Outrageous Claims of American "Disingenuousness" Over Lockerbie Must Be Stopped

Yesterday, I wrote how Britain's Sunday Telegraph claimed that Libya paid three doctors to give the Scottish government medical evidence that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 57, the convicted Lockerbie killer, had only two or three months to live, when in fact he may have more.

The British Mail on Sunday, meanwhile, queried America's outrage over Megrahi's release as being "disingenuous," suggesting that, of course, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had known all along what was cooking -- as had the Department of Justice and President Obama. The paper quoted Whitehall sources as being annoyed at what they perceive as the faux reaction this side of the Atlantic. They thought it was being overdone.

My column endorsed Tory Leader David Cameron's call for an investigation into what smells like a pyramid of intricate double-dealing, with the defiant British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on its top.

Every day that passes, with Brown refusing to acknowledge that Britain's interests in Libya's oil had anything to do with Megrahi's release -- while his aides leak otherwise -- the more tenuous his position atop Britain looks.

I got so many emails about this column, some agreeing with the Mail, that the Americans must have known, that I made some calls this morning to the US State department, the US Justice Department and Kenny MacAskill's office. I found some answers to the allegations thrown out by the British press over the weekend. All of them contradicted what had been reported.

First, to deal with the Mail: According to MacAskill's parliamentary office, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill on the phone a week before he made his decision about Megrahi on August 20th. MacAskill told Sec. Clinton he had not yet made up his mind what to do. She reiterated to him that the American position was clear. Megrahi must not be released. He had American blood on his hands. Enough to drown in. He must serve his sentence in a Scottish jail.

The two had no further contact until the day of Megrahi's release, says MacAskill's office. (It being a holiday here, the State department said they'd have to call back tomorrow to confirm this). MacAskill's office says on August 20th he called the US embassy in London to say he'd be speaking in ten minutes and to ask what he would say. Secretary Clinton publicly and privately expressed her outrage. So, too, did President Obama.

MacAskill has written back to Sec. Clinton. So far, the contents of that letter are private.

Then to the Telegraph: MacAskill did not receive the reports of the three Libyan doctors stating Megrahi had only three months to live until after he had released Megrahi, says MacAskill's office, so whatever they said was in vain. "He based his decision on prison services doctors," says MacAskill's office. "Those letters didn't even get here on time."

Finally, to all those who would love to think that the Americans are secretly endorsing the British on this: I refer you to the spokesman in the US Justice Department this morning. "We most certainly did not know what they'd decided," he said. He told me of a female FBI officer who had "worked very closely with the victims families and still does... when she found out, as MacAskill was speaking, that Megrahi was being released, what she had to say was unprintable."

So once again, I reiterate what I wrote yesterday. David Cameron must be allowed to hold the swift investigation he wants and retrieve the facts about this whole messy affair. And perhaps Britain's Mail on Sunday should look for "disingenuousness" within its own country's government -- before pointing fingers over here.

Follow Vicky Ward on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VickyPJWard

Comments

[cafemocha]

Seeking truth from power, that's a tough nut to crack. Anyone not satisfied with our "bi-partisan" congressional investigation in '04 will sympathize. But please dig much deeper into this, just be wary of those contributing "loose change" or your quest will get branded and sunk with the "T-word". ;)

[StJames]

It's amazing that we still think we can tell other governments how to operate! They are now pushing back and this in small potatoes compared to what the world has in store for us. There is a growing movement to stop using the dollar as the only currency for purchasing oil. If you think the economy is in trouble now, you "ain't seen nothing yet". If the consumer economy is truly dead, the Chinese will soon realize they don't need us any longer and could start dumping our government bonds...we are in a world of hurt, thanks to our neo con, ultra conservative arrogance

[Theo]

The problem is you're asking people to trust the American government, and that dog won't hunt. Bush permanently damaged our brand, and any hope that electing Obama would fix it were dashed when he publicly decided not to investigate the Bush admin's wrong doings and began imitating the Bush admin's policies.

This is particularly true with Britain. After all, the Obama administration threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with the Brits if they let Binyam Mohamed's torture suit go forward. The lesson here is that you can't crap on your friends for years and expect them to stay your friends. We've treated their people and government with contempt, is it really a surprise that they are returning the sentiment.

[BuckBlack]

"Finally, to all those who would love to think that the Americans are secretly endorsing the British on this: I refer you to the spokesman in the US Justice Department this morning...."

So! Let's get this straight: America is in no way complicit in this affair because a spokesman in the US Justice department told you so?

Grow up.

[bosunj]

Disingenuious Duhmerican'ts? Hypocritical Duhmerican'ts? Say it isn't so!

[TheEvilOne]

Outrageous, the selected scapegoat has been released. It does not matter that Al Megrahi most probably had nothing to do with the bombing, the US requires that he stay in prison because the US victims have to have closure.

Most likely Iran was behind Lockerbie as a perfectly justified retaliation for the shooting down of an Iranian airliner by a US warship, but by the time of the prosecution real politik required the US to suck up to Iran for support in the Iraq war.

The quid pro quo for Al Megrahi's release was that he drop his appeal which if continued risked embarrassing the Scottish Justice system and the FBI.

Niavely you believe what spokesman for your Goverment say, do you really think that if US agencies pressed for the scuttling Al Megrahi's appeal that US spokesman would admit that or say anything that would imply it. Of course the US will act outraged.

[EuripidesTheYounger]

Are any of the victims more dead because for whatever reason the Scots sent this terrorist home? Were any of the victims less dead while this terrorist was imprisoned?
I'm trying to figure out why Khadaffi is still alive and why no seems to be able to find Osama. Stop worrying about the street-level pushers and go after the suppliers, people. Cut off the head and the cancer dies with it.

[arvay]

I know there's a large American audience for this kind of screechy victimhood -- but the facts are that this guy was convicted on "evidence" that never would have stood up in an American court. Some of the Scottish victims' relatives believe he's innocent and were happy to see him released.

The fact that the actual perpetrators are probably smirking somewhere is meaningless to those who'd rather raise holy hell over a really bad case.

A large part of the blame for American ignorance goes to the media and especially publications such as Vanity Fair which presumably employs literate people who can research the facts. But that would get in the way of infotainment journalism.

Let's look into whether US firms lost the bidding for Libyan oil -- that may give us a clue about all the outrage.

Let's try for a little perspective.

Libya abandoned its quest for nuclear weapons and has opened commercial and trade relations with the world. Gaddafi is something of a loon and has blood on his hands, as do George W. Bush and Cheney, among others --and their crimes are more recent.

[LatteLiberals]

The Daily Mail is a Rupert Murdoch owned newspaper. Conservatives the world over will always side with their government’s actions no matter how unethical because nationalism is always more important than ethics or people.

On the flip side you have the Scots who justified the release of the bomber because 25 years later after the attack, the US government has behaved terribly in Iraq and the War on Terror. This made it acceptable to dismiss the American victims’ families and the Obama Administrations appeal. In other words, George Bush and the Neo-Cons are terrible people, thus all Americans are guilty of their crimes.

Either from the liberal Scottish point of view or the conservative English point of view its America’s fault, no matter what. This meme is not limited to Lockerbie bomber. Finger pointing and blaming the United States for problems in the UK has become the dominate meme in British society. It’s much easier to blame the US than to hold the UK own government or financial sector accountable. Sadly this meme is not limited to the UK.

The only reason there are calls from the Tories to investigate the bombers release at all is because it can further damage the Labour Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

[zanzig]

Daily Mail is NOT Rupert's; it is part of Associated Newspapers, which is mainly owned by the family of Viscount Rothermere (since 1922, when the then Lord Rothermere wrote laudatory articles about Oswald Mosley)

[trccommission]

The mail is not owned by News corporation, check your facts please. To paint megrahi's release as symptomatic of anti-Americanism in the British establishm­ent/electo­rate is ludicrous. If we really felt this uncontrollable aggrievement with our friends across the pond would we be in Afgahanistan or have been in Iraq for 5 years?

Megrahi's release was always going to be an unpopular decision, polls in the uk clearly demonstrate this. Unitl an investigation has actually taken place, this never-ending trial by media will continue. Mud has been slung for political gain, with politicians wrapping themselves in the blood of the slain passengers. Frankly it's dishonest, and until MacCaskill admits otherwise, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, not some hearsay from the Daily Mail no less.

[hacksto]

Thorough and sensible. Look at the first few posts on this article, from Britishers while America is sleeping. Almost entirely negative.

The say he was innocent, but they don't want to talk about finding the guilty. They speak in rationalizations because the want to attack.

[Newgrendal]

Hackso, the Scots who believe Megraghi innocent want a full public enquiry. But if Megraghi was guilty he was only a cog in the machine. So why did the British and American governments close the investigation when Megraghi was jailed? And where was the demand to bring the plots leaders to justice? Only the Scottish relatives of the victims have stayed loyal to the memories of their loved ones and demanded the WHOLE story.

[JohnTy]

The Daily Mail is not owned by Rupert Murdoch. It is a generally right wing populist paper very hostile to the `Labour Government - although unlike other conservative papers as far as I recall it did not provide rabid support for the war against Iraq. Oh, lest I forget, it also appears to have published a number of articles critical of the decision to release al Megrahi. No way is it supporting the Labour Government. That is probably not the only thing it has in common with Ms Ward.

[Figural]

The Daily Mail is a gutter paper – ignore it.

[JohnTy]

There is a possibility that American outrage over what was properly a Scottish judicial decision will have a backlash. There are many people in Scotland and the UK who welcome any signs of independence from the US. A majority would like to get out of Afghanistan yesterday - this is a far more serious issue for the UK and the Government than the freeing of al Megrahi.

The latest Scottish Opinion poll now suggests that those who think that the release of al Megrahi was correct and those who think it was wrong are balanced at 45% - with even 28% of Scottish Conservatives thinking it was correct. Also noticeable that a majority of the oldest and best educated/most affluent Scots - i.e. those least affected by tabloid journalism - now think it was a correct decision. Perhaps freeing a dieing man for oil was not as bad as starting off a war for oil which led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

[johnsonc20]

Not to mention the fact that there is a lot of question as to whether or not the man was guilty in the first place. The emotions around this case have contaminated discourse from day one.

[hacksto]

Why would America care about a backlash from the Scots, or the British? A few tourist dollars?

You think too much of Britain's place in the world.

[JohnTy]

Oh dear, you make a lot of assumptions about my beliefs - and could not be further from the truth if you think I care a hoot about "Britain's place in the world"!

Ms Ward seems to think that the mass of the British people will share her and David Cameron's synthetic rage over this issue. I was suggesting that this may not be so - no more no less. There are other far more serious issues facing the UK. - as I think you may know. I gave an example of one of them in my previous posting.

[ColdSnowMan]

If anyone has a problem with mercy being show to war criminals and those who terrorize civilian women and children, remember the Statue of Limitations has not expired on My Lai.

Dozens to hundreds of US troops raped and killed 300 to 500 unarmed Vietnamese women and children.

One man served 3 years house arrest for it.

Then there is "Operation Speedy Express", which was a My Lai a month for a year.

If we want others to stop showing mercy to war criminals and those who terrorize civilians, we need to start begin at home.

[Garioch]

In other words your comical assertion that the release was based on exams by Libyan doctors is just another of you're increasingly bizarre and patently false statements about this man who was almost certainly innocent, would have been found innocent in any reasonable court and was convicted on testimony paid for very handsomely by the U.S.

[hacksto]

If he was innocent, then who is guilty? You don't ask that, and that makes you a fraud.

You're the bleating voice of a country long past it's significance in world affairs.

I remind you that was a Scottish court - 'reasonable court'.

'Patently false' - are you the mayor of truth town? Did you read this in a paper? If so, then do you know that you are finding justification for some other part of your personality that needs to be right? An intellectual eunuch that can stand to take any information to prove their feelings are correct?

'Paid for handsomely by the US.' You don't think we'd rather have the truth, do you?

I am heartened by your obvious bitterness, and the idea that you react this way in all your personal dealings. It means your children are constantly berated, and your wife is having an affair, or would wish too. It means that old age for you is a cage of your own preconceptions, and the blood pressure of someone who has long missed the point, and won't admit it.

Funny how people are their own best punishment.

[cosmo9]

Who is guilty? It has been shown that it was more than likely carried out by a Palestinian group at the request of the Iranians as revenge for the USS Vincences. Please check out Paul Foot's extensive investigation of this matter for Private Eye.

A Scottish court yes, but not a jury of the people. The case was decided by 3 High Court judges and they clearly came to a political judgement, why else was the co-accused acquitted?
Paid handsomely. The main witness, the Maltese shopkeeper was paid $millions by the US gov and relocated to another country as thanks for his testimony.
Look it all up, its all out there. I'd suggest Vicky Ward do the same thing.

[LeonBNJ]

Allegedly, the oil deal that involved the release benefited BP. BP is a major oil company in the USA from oil rights in Alaska to being a major refiner and marketer of oil products. Since it seems we cannot couldn't influence the UK and Scottish government, perhaps our government or even consumers could put the screws to BP.
I also wonder this: lets say Megraghi was able to carry out his appeal in the Scottish courts and a decision was made not in his favor, could he appeal to the Privy Council court, the ultimate court for all of the UK?

[samjer]

BP=British Pertrolium

[JudgeMoonbox]

I have to wonder about how many leaders who are venting their rage at Gaddafi are doing anything to encourage alternative energy sources and conservation (including public transit). How genuine can their outrage be if they think preserving the Oil Oligopoly is more important than hitting Gaddafi (or Chavez, or Ahmadinejad, or Putin) in the wallet.