Sunday 12 December 2010

Plan for Blair to block hero’s burial for Megrahi

[This is the headline over a report in today's edition of The Sunday Times. It can be accessed -- but only by those who have subscribed -- here. The report reads in part:]

The Foreign Office fears that Gadaffi intends to hold a high-profile ceremony to mark Megrahi’s imminent death from prostate cancer

Gordon Brown's government planned to use Tony Blair as a “lever of influence” to persuade Libya not to give the Lockerbie bomber a hero’s funeral, leaked documents reveal.

The Foreign Office fears that Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, who has declared Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi innocent of Britain’s worst terrorist attack, intends to hold a high-profile ceremony to mark his imminent death from prostate cancer.

Sources close to Megrahi’s family have claimed he is now in a coma and expected to die within days — although Scottish officials insist that he had been well enough to contact them recently.

David Cameron’s administration has warned the Libyans that a state funeral for the man given compassionate release from a Scottish prison last year would be deeply offensive to relatives of the 270 people who died when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up above Lockerbie on December 21, 1988. (...)

Last week, a secret US government cable, published by WikiLeaks, described how the Foreign Office regarded Brown’s predecessor as its best hope to persuade Gadaffi not to hold a state funeral for Megrahi. The memo, dated February 25, reported that Philippa Saunders, the incoming Foreign Office director for north Africa, had told US diplomats that Britain regarded Libya’s plans for Megrahi’s funeral as “a major concern and one that HMG [Her Majesty’s government] continues to raise regularly”. It said the British embassy was “engaged in an effort to identify all possible UK levers of influence with Tripoli”, although it warned, “unfortunately, there aren’t too many”.

Saunders, the cable said, singled out Blair as someone who night be able to intervene. It added: “The effort partially originated from the assumption there will be maybe a 48-hour window if we’re lucky between Megrahi’s eventual death and a funeral and the [Foreign Office] wants to ensure HMG is in a position to act quickly.”

Blair helped rehabilitate Gadaffi’s regime in the eyes of the West, and secured oil and defence deals for British firms during talks with the Libyan leader in 2007 that were designed to pave the way for Megrahi’s release. Earlier this year the dictator’s son claimed that Blair had become an adviser to his father, securing a consultancy role with a state fund that manages Libya’s £65 billion oil wealth, although Blair’s office has denied this. In an interview, Saif Gadaffi described Blair as a “personal family friend” who had visited Libya “many, many times” since leaving Downing Street.

Last year Brown said he had been “angry” and “repulsed” by the triumphalist scenes in Tripoli when Megrahi was given a hero’s welcome after being freed. Brown said he had written to Gadaffi asking him to ensure that Megrahi was given a low-key reception. President Barack Obama and US relatives of the victims of the bomb also condemned the scenes.

In August it emerged that Cameron’s government had warned Libya that any celebration of the first anniversary of Megrahi’s release would be an affront to the victims’ families.

Foreign Office sources confirmed that British officials in Tripoli had urged Libya to show restraint with Megrahi’s funeral. A senior Foreign Office source said: “Given the events surrounding his return last year, our position would be that any repeat along those lines would be very insensitive.” (...)

9 comments:

  1. My God, these people will discuss anything except the non-existent case against the man!

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  2. MISSION LOCKERBIE:

    When will an „Economical Al Jihad“ be imposed on Great Britain?

    The Scottish Parliament is still not showing signs of starting a new investigation on the 'Lockerbie-Affair'. Also the Official Report (SCCRC) into Lockerbie bombing blocked by authorities...

    This serious situation could possibly lead to a threat by Libyans Leader Muammar Al Gaddafi to stop trade relations with "Building Business Bridges" (LBBC) LA-UK.
    The consequences would be enormous. To remember: The Libyan ban imposed on Switzerland – the so called "Economical Al Jihad" showed substantial negative economical effects for Swiss corporations and especially Swiss banks.

    For start the BAN he needs not much more !
    Justice for Mr Abdelbaset Al Megrahi and for the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

    Mr Abdelbaset and the Libyan people deserve the right to prove that the truth is revealed and that their honour will be fully restored.

    by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd., Switzerland
    URL: www.lockerbie.ch

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  3. Edwin, are you seriously calling on Quadafi to initiate some kind of religion-driven economic sanctions against the UK? Perhaps,instead, you should demand that Quadafi and the Libyan government assist the call for an appeal against Megraghi`s conviction or an enquiry into the whole affair.It seems clear that Quadafi isn`t interested in clearing Mr Megraghi name. I am only an occasional user and I know that others on this site have chosen to ignore your ridiculous posts but I am coming to believe that your motives are really designed to undermine the efforts of those who seek to get to the truth about Lockerbie.

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  4. attn Grendal,

    sorry only in "Babylon" english:

    Unfortunately the Scottish Parliament does not understand the decent language !

    Different ways lead to Rome to become the truth. Leader Muammar Gaddafi's Inteligence will select the right way.
    by Edwin Bollier

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  5. Ebol, sorry, the last thing we need actually is Gaddafi threatening anyone. It would seriously undermine the work done already. I really can't stress that enough. If you think his intervention would do anything other than increase opposition to ever getting justice for Megrahi and set progress back years then you really aren't thinking straight.

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  6. MISSION LOCKERBIE:

    "SOLSTICE", December 2010; Facts in 8 acts:

    1) Continued with the *conspiracy of 1986, against the leader of Libya, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi (air strike of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon) *MISSION AMSTERDAM' followed.

    In 1986, Colonel Gaddafi rushed out of their residence in the Bab al Aziziya compound moments before the bombs dropped. Colonel Gaddafi (alias Amsterdam) escaped planned death.
    The air strike killed 45 Libyan soldiers and government officials, and 15 civilians. Colonel Gaddafi escaped injury but his 15-month-old adopted daughter Hanna was killed, and two of his sons were injured.

    2) 1988, under the code 'MISSION AMSTERDAM', a second conspiracy of other kind was started.
    Ziel war, Libya mit Leader Gaddafi, in einen terroristischen Anschlag zuverwickeln, was bis heute (durch Aufklärung "SOLSTICE") mit der "PanAm 103 Greueltat" fast gelungen zusein scheint...

    3) Durch eine unmoralische Anklage und ein Gerichtsverfahren unter "Scottish Law", wurde mittels manipulierte Indizien Beweise schliesslich der offizielle Libyer, Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, zu lebenslänglicher Gefängnisstrafe verurteilt und Libya für den Schaden mit US$ 2,7Milliarden zur Verantwortung gezogen.

    4) Durch die Scottish Criminal Cases Reappeal Commission (SCCRC)
    wurde am 28. Juni 2007 ein Miscarriages of Justice, in 6 Punkten festgestellt, Dadurch wurde an Mr Al Megrahi, ein neues Appeal zugesprochen.

    6) Mr Al Megrahi wurde durch den unzumutbaren Aufenthalt, über
    9 Jahre in schottischen Gefängnissen, lebensgefährlich erkrankt.
    Kurz vor Beginn des Appeals, hatte sich seine Krankheit (Prostata Krebs) durch eine fragwürdige Behandlung verschlechtert. Durch den Gefängnis-Artzt wurde Al Megrahi eine Lebensdauer von nur 3 Monaten "vorgegauckelt" !
    Mittels fragwürdige Machenschaften und Versprechungen wurde
    Al Megrahi gezwungen sein Erfolg versprechendes Appeal zurückzu-ziehen, damit er nach schottischen Recht, rehabilitiert werden- und nach Libya -zurückkehren konnte...

    7) Verschiedene Aktivitäten und Möglichkeiten wurden aktiviert um erneut über die Scottish Justice die Unschuld Al Megrahi's beweisen zukönnen. Durch die Blockade im Parliament, wird die Öffnung der SCCRC Dokumente weiterhin verhindert. Die Hintergründe für dieses Verhaltens sind heute klar erkennbar; die Scottish Justice will damit die Wahrheit blockieren, um das grösste Desaster, verbunden mit einem zweistelligen mlliarden US$ Schadenersatz, zu verhindern !

    8) 23 Jahre nach der "Lockerbie Tragödie" zeigt es sich, dass eine andere Art der Aufklärung eingesetzt werden muss um zu beweisen, dass Mr Al Megrahi und Libya nichts mit dem PanAm 103 Attentat zutun haben.
    Dazu wird die Aktion "SOLSTICE" gestartet. Unter diesem Begriff werden weitere Personen ermittelt (WANTED), welche in der damaligen Verschwörung "MISSION AMSTERDAM" Colonel Gaddafi's Inner Circle, beteiligt waren !
    Dazu müssen auch die verdeckten Hintergründe publik gemacht werden, welche zeigen wie es kommen konnte, dass Libya an United Kingdom "verkauft" werden musste. First successes (WANTED) appear already.

    Mr Abdelbaset and the Libyan people deserve the right to prove that the truth is revealed and that their honour will be fully restored.

    This article in English language shortly on our webpage: www.lockerbie.ch
    by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Switzerland

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  7. It Exposes Plots against Peoples

    Leader Muammar Gaddafi has said Wikileaks is useful for the world as it exposes conspiracies against individuals and peoples everywhere
    It also exposes world hypocrisy as it reveals the fact that what is being said in public does not necessarily represent the facts, he added.
    by ebol

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  8. We do know these things Ebol. Nevertheless having Gaddafi in threatening mode will not get justice for Megrahi.

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  9. Speaking of insensitive...

    He's going to get a hero's burial. He didn't actually kill anyone, but did by his wrongful conviction, wrongful incarceration, and accelelerated health decline (surely no coincidence), allowed Libya to have the crippling sanctions lifted.

    That Libyan airlines jet that took him away from Glasgow to so much wailing has the giant number 99 across its tail. That's of course the year al-Megrahi was first sent to Kamp von Zeist to beat the bogus charges, and that Libya was allowed to fly again. That airline and Tripoli at large sure owe him a lot. He might get a pyramid to rest under, if that weren't so un-Islamic, and the [expletive]s will just have to fume about that however they do for their manipulated publics.

    ReplyDelete