Libya Rules Out Visit by British Police to Investigate Lockerbie, Demands Clarification of Blair’s Role as Dictator’s Advisor 09/03/2012 22:11:00
Libya's interior minister on March 6 ruled out a visit by British police to investigate the 1988 Lockerbie bombing or the killing of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher almost two decades ago.
"There is no treaty between Britain and Libya to allow such a thing," Fawzi Abdelali told AFP in a joint interview with a British newspaper, adding that London had some explaining to do on its own dealings with dead brutal dictator Gaddafi and his regime.
With regard to the desecration of World War II graves in the eastern city of Benghazi, the Libyan Interior Minister said "we condemn all acts against any grave or sacred place, so we were saddened and upset by this."
Abdelali implied the timing of British demand is a sort of pressuring the country at a sensitive time faced by the newly liberated Libya which is trying to rebuild everything from scratch.
"Why did they shut up about this all these years and bring it up now, when we are in a period of transition and building up our institutions from scratch after decades of dictatorship," the minister asked.
"Do you remember when Fletcher was killed? We are now in 2012. Where was the British government from 1984 until 2011?" said the former district attorney who now has access to tens of thousands of files on Gaddafi’s dealings with world leaders.
For his part, Abdelali said he wanted allegations to be investigated by the ousted leader's jailed son Seif al-Islam that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had acted as a political adviser to his father.
Blair played a key role in repairing diplomatic ties between the two countries and visited the Libya several times after 2004.
"Why did the British government improve its relations with Gaddafi? Something happened in this case between the former Libyan regime and the British government to end this dispute," said the minister.
"Didn't America and Britain accept millions of dollars from Gaddafi as the price to end this case (Lockerbie)? Who let Abdelbaset al-Megrahi go? Did we?" he asked, referring to the Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people died.
A Scottish court in 2001 convicted Megrahi but he was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after doctors said he had terminal cancer and only three months left to live.
The interior minister proposed that the British government ask Libyan authorities to open an investigation inside Libya, and the Libyan side would then share its findings with police in Britain.
But any decision would have to await the election of a new government in Libya, which is expected to vote on a constituent assembly in the last week of June, Abdelali stressed.
Abdelali added his ministry has called on authorities in Benghazi to investigate and arrest those responsible but that the Islamic "fundamentalist" culprits were still at large.
The minister added that his forces were capable of raiding the base where reporter Nick Davies and cameraman Gareth Montgomery-Johnson have been held since February 23, accused of illegal entry and possible espionage.
"We are capable of applying a military solution but this would cost a lot of blood so we continue to negotiate," said Abdelali.
Comment: Lockerbie bombing - Google "the selective use of polygraphs"
Name:John A Lincoln
Date: 03/10/2012 13:00:27
Comment: It is advisable to Libya and the Libyans to work hard and smart to maintain their strong unity and coherance to withstand the external and the internal distracting and devissive elements who will always try to create cracks and divisions between the Libyans to weaken their stand and unity.
Unfortunately, the Libyans and Libya are sorrounded by seducing stalkers who are always trying their best to divide and use the Libyans against each other for their own opportune selfish interests and agendas.
To overcome this mess, Libya and the Libyans must work hard and smart to build up a genuine Democracy, rule of law and fairness between its people. Additionally to reconcile, forgive and forget the past, but learn from its tragedies. Further to always be alert and observing by securing their borders, internal and external projects, funds, resources and people. Meanwhile to use their minds-brains, rationality instead of emotions and naivity, because the world is very complex beyond immagination.
More importantly for the Libyans and Libya to deal, exchange and partner with well developed and higly civilized cultures and nations to learn, to share and to teach others about the Libyan culture, experiences and pains as a developing nation with enormous resources, but unfortunately with enormous poverty, unemployment and illiteracy.
Remember that the world today is very dynamic and hypocrite mean beast that doesn't believe in none-sense, but material, technical and psychological gains.
Today, What counts is your hard & smart work, discipline, competition and association with civilized and strong partners to become strong, competitive and healthy.
Comment: The demand by British Police to visit Libya to investigate the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the killing of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher is as stupid as it is mischievous, because of the time that has elapsed since the commission of the crimes as well as the fact that they have chosen a time when the new Libyan Transitional government is wrestling with plenty of problems in its effort to establish some sort of order in the country. The millions of dollars received by them in compensation are also conveniently forgotten.
Obviously, it is a crude and ugly attempt by the British government to pressure Libya into trying to free British reporter Nick Davies and cameraman Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, held by the commander of Swehli militia for illegal entry into the country and possible espionage. Apparently the two are being well-treated by their captors who have provided them consular access. If the two decided to enter the country illegally and to indulge in suspicious activities, they should be prepared to receive befitting punishment and the British authorities should wait patiently instead of trying to force the Libyans to take military action against the Swehli militia which could involve lot of bloodshed and result in complicating further an already complex situation in Libya.
The Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali is quite right in claiming that instead of coming down hard on Libyan authorities, the British government has a lot of explaining to do about dubious activities of its former prime minister Tony Blair who had been in close contact with the Libyan dictator over the Lockerbie affair. The British government is also complicit in not prosecuting the mass murderer and war criminal who, jointly with George Bush invaded Iraq, without any justification and even without United Nations resolution and caused mass-scale death and destruction in Iraq apart from creating Shia-Sunni split there which is resulting in the death of nearly hundred innocent Iraqis every week, with no end to the bloodshed in sight.
As time passes, I think the Libyans will get to know that the Europeans and Americans who came to their rescue against Qaddafi were motivated not so much by their love for Libyans but by their selfish interests: to obtain control of Libyan oil and other resources and to get as much out of Libya as they possibly can. The Libyan officials are quite right in treating these arm-twisting foreigners with the contempt they deserve.
- Karachi / Pakistan
Name:Dr Nagi Barakat
Date: 03/11/2012 22:41:46
Comment: I am not sure why Mr Abdulaal put himself in this position and few hours later will come out and say the translation was not correct. He is not a politician and he will never be. My advice to him to leave politics to the politician and if he achieved one thing which is security of the streets in Libya and empower the ministry of Justice plus control all the prisons, he will do great job. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time
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