Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday that no deals were made with Libya while he was in power to arrange the Lockerbie bomber's release, a move that has caused outrage in the United States.I want to trust Tony Blair, but either he's uniformed or not telling the whole story, sorry to say. The release of al Megrahi is a gross injustice of world historical importance. I can't imagine this episode helps the cause of peace or amity among nations, and it certainly tells the victims' families that Scottish government cares more about compassion toward the world's heinous killers than the loved ones of those who slept well knowing the murderers were behind bars.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Blair denied claims -- made Friday by the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi -- that he raised the case of Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi every time he visited Libya as prime minister.
"Let me make one thing absolutely clear. The Libyans, of course, were raising the case for Megrahi all the way along, not just with me but with everybody. It was a major national concern for them," Blair said. "But as I used to say to them, I don't have the power to release Mr. Megrahi." Blair, who stepped down as PM in 2007, was interviewed Saturday by CNN's John Vause in Guiyang, China.
The Libyan leader's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, made his comments in an interview with Libyan channel Al Mutawassit, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The interview was conducted Thursday while he flew with al Megrahi from Scotland to Libya after the convicted bomber's release from prison.
"The release that has taken place is a decision by the Scottish executive, which has taken place on compassionate grounds," Blair said. "Those compassionate grounds didn't even exist a few years back.
"So yes, of course it's absolutely right the Libyans were always raising this issue, but we made it clear that the only way this could be dealt with was through the proper procedures."
Al Megrahi had been serving a life sentence for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in which 270 people -- including 189 Americans -- were killed. Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill freed al Megrahi after doctors concluded he has terminal prostate cancer and has three months to live.
Related, from CBS News, "UK Deflects Lockerbie Backlash to Scotland":
Britain on Saturday rejected any suggestion that it had struck a deal with Libya to free the Lockerbie bomber - questions that arose when Moammar Gadhafi publicly thanked British officials as he embraced the man convicted of killing 270 people in the 1988 airline bombing.See also, Gateway Pundit, "Libyan Leader Gaddafi Praises Brown for Lockerbie Terrorist's Release," and Atlas Shrugs, "An Obama US Presidency: A Hero's Welcome for Muslim Lockerbie Bomber Received in Tripoli."
Gadhafi praised Prime Minister Gordon Brown and members of the royal family by name for what he described as influencing the decision to let the terminally ill Abdel Baset al-Megrahi return home to die. Thousands greeted al-Megrahi at the airport as he arrived in Tripoli after being freed Thursday from a Scottish prison.
But British officials insisted they did not tell Scottish justice officials what to do - and in any case, they could not, because the decision was not theirs' to make.
Plus, Jihad Watch, "Questions About Energy Deals Surround Release of Lockerbie Bomber."
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