I asked him about Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi, the man convicted in the Pan Am 103 atrocity, in which 270 were killed, when the flight blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. The Scottish Judiciary released Megrahi in August on compassionate grounds [RB: the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, who released Megrahi, is a minister in the Scottish Government, not a member of the Scottish judiciary], as doctors gave him just three months to live. Seven months later he is still alive. Gaddafi said, “The Americans shouldn’t be angry because this man is innocent, I believe he is innocent. Second, it was not a Libyan decision to release him. They should go to the UK and discuss the issue with the UK and not Libya. And the third issue--he is very sick. This is a fact. But he is still alive. You should ask God about that.”
[From an interview by Amy Kellogg with Saif Gaddafi, reported in the Live Shots section of the Fox News website. In a later article on the same website, Ms Kellogg writes:]
Though Libya renounced its weapons of mass destruction program back in 2003, a U.S. Embassy didn’t open in Tripoli until late 2008. That was after Libya paid compensation for the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103. (...)
Despite the normalization of relations, there is much historic baggage weighing on the new relationship, including painful memories of the 1988 Pan Am 103 incident, and for the Libyans, the bombing of Leader Moammar Gaddafi’s home by the Americans in 1986.
When a Scottish court released the man convicted in the Pan Am 103 bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi, on compassionate grounds, as doctors determined he had just three months left to live, many Americans reacted angrily, as it brought back painful memories. U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz acknowledges that.
“There’s no doubt that the impact of that picture of Mr. Megrahi being greeted here struck at the very heart of American sensitivities not only in Washington but throughout our country, because it was a reminder of a very very painful past and a present that continues to be painful for the families who lost relatives and friends in that incident and others.”
I asked Seif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader about the release of Megrahi, who is still alive seven months after his release.
"Americans shouldn't be angry because this man is innocent. I believe he is innocent. Second, it was not a Libyan decision to release him. They should go to the UK and discuss the issue with the UK not Libya. The third issue, he's very sick. This is a fact. That he is still live you should ask God."
Many Libyans make the distinction between Libya’s “accepting responsibility” for the bombing, and actually being guilty of the atrocity, considering Megrahi the fall guy. Yet a Scottish court convicted Megrahi and that fact has not changed. [RB: But an official Scottish body, the SCCRC, has said that that conviction may have been a miscarriage of justice.]
Cretz said even though it was a Scottish court that released him [RB: it was a Scottish Government minister, not a Scottish court], that act caused some damage to U.S.-Libya relations.
“It was a setback no doubt it did impact on relations and this is one of the reasons that we are trying to brick by brick , day by day, discussion by discussion, lay down a path of normalization with this country. So that after 30 years of estrangement and hostility we are able to begin to find a language to talk to each other and to also make each other aware of our cultural and political imperatives and sensitivities.”
A propos of nothing, but perhaps you'll indulge me. After all it's my birthday.
ReplyDeleteI remember that series of books from my childhood by Arthur Ransome. The one I've got in mind is "Pigeon Post".
When I read it aged about 8-9 I didn't understand the central scientific conundrum, and I probably didn't until I did "A" level chemistry, by then too adult to read such a children's book, as I was in to Aldous Huxley, EM Forster and Balzac, not then Joyce.
It's this. The children under their leader Cap'n Nancy have set themselves the task of finding gold.
They find material that the young scientist, Dick, thinks is gold, and proves it because it dissolves in aqua regia. But in the denouement of the tale, Dick's mentor (Captain Flint - Jim Turner) arrives and says "but aqua regia will dissolve almost anything". So, it's not gold but copper.
It lead me to believe, when I re-read it, 50 years later, as I have often said in this blog, you don't prove anything but what it must be, but by what it can't.
Mr Rolfe, your go!.
After whining to Professor Black about his comments being "traduced" (mocked actually) I thought Charles had promised to ration his "pearls of wisdom". Is anybody supposed to make sense of the above gibberish?
ReplyDeleteAs for the actual subject of this thread Amy Kellog's interview I thought it was very interesting beyond the limited comments on Lockerbie and touched on how "9/11" revolutionised the West's relations with Libya which became an ally in the "War on Terror".
Previously the Islamist opposition to Colonel Gaddafi had been encouraged in their attempts to overthrow the regime. Whereas previously "regime change" was the objective regime and dynastic preservation is, at least, the short-term aim.
I cannot help it if Baz is preternaturally unimaginative, but why he wants to boast about this defect in his make-up is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteI was simply trying to point out the need to think in a scientific way, which neither he nor another gentleman who blogs here this is important.
Your comments on Libya are quite silly. The Libyan regime has been remarkably stable and in power for 40 years despite attempts by Shackley and Cannistraro and Mossad.
Cannistraro is a name from southern Italy - mafia country. Mussolini was the Mafia's big enemy and the conqueror of Libya, and it only flourished again when fascism was vanquished and the Americans came in with their Mafia friends.
Gadafy is connected by marriage to the Senoussis of the old Libyan regime, and sworn enemeies of Musso.
Care to comment, Vincent?
Baz said:
ReplyDeleteAs for the actual subject of this thread Amy Kellog's interview I thought it was very interesting beyond the limited comments on Lockerbie and touched on how "9/11" revolutionised the West's relations with Libya which became an ally in the "War on Terror"
I agree that this whole story is quite interesting. I was going to comment earlier but didn't have anything beyond it's very interesting. I don't have much more now.
Some interesting reservations in the piece though about if they're going far enough. But I really dig the Islamic approach to reform, in a general sense anyway. It might just beat feces-in-the-face Koran-in-the-toilet American method for calming down Jihadists.