Libyan Lockerbie Bomber Welcomed as Hero

al-Megrahi Receives Hero's Welcome in Libya  

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, (57) has returned home to his native Libya to a hero’s welcome after being released from a Scottish prison on ‘compassionate grounds’ for his role in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. He was sentenced in 2001 for the murder of 270 people including 243 passengers (189 Americans), 16 crew members and 11 Lockerbie residents. 

Defending his early release from HMP Greenock Prison the Scottish justice minister, Kenny MacAskill, explained to reporters that; “He is a dying man, he is terminally ill,...........My decision is that he returns home to die.” The decision to release Megrahi was strenuously opposed by American officials including Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama who described it as a ‘mistake’. 

As the terminally ill former Libyan Intelligence Services Officer, disembarked from the private Afriqiyah Airways jet at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport, he was accompanied by the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam el- Gadhafi, and was greeted by several hundred Libyans holding banners inscribed with Libya’s National Youth Association emblems whilst some were also waving Scottish flags. This has incensed relatives of the victims and American governmental officials, who were under the impression that his return would not “go back to a hero’s welcome”. In a direct response, Barack Obama, has called upon the Libyan government to place al-Megrahi under immediate house arrest.

The consternation regarding the release by US victims is in contrast to those of the Lockerbie families who were not entirely convinced of his involvement. An appeal into his sentence had been lodged into his conviction but was withdrawn by his legal representatives in anticipation of his release. Whilst for this may draw a line to the 8 year saga it will leave many dismayed as they are left no closer to the truth.

Blair’s Infamous ‘Deal in the Desert’

Many believe that the seeds of his release were sown at a historic meeting 2 years ago between Tony Blair and Colonel Gaddafi in what has been dubbed as ‘The Deal in the Desert’. 
 
Former British PM, Tony Blair, has been thrust into the Megrahi release controversy amidst allegations that Megrahi’s release was part of a ‘blood money’ deal involving BP being permitted to tap into Libya’s massive oil reserves. Directly after the infamous meeting BP’s chairman announced a €900 million (£545 million) oil exploration contract. If Libya’s potential oil reserves are fully realised the deal could eventually be worth £13 Billion. This oil deal paved the way for Royal Dutch Shell to approach the Libyan government for a share of the oil assets. In addition BAE Systems are also thought to have been very keen to offer their expertise in helping tore-equip Libya’s aging armed forces following years of heavy sanctions.

Significantly, the ‘Deal in the Desert’ sowed the seeds for the gradual re-introduction of Libya in from the international cold following years of tough sanctions and alienation. This was sanctioned on the premise that Colonel Gadhafi halted his nuclear ambitions in exchange.

Gadhafi under his control was linked to a litany of terrorist outrages throughout the world since taking control of Libya under a military coup 40 years ago. The highest profile of these has been;

• Funding of the Palestinian Black September group involved in the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre
• Sponsorship of ‘liberation’ groups in Liberia and Sierra Leone
• The 1985 murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan Embassy in London
• The bombing in 1986 of a West Berlin disco filled with American service personnel
• The Libyan financed arms shipment to the IRA in 1987
• The killing of 170 passengers on board a flight from Chad to Paris in 1989

It was backing for the Bush-Blair ‘War on Terror’ on Al Qaeda that provided the opportunity for the thawing of relations between Libya and the West. In 2004 Tony Blair announced that long standing sanctions imposed on Gadhafi’s regime would be lifted.

SNP Left in a Pickle!

The controversy regarding the Megrahi’s release cannot be left at the door of Scotland’s devolved government mainly because the decision to release him had been agreed in principle prior to Scottish devolution. As part of ‘The Deal in the Desert’ Blair and Gadhafi had thrashed out The Prisoner Transfer Agreement (PTA) which permitted the transfer of a prisoner to serve the remainder of his sentence in their native country.

The official release of the above mentioned arrangement between Britain and Libya was timed to coincide with handover of Scottish devolution to Alex Salmond’s SNP and resulted in the first serious rift between the two. In a letter expressing his concern over the Prisoner Transfer Agreement, Salmond is reported to have described Tony Blair’s actions as “unacceptable”!

The diplomatic rift between them was quelled when Blair’s government re-assured the SNP that the PTA did not extend to Megrahi and that Scottish ministers would have a veto over any decision.

In 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission decided to send the case back to court because of the potential grounds for miscarriage of justice regarding his original trial. Following subsequent hearings at the High Court in Edinburgh a bail request was lodged for al-Megrahi on health grounds (prostate cancer) which was which was declined because of the ‘gravity’ of his crimes.

As his condition considerably worsened his defence lawyers asked for his appeal to be brought forward and in April of this the first the appeal hearings began in Edinburgh. At the same time Westminster were following an alternative course of action regarding the ratification of the PTA which was completed on April 29th. Within a week the Libyan government had submitted a request for the repatriation of Megrahi which automatically placed the Scottish executive in a diplomatic quandary.

The spotlight was to be directly on Scotland Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, who had sole responsibility of passing judgement on the request. He then embarked on a consultation exercise with all ‘relevant parties’ in order to come to a unanimous decision. However, he faced a major problem regarding directly opposite sentiments held by American and British relatives with the latter in favour of al-Megrahi’s release.
Faced with these diametrically opposed opinions Mr MacAskill’s ‘Catch 22’ situation was further exacerbated by a further release application on July 24 by al-Megrahi, this time based upon ‘compassionate’ grounds.

Following this request he then took the unprecedented step of visiting the Libyan in prison defending his decision by stating that under the terms of the PTA the defendant had the right to proper representation. However, this provoked stern criticism and widespread debate as opponents argued that his legal representation would have sufficed.

Shortly after the unheralded meeting al-Megrahi’s legal team withdrew their appeal request which has resulted in sneaking suspicions that a deal had been struck between both parties during their face-to-face meeting in HMP Greenock. However, this claim has been vehemently denied by the Scottish Justice Secretary.
This domestic row developed into a full scale international one after the BBC reported that Megrahi was set to be returned to Libya. Mr. MacAskill headache was to quickly turn into a full blown migraine as the US Secretary of State expressed her distaste at the alleged proposals and their potential adverse effects upon the relatives of the US victims.

The only course of action left for Mr. MacAskill was to release al-Megrahi on ‘compassionate’ grounds and incur the wrath of the Obama administration.

MacAskill Defends Decision as a Moral Action

The diplomatic fall-out from this affair will most definitely reverberate for weeks and months to come. The Obama administration has automatically requested that Libya place al-Megrahi under immediate house arrest and the scenes of him returning to a hero’s welcome will not have eased diplomatic tensions.
Barack Obama has described the Scottish government’s actions a ‘mistake’ in a press interview following the Libyans arrival in Tripoli.

MacAskill has resorted to defending the moral high ground of his ‘compassionate’ judgement by saying;

"In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity. It is viewed as a defining characteristic,........................The perpetration of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live. Mr al-Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. [But] compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people, no matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated.”

About The Author

I am a political blogger offering opinion with a decidedly traditional Irish Republican bias. My aim is to ‘Feel the Pulse’ of Republicans on the pursuit of our ‘Holy Grail’ –A United Ireland. Rather than divide Republican sentiment, this blog seeks to augment and reinforce a true united Irish Republican voice. Go Raibh Maith Agat!!

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