Posted on 08/29/2009 4:03:12 PM PDT by bad company
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 Browns 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 Megrahis 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
What a loser of a government. How sad.
Free speech terrifies the British government, I guess.
Just like any other whore (in this case Euro-trash), drag a few pounds down the street and they will follow you anywhere.
Jack Straw. Might have known his fingerprints would be on it.
I doubt the terrorist is even ill.
What would Winston do?
Oh well, we have a bigger problem over here ;-)
Brown’s government and the Scots government are full of liars and weasels.
England is going to need oil once Scotland declares its independence from the UK. I am beginning to think Brown had more to do with this decision than he is letting on.
The Brits never change.
“”What a loser of a government. How sad.”
You got that right! Once a great country, now an island of sissyfags and weenies!
I used to want to visit the Highlands, now I could care less.... All the true freedom loving Scots are over here...
BYDANT.....
You’ve got that right. The only place in the UK that still has balls is in the north. Scotland is fantastic and full of people of that love their heritage whereas south of Newcastle the whole country turned into a bunch of pussies. I love my time in Edinburgh and every time I had to go back down to Reading/London it put me into depression. I was so glad to get out of that country, but the party nights in Edinburgh will always remain with me and I can’t wait to get back there as long as I don’t have to fly through Heathrow.
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