[The following press release was sent to me by a reader. The blog post on the Doha Debate on the motion "This House deplores the release of the Lockerbie bomber to Libya" can be read here.]
Doha, Qatar, November 4: Six out of 10 Arabs support the Scottish government's decision to send the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi back to Libya on compassionate grounds – but a similar number didn't believe Libya would have done the same.
The findings, contained in a YouGov poll, contradict the results of last month's Doha Debate, where a mainly Arab audience narrowly passed a motion deploring the release.
The poll was completed during the third week of October by more than 1,000 respondents from 18 Arab countries.
Over half – 55 percent - of those interviewed cast doubt on Al Megrahi's conviction for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. A similar number said they had no idea who else might have carried out the attack.
Roughly half the respondents believe that Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing only to rejoin the international community and attract investment to its oil industry.
[The press release is published without alteration or addition in the 5 November edition of The Peninsula.
The full YouGov report on the poll can now be read here.]
Six out of ten Arabs support the release of Mr. Megrahi on humanitarian grounds - so much about inter-Arab solidarity. But that is not really surprising.
ReplyDeleteI should have said: only six...
ReplyDeleteIf you ask a vacuous question, what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteYouGov should have asked:
Are you in favour of a United Nations Inquiry into the murder of UN Commissioner for Namibia, Bernt Carlsson, in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing?
I bet the percentage of respondents in favour would then have exceeded 90%.
All the Arabs I've spoken to with regard to Megrahi voice no doubt he was set up by the UK/US.
ReplyDeleteI would say the result of the poll is quite extraordinary.
MISSION LOCKERBIE: Christmas season = Truth time..
ReplyDeletethat is a computers translation of Babylon, German in English:
Since years the most on this bloc- comments, is repetition. It always turns around the same: Timer-- MEBO-- Gauci-- RARDE-- Megrahi--Heathrow-- etc. It's a Merry-go round, nevertheless the truth is visible on the horizon...
by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Switzerland
I'd have thought 90% would have said "who"? But why not ask them Patrick, you might get some signatures for your petition!
ReplyDeleteMISSION LOCKERBIE,
ReplyDeletethat is a computer translation of Babylon, German in English:
Mr. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is now back to the family's Haus in Tripoli. Today I got the answer from Mr. Abdelbaset, via his right hand, if the possibility existst, he is very interested to be re-activate its Appeal. He submitted its desire to the Libyan Bar-Association, which make finally the decision...
We wish Mr. Abdelbaset good recuperation and much success.
by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd., Switzerland