The Guardian, 19 august 2009

Lockerbie bomber for oil: UK-Libya deal?

Published on 19 August 2009 at 13:14
The Guardian, 19 august 2009

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Several MP's have accused Gordon Brown of rushing through a treaty with Libya which could lead to the repatriation of the Lockerbie bomber, in an effort to protect British oil interests, headlines The Guardian. The paper features another article describing Britain’s increasingly warm diplomatic relations with the oil-state since 2005 and quotes a BP spokesman claiming that a deal with Libya "could raise to over $20bn in the next two decades.” The Parliament's joint human rights committee has been pressing to scrutinise the treaty, as they claim that the rapprochement with one of the most oil rich nation in Africa has been rushed through with little regard for human rights.

The decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been mired in controversy this week. Scottish Justice Minster Kenny MacAskill will make a decision in the next few days on the repatriation of al-Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer. The US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, has waded into the debate by personally contacting MacAskill, to lobby against al-Megrahi's release. The Guardian previously raised suspicions after he mysteriously withdrew his appeal for release in a Scottish court. To some, this reinforced speculation that the British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and Colonel Gadaffi's son met whilst Mandelson was on holiday in Corfu, in Greece, and confirmed a deal.

The bombing of the plane which was flying between London and New York, killed 270 people in 1988. It crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, 57, was convicted in 2001 for life, although doubts are still raised as to whether he received a fair trial.

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