Four US senators will meet with British Prime Minister about Lockerbie
David Cameron the Prime Minister of UK has agreed to meet with the US senators to discuss about the release of the Lebanese man convicted for the Lockerbie bombing. “The prime minister recognizes the huge strength of feeling on this issue and has immense sympathy for the families, American, British and others, affected by the Lockerbie atrocity,” said Martin Longden, the press secretary at the British Embassy. “The PM has personally asked to rearrange his program in Washington to enable him to meet with the four senators and discuss their concerns directly.”
The Prime Minister will meet with senators: Robert Mendez, Frank Lautenberg, Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer from New York and New Jersey. The senators did not confirm the invitation to meet with him at the Washington residence of the ambassador of the UK in the US.
David Cameron is for the first time in the US as leader of the UK parliament. He will be meeting with Barack Obama president of the US and the senate.
In the case of the Pan Am flight bombing, which killed 270 people almost all of them Americans, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi is convicted to spend life in prison. Last August the Scottish government reevaluated al Megrahi and on compassionate grounds released him because of a terminal illness which would let him live for a few months, as we previous mentioned here.
Since the release, al Megrahi is just fine and sources say that he has more than 10 years to live. Some issued are raised about the health condition before he was free and if a deal was made to help the British commercial interests in exchange of the release of al Megrahi.
Cameron said that the release of al Megrahi was completely wrong.
The US senators sent a letter to the UK government in which enquires that a full investigation should be made and to find if the oil giant BP is involved.
The senators wrote in the letter about their concern about the correspondence between the British and Scottish governments with the Libyan government about al Megrahi release. “We have also been dismayed to hear from a BP representative that the company actively lobbied the previous government on behalf of the PTA (Prisoner Transfer Agreement), and media reports suggest BP even tried to address the release of this individual.”
Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State supported the senators insisting that an investigation into the release of al Megrahi should start.
“We are encouraging the Scottish and British authorities to review again the underlying facts and circumstances leading to the release of al Megrahi and to consider any new information that has come to light since his release,” said the Secretary of State in a letter sent to the senators.
Her letter challenged the decision of the Scottish government to release al Megrahi on compassionate grounds. “We do not believe the decision … was in the interest of justice, and we continue to believe his freedom is not in the interest of justice.”
Nigel Sheinwald British ambassador to the US said, “Claims in the press that Megrahi was released because of an oil deal involving BP, and that the medical evidence used by the Scottish executive (Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny McAskill) supporting his release was paid for by the Libyan government, are not true.”
BP said that in 2007 manifested interest in a prisoner transfer agreement that was negotiating between Britain and Libya, because the slow process could affect the commercial interest of Britain.
The BP Company denied the accusation that they were involved with any government about releasing al Megrahi.
On July 29 a hearing will take place, where all the circumstances of releasing Megrahi will be verified including the idea that oil giant BP Company was involved in any way. The hearing is set by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and senator Rober Mendez will preside.
