Reuters reports that the confirmation of the United States ambassador to Libya has been blocked in the Senate until the last payment of compensation is actually made to the relatives of those killed at Lockerbie. The report reads in part:
'On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey put on hold the nomination of diplomat Gene Cretz to become Washington's envoy to Libya until American victims were paid from a fund agreed on last month by both countries.
'"Libya has not yet satisfied its obligations to U.S. victims of its terrorist acts and I will object to this nomination's moving forward until those victims receive justice," said Lautenberg, a Democrat.(...)
'Appointing a U.S. ambassador was seen as one of the rewards for Libya giving up its weapons of mass destruction program in 2003, which led to a warming of ties between the former foes.
'Relatives of the Pan Am victims welcomed the Senate foreign relations committee's decision.
'"The committee's action ... has sent an unequivocal message to the administration and Libya that the Senate will not appoint a U.S. ambassador until Libya has fulfilled the agreement," said a statement from a group of families.'
The full report can be read here. I am grateful to Big David for drawing this story to my attention.
Perhaps U.S. Sen Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey can find the fund-money from Libya in the liquidation of a US bank at New York?
ReplyDeleteby Edwin Bollier, Switzerland
The whole thing is quite extraordinary in light of Megrahi's imminent appeal. Libya should not pay a penny until there is full disclosure. The UK government is blocking the right for Megrahi to have a fair appeal. Is this on the explicit instructions of the US? The whole thing is absurd particularly in light of evidence that shows Megrahi was most probably framed by the US and UK through the UK's manipulation of the courts, which in trials in the UK alleging state crime is the norm.
ReplyDeleteDear Ruth, you are right.
ReplyDeleteI still continue: The defender at that time, of Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, Solicitor MacKechnie had committed a large error, as he give free to early, a part of US$ (2.7 billion), 2.1 billion from the blocked account on the Swissbank in favour of the law firm, Kreindler & Kreindler and the families.
The correct way would be for the blocked account will be open, only after the utilization of all legal instances.
To the memory:
Jim Kreindler revealed that his Park Avenue law firm would receive an initial contingency fee of around US$1 million from each of the 128 American families Kreindler represents. The firm's fees could exceed US$300 million eventually.
Another top legal firm in the U.S., Speiser Krause, which represented 60 relatives, of whom half were UK families, concluded contingency deals securing them fees of between 28 and 35% of individual settlements (Cordial thanks Mr. MacKechnie...)
Blood money or not? The future will bring it to the day?
Apology for my bad English, by Edwin Bollier, MEBO LTD, Switzerland
What is clear from Senator Frank Lautenberg's intervention is that Abdelbaset Megrahi's appeal in Scotland is not going to proceed until Libya pays the $540 million "blood money" demanded by the United States.
ReplyDeleteLet us not forget that Sen. Lautenberg was a member of the President's (Bush Snr) Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST), one of whose members confided in UK Lockerbie relative Martin Cadman in February 1990: "Your government and ours know exactly what happened. But they're never going to tell."
Nor should we forget that the FBI assigned its Executive Assistant Director, Oliver "Buck" Revell, to be PCAST's "Advisor" between 1989 and 1990.
It's not surprising therefore that Mr Megrahi's second appeal (granted by the SCCRC in June 2007) against his wrongful conviction for the Lockerbie bombing is getting absolutely nowhere!
My advice to Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, who holds the purse strings in Libya, is not to bow to this greedy US pressure. The Americans are cash-strapped and are desperate to take over Libya's oil wealth. Don't be blackmailed - even if it means that the innocent Mr Megrahi has to endure a few more months in a Scottish jail.
Eventually, the truth about Lockerbie will out!