Sir Mark Allen, a former senior MI6 officer who headed the negotiations that persuaded Libya to stop work on its nuclear weapons programme, in late 2003, and wrote to the Foreign Office seeking Megrahi's release.

The lenient approach that Scottish officials adopted in dealing with Megrahi's case, in which no serious assessment appears to have been made of the terrorist's medical condition, certainly fits with the approach that Tony Blair encouraged British officials to adopt towards Libya following the nuclear deal. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi might remain one of the region's less appealing dictators, but that did not prevent Mr Blair from working tirelessly to bring him in from the diplomatic cold. Continue reading and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Friday, August 20, 2010

Das erstaunlich lange Leben des Lockerbie-Attentäters: Die britischen Gutachter machten Rechnung offenbar ohne die Pharmazie
NZZ ONLINE: Abdelbasset al-Megrahi will und will nicht sterben. Der verurteilte Lockerbie-Attentäter war vor einem Jahr aus schottischer Haft entlassen worden, weil er todgeweiht sei. Dank eines gängigen Medikaments lebt er immer noch und bringt die Verantwortlichen in Verlegenheit.

Aus humanitären Gründen war der im Jahr 2001 wegen des Lockerbie-Attentats zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilte libysche Geheimagent Abdelbasset al-Megrahi von der schottischen Regierung begnadigt worden. Er habe wegen eines fortgeschrittenen Prostatakrebses nur noch maximal drei Monate zu leben, lautete die ärztliche Diagnose. Dies erlaubte es der schottischen Regierung, den 59-Jährigen in seine Heimat ausreisen zu lassen. Dort wurde er als Held gefeiert und Oberst Ghadhafi kostete den Triumph vor laufenden Kameras aus.

Deal zugunsten BPs

Inzwischen ist ein Jahr vergangen und Megrahi lebt immer noch. Und damit bringt er die damaligen Entscheidungsträger in arge Verlegenheit. Inzwischen ist nämlich klar geworden, dass die Freilassung Teil eines langen diplomatischen Ränkespiels zwischen der britischen und der libyschen Regierung war, welche schliesslich dem Energiekonzern BP den Zugang zu grosse Ölvorkommen vor der libyschen Küste sicherte. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> spi. | Montag, 16. August 2010

Gadaffi's Son to Throw Party to Celebrate Release of Al Megrahi One Year Ago
MAIL ONLINE: The son of Libyan dictator Colonel Gadaffi is to celebrate the first anniversary of the Lockerbie bomber's release by giving a party for him.

Saif Gadaffi, whose friends include Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson, will attend the revelry for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi in his two-storey house in Tripoli.

He will foot the bill for food and drink, following a day's fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

When Megrahi, 58, was released on August 20 last year, Scottish authorities said he had only three months to live and was 'going home to die'.

Frank Duggan, a lawyer and spokesman for the families of the 270 victims of the Lockerbie bombing, said: 'Megrahi is obviously still deemed a hero in Libya.

'Saif Gadaffi was instrumental in pulling off a public relations masterstroke to get him released on the 40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution. >>> Gerri Peev | Sunday, August 15, 2010