Qaddafi Praises Lockerbie Release (Thanks His 'Friends')

New York Times ^ | August 23, 2009 | JOHN F. BURNS

[nickcarraway]

Already badly shaken by American outrage and opprobrium over the release of the convicted Lockerbie airliner bomber, the British government faced fresh embarrassment on Saturday when the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, met with the newly liberated prisoner in Tripoli and thanked Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain, “my friend,” for interceding with the Scottish government to let the man go.

In an appearance characteristic for its capricious mischief-making, Colonel Qaddafi heaped praise not only on Mr. Brown but on Queen Elizabeth and her second son, Andrew, duke of York, for helping in the release of the bomber, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi.

Mr. Megrahi, 57, a former Libyan intelligence agent, was convicted of orchestrating the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988. A total of 270 people were killed, including 189 Americans.

Colonel Qaddafi also congratulated the Scottish authorities for “their courage and for having proved their independence despite the unacceptable and unreasonable pressures they faced,” the Libyan news agency Jana reported.

He continued: “And I say to my friend Brown, the prime minister of Britain; his government; the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth; and Prince Andrew, who all contributed to encouraging the Scottish government to make this historic and courageous decision, despite the obstacles.”

He made his remarks as British and Scottish officials were doing their best to distance themselves from Mr. Megrahi’s release, which they insisted was the independent decision of the Scottish justice secretary, and based solely on compassion for Mr. Megrahi’s terminal cancer, not Britain’s desire for multibillion-dollar Libyan oil contracts.

SNIP

Colonel Qaddafi also showed a blithe, perhaps contemptuous, indifference toward the appeals he received from Mr. Brown and President Obama not to make a spectacle of Mr. Megrahi’s return,

[Candor7]

This is a sad, sad day for the Scottish people.Few knew that the women of Lockerbie carefully gathered up all the clothing scattered about from the crash, laundered and mended the clothing , folded it carefully so that the relatives and next of kin of the dead could come and retreive the clothes of their loved ones.

It was all laid out on tables in Lockerbie.

No, the Scots are sorely injured and vexed by this,and they no that no good will come of it.

"Quadaffy" will eventually have to be reined in once more, and it will be more costly than the last.

[john drake]

Gee, I hope no one was surprised by the action of Britain or Libya.

[uncommonsense]

It's high time that the UK ban hate mongers like Michael Savage from this land where justice is loved more than life itself!

Oh, sorry... Wrong thread.

[4Liberty]