Monday, February 07, 2011

Britain: Cameron blames Labour for Lockerbie prisoner release

David Cameron today accused the Labour government of ''insufficient consideration'' over Libyan efforts to secure the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell has found that Labour did ''all it could'' to facilitate Libya in its appeal to the Scottish government to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds.

In a statement to MPs, Mr Cameron said: ''Insufficient consideration was given to the most basic question of all - was it really right for the British government to facilitate an appeal by the Libyans to the Scottish government in the case of an individual who was convicted of murdering 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans and 19 other nationalities?

''That for me is the biggest lesson of this entire affair. For my part I repeat, I believe it was profoundly wrong.''

The Prime Minister said Sir Gus's review did not justify calls for a new inquiry but provided further evidence it was a ''flawed decision'' by the Scottish Executive.

Mr Cameron ordered Sir Gus to carry out a review of the papers following his visit to the United States last year.
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