RSS Feed MenuA story in the Independent on Sunday suggests that while the Obama administration was opposed to the release of the convicted mass murderer, it made clear that it was open to compromise – such as house arrest in Scotland – rather than implacably opposed, period.
US officials had “very reluctantly” backed a proposal to move Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi from Greenock Prison into some kind of high-security accommodation elsewhere in Scotland, senior government sources on both sides of the Atlantic confirmed.
Meanwhile, the U.K. government’s story that the release was a solo adventure of crazed lefties in Edinburgh continues to unravel. The Times reports leaked ministerial letters showing that U.K. Justice Secretary Jack Straw wrote to his Scottish counterpart two years ago to urge Megrahi’s release on national interest grounds, i.e. to accelerate an oil deal with Libya.
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.
Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and B.P. 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.
Most of the disgrace in this matter should fall on Britain. Still, the yielding attitude of the Obama administration seems to have contributed to persuading the U.K. and Scottish governments that they had wiggle room to proceed as they wished, without too many consequences to themselves. If so, they look to have been absolutely right about that. London and Edinburgh have sent home a man guilty of the murder of 180 Americans, with so far as anybody can tell, zero negative consequences to U.S.-U.K. relations and only a few faint murmurs of “mistake” from the president and “disappointment” from the Secretary of State.
I think it’s time to stop complaining that the president no longer uses the phrase “war on terror.” Truly: the war is over as far as the U.S. and U.K. governments are concerned. Why pretend otherwise?
barker13 // Aug 30, 2009 at 11:32 am
Rule of Thumb:
NO! We don’t want to “more like Europe.”
Period.
BILL
txanne // Aug 30, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Dang David are we reading the same article? It looks to me as if the US did everything they could to keep this slimeball in Scotland.
SFTor1 // Aug 31, 2009 at 2:48 am
What was that “arms for hostages” thing again? Just a figment of my imagination? Good, good, I’ll go back to my nap now.
wrs10 // Aug 31, 2009 at 3:39 pm
It should be pointed out that that the letter was sent 2 years ago, then nothing happened.
If anyone needs cheering up try this:-
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Abdel-Basset-Ali-al-Megrahi-In-Libyan-Hospital-Bed/Video/200908415371674?lpos=video_Article_Related_Content_Region_1&lid=VIDEO_15371674_Abdel_Basset_Ali_al-Megrahi__In_Libyan_Hospital_Bed
Aug 31, 2009
Channel 4 News’ Jonathan Miller visited Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi in his hospital bed in Libya. These images show the Lockerbie bomber wearing an oxygen mask and propped up with pillows……………
hsb3 // Aug 31, 2009 at 11:16 pm
What do you make of Eric Margolis latest column. He has a very different take on everything, and Eric seems to say he does believe the guy is innocent.
http://www.ericmargolis.com/political_commentaries/muammar-qaddafi-mad-like-a-fox.aspx
“Why are the Americans trying to kill me, Mister Eric?” he asked, genuinely puzzled. I told him because Libya was harboring all sorts of violent anti-western revolutionary groups, from Palestinian aircraft hijackers to IRA bombers and Nelson Mandela’s ANC.
1988: A US Navy Aegis cruiser, `Vincennes,’ violates Iranian waters and `mistakenly’ shoots down an Iranian civilian Airbus airliner in Iran’s air space.
Five months later, Pan Am 103 with 270 aboard is destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland. The US and Britain pressure Scotland to convict Megrhai, who insists he is innocent. Some critics accused CIA of faking evidence to blame Libya. A good number of intelligence experts believe the attack was Tehran’s revenge for the downing of the Iranian airliner, carried out by Mideast contract killers paid by Iran.
wrs10 // Sep 1, 2009 at 5:09 am
Just because Iran paid for the exercise does not preclude Libya from acting as subcontractor.
djnichol66 // Sep 1, 2009 at 7:17 am
Oh, come now. Asserting that because Obama was somewhat compromising helped lead the U.K into thinking they could send Megrahi back to Libya without repercussions is “after this therefore because of this” thinking. Find someone in the U.K government that shares responsibility for the decision to actually say they “get away with it.” Absent that this post has no substance.