The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.The spokesman claimed the deal was ultimately “academic” because Megrahi had been released on compassionate grounds: “The negotiations on the [transfer agreement] were part of wider negotiations aimed at the normalisation of relations with Libya, which included a range of areas, including trade.
Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.
The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely criticised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.
The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests.Edward Davey, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: “This is the strongest evidence yet that the British government has been involved for a long time in talks over al-Megrahi in which commercial considerations have been central to their thinking.”
Two letters dated five months apart show that Straw initially intended to exclude Megrahi from a prisoner transfer agreement with Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, under which British and Libyan prisoners could serve out their sentences in their home country.
In a letter dated July 26, 2007, Straw said he favoured an option to leave out Megrahi by stipulating that any prisoners convicted before a specified date would not be considered for transfer.
Downing Street had also said Megrahi would not be included under the agreement.Straw then switched his position as Libya used its deal with BP as a bargaining chip to insist the Lockerbie bomber was included.
The exploration deal for oil and gas, potentially worth up to £15 billion, was announced in May 2007. Six months later the agreement was still waiting to be ratified.
On December 19, 2007, Straw wrote to MacAskill announcing that the UK government was abandoning its attempt to exclude Megrahi from the prisoner transfer agreement, citing the national interest.
Lockerbie bomber 'set free for oil' - Times Online
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21 comments:
This deal for oil really sucks and smells really "fishy" to me. The deal between Libya and Britain was a real stinker. To hell with compassion for this mass murderer. The Lockerbie bomber had no compassion when he killed over 200 people on that plane. This is gutter trade relations.
Thanks, Terri...
And, Britain, how's that wind and solar power working for you?
Libya offered him up as an olive branch and the Brits took the bait, sent Meggy to jail for a few months (11.5 days per murdered soul) and then let free to seal the deal.
Soon they'll be calling for Brown's head on a platter, and heads will roll here & there in the Scots' own Parliament too if anyone there is found to have been involved.
They'll be wishing they'd kept Tony Blair at this rate.....sent Blair packing,(resigning as he saw the writing on the wall) and picked a doofus, just like we picked a doofus to replace Bush.
I agree that he shouldn't have been set free, but at least we didn't give him a medal.
Rab - Are you sure about the medal?
Anwyay - "What a tangled web you weave when you practice to deceive?"
comes to mind.
I've commented regularly to friends for quite some time now that the liberals are pathological liars. Meaning that telling the truth - even in situations where that would be a great advantage to them - never even occurs to them.
I absolutely believe that. The Dem politicians are constantly lying. Hell, all you have to do is listen to Obama anytime the teleprompter is off to know he's making it up as he goes along. It is why Dems can't hold a position on anything for more than a few seconds. They don't even know what they said a few seconds ago.
Nickie, I put some of my best stuff on your blog. :)
Oil for bombers at first sounds like a good deal---good only until the next bomber strikes!
I'm sure the same crowd that screamed, "No blood for oil!" when we went to Iraq will soon be in the streets over this.
Sure they will.
By the way, did I mention I've Florida waterfront property for sale? Let's meet and look at it, low tide is the best time.
Steve, if they discovered that Obama himself lit the fuse on the Lockerbie flight, the Media wouldn't report it.
Rab, when he arrived in Libya he was wearing his OBE around his neck.
Kid, I know you write your best here. It's the reason Rhod lets you hang around and fetch his Marlboros from the corner shop.
Ron, you couldn't be more correct. Thanks!
Subvet... you must be psychic or something. Low Tide is the name of my beautiful Asian bride.
Megrahi was stitched up by the States - this is now widely known. The Scottish Government were hoping that Megrahi's appeal would go ahead in order to expose this. When Megrahi dropped his appeal and requested compassionate release they agreed.
Kenny was, no doubt, aware of UK manipulations - Salmond excoriated Blair for opening negotiations on prisoner transfer as Megrahi was the only Libyan prisoner in Scotland and outwith UK jurisdiction. http://tiny.cc/hq1yy
The UK and the US were, I believe, eager to have Megrahi gone - both for commercial and political reasons. That the decision was someone else's no doubt galled, and they did their best to manipulate Scotland into playing ball.
Can you imagine the position that put Kenny in? If, like most Scots, he feels Megrahi's verdict was unsafe yet, as justice minister, he can't say this publicly and rests his hopes on an appeal revealing the truth. Then, Megrahi, nearing death and wishing to spend his few remaining weeks with his family, drops the appeal and asks for compassion.
What do you do? To grant his release is the humane course of action even though it plays into UK and US hands. Yes the UK were willing to trade Megrahi for oil - they knew, after all, that he was innocent - not that that would have made any difference to them. And the US wanted him gone to avoid exposure of their stitch up.
And when Kenny gives them what they want - but for very different reasons - they condemn him. What a bunch of cynical bastards we have running the UK and US. I had hoped ordinary Americans were jaded enough by their nation's history of deceit and and double dealing to see through the crocodile tears. Some were - http://tiny.cc/F8vvp - most weren't.
Nickie. I steal the Marlboros, just as I have always done. I hope this doesn't present a problem for you and your enterprise.
I find the whole episode and the people who masterminded it absolutely sickening.
Kid, the line has been crossed. I can no longer protect you.
Spiderman, there are rational reactions to irrational acts. I don't see them here.
They should have released the Lockerbie Bomber, then hung him from the nearest light pole - and bombed the Libyan oil fields (been done before) to send a strong message.
Alas, Britania no longer rules the waves, no longer has true global reach, and its army, while still populated by motivated men and women, is rotting in many respects.
They are reduced to treating with a petty tyrant for the crumbs that have fallen from his table.
Shameful.
Socialism does make cowards of us all.
Spoken like a true Conservative, Ope.
LL - Beautiful. Wouldn't change a word.
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