Morning:
8°c
Senior US senator John Kerry is considering a congressional inquiry into the release of the Lockerbie bomber, his office has told the Standard.
The former presidential candidate, who chairs the Senate's foreign relations committee, was "disgusted" when Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi walked free, said spokesman Frederick Jones.
A wider inquiry into US-Libyan relations is being considered and would take in the Lockerbie case if it went ahead.
"Senator Kerry was one of the six signatories to a letter that went to Mr MacAskill [the Scottish Justice Secretary] before the release of Megrahi expressing disapproval," said Mr Jones.
The row deepened today when it emerged that Jack Straw was lobbied by oil giant BP before he carried out a U-turn on plans to exclude Megrahi from a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya.
A former MI6 agent, Sir Mark Allen, was allowed to telephone the Justice Secretary twice on behalf of BP in 2007, the Times reported.
The company was working on an oil exploration deal in Libya.
It confirmed it lobbied the Government to express concern about the slow progress of the prisoner transfer agreement because it feared a delay "might have negative consequences for UK commercial interests including ratification of BP's exploration agreement".
Megrahi's name was not said to have been mentioned by the company, but within weeks of the lobbying Mr Straw decided that he could be eligible to benefit from the prisoner transfer deal. Three weeks after that, Libya agreed to ratify BP's oil deal, worth $900 million.
Documents released in Edinburgh reveal that Qatar pressed "urgently" for Megrahi's freedom this year.
The Gulf state's demand coincided with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond holding talks on trade and investment.
Reader views (13)
So another take on the story, more anti-US comments.
What does this have to do with Americans one asked? Well yes, Americans died on the flight, that alone gives us legal standing. And then there is that little fact that Pan American Airways was an American company.
IRA? How many IRA supporters walk the halls of Parliament, the streets of London? More than a few I'd wager.
When you punish Mr. Brown and his cronies for releasing that terrorist monster, you will have proven just how brave and honorable you are. Until then, shut it.
- Trunk, US, 07/09/2009 05:46
Report abuse
"Kate, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific about which Iraq incursion and which friendly fire incident...
- Bob, Cheam"
...Well Bob, I mean every "friendly fire" incident in which their people killed ours, and then refused to give us, "their closest ally", any information about said incident. Which means all of them. Thanks Yanks.
- Kate, London, 04/09/2009 16:21
Report abuse
Kate, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific about which Iraq incursion and which friendly fire incident you're talking about, there were multiple incidents by the 'Merkins in both Iraq "wars".
- Bob, Cheam, 04/09/2009 15:53
Report abuse
Hey, Guys! Great news about your inquiry into this affair. Just one thing, though. While your so busy setting up inquiries to "demand justice" or whatever, can you also supply the missing details into all those so-called "friendly fire" incidents involving UK-U.S. forces where our soldiers were killed by the U.S. military?
To date, the U.S. has given us nothing, not a single detail to explain their killing of our people, not even the names of the pilots or any other U.S. personnel involved. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. As the U.S. is so concerned about justice for these families of Americans killed, how about some justice for the families of UK soldiers killed by Americans? Disclose this information now!
- Kate, London, 04/09/2009 13:13
Report abuse
It is quite understandable that one close ally should take an interest in the behaviour of another ally in a matter where commercial considerations have been put in front of principles of justice, especially in a case where the majority of victims were American.
I hope there is a congressional hearing and I hope Congress understand that the release of al-Megrahi was not so much an anti-American act but rather one more example of crass incompetence by Brown and his gang in Whitehall - and Edinburgh counterparts - and a general reflection of the lameness of the British justice system, which has no regard for victim's rights and is always very quick to find reasons to set killers free.
- Andrew, London, 04/09/2009 12:49
Report abuse
The Americans have double standards. What about the IRA killers that are living free in the USA and have been excluded from the agreement on extradition sactioned by Tony Blair. The same agreement is being used to extradite the so called hacker of their defence systems. They should be employing him to test their systems to show defects in their computer systems.
- Philip Robertson, Rugby England, 04/09/2009 12:44
Report abuse
What exactly has this issue got to do with the Americans. The crime happened in Scotland, perpetrated by foriegn persons. Ok some Americans got killed, but the rest of America must understand that they do not rule the entire world and are probably not wanted in any of the parts that they try to add to their dictatorship. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are nothing to do with America and nor are our laws or how we choose to implement them. Incidentally I did not agree with the release of Megrahi.
- Paul, rugby England, 04/09/2009 12:18
Report abuse
It makes me happy to see such support coming from England. I don't think Megrahi and perhaps even Libya should have been implicated at all. It's all to do with Libya supporting Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 91. Private Eye dishes all the dirt on the whole sorry affair.
- Kevin, edinburgh uk, 04/09/2009 11:17
Report abuse
The Americans have forgotten that the UK rules its own territorry we do not have the death sentence or government sponsored death penaltys. The decision to release this man was made by a Soverein Country, whether it is right or wrong. The people crying about the decision do not have to pay for,or keep the criminal alive. The crime was commited in our country therefore wether rightly or wrongly it is our country right to apply the law. After all Al-magri was never in America, and America (a so called civilised nation) still puts people to death yet never fought for extradition of this man.
- John Humfryes, Mullion Cornwall, 04/09/2009 11:13
Report abuse
Hmmm... in 2003 the US invaded Iraq to secure Iraqi oil supplies and make sure Saddam Hussein couldn't hold the world (i.e. the USA) to ransom by cutting oil production to drive up the price of crude.
So far their little adventure has cost thousands of lives and a fortune in money. They've conned us into supporting them, then slagged us off for not sacrificing even more of our soldiers than we already have. They repaid us by grabbing all the biggest reconstruction contracts for themselves and deliberately excluding non-US companies from the bidding process.
We now have access to Africa's largest known oil and gas reserves. All it's cost us is the release of an ailing Libyan and we haven't had to fire a shot.
My English modesty prevents me from disclosing just how much I am p***ing myself laughing here.
- Maximum Bob, London UK, 04/09/2009 11:10
Report abuse
with all that is going on at the moment how can the americans have anything to say about what goes on in our country? they are the ones who are killing many civillians in someone elses country! if all of the so called united nations refused to listen to their scare mongering un-substantiated claims, then they might just stop it. if you define terror suspect to someone who does not care for the life of another, define the difference of what the americans are doing. maybe its time for the americans to stop spitting their dummies out because they made a big mess of the economy and start sorting out their own country. all this for fuel and money? nuclear threat indeed? oh by the way did they ever find a real reason for attacking iran/iraq? oh yeah weapons of mass destruction? and they were that well hidden that they still not found them. back to cave man era i thinks.
- Scott, blackpool, england, 04/09/2009 10:37
Report abuse
Bring on a US Congressional inquiry. May it be detailed and far reaching, but somehow I believe that they would not like to have the whole truth in the open.
- Carl, London, 04/09/2009 10:36
Report abuse
Before John Kerry and the rest of his bunch of zealots start interfering in other countries and telling them how they should be run they want to get there own house in order.
The Lockerbie bomber, if he was such, was sublject to Scottish Law, not English, not USA or anyone elses on that basis whether you agree with the decision, and I personally don't, is irrelevent as it is up to Scotland.
America may like to think it rules the world but in reality we are all getting more than a little tired of their assumption that what they say goes, the idea that they can just walk into another country and ride roughshod over them.
The USA is a shambles with a legal system so burdensome that like most Americans it has little idea of what it is doing, where it is going or why!
Just tell them to sling their hook. They can have all the Congressional, Senate enquiries and any other enquiry the like, are they really so arrogant and conceited to think anyone else will give a damn. Let alone take any notice or do anything about it?
- Carbine, Almeria, spain, 04/09/2009 10:27
Report abuse
