Gaddafi 'offered Scots treats' to free Megrahi

Published on Wednesday 8 December 2010 00:16

THE Scottish Government was offered a "parade of treats" by the Libyan government in order to secure the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, according to the latest papers released by WikiLeaks.

• Megrahi's release was the subject of threats from Gaddafi. Picture: AFP/Getty

Cables from US diplomatic staff reveal that Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, also made explicit and "thuggish" threats to halt trade deals with Britain if Megrahi died in jail – and that senior diplomats feared reprisals on British citizens.

The newly-leaked papers show that ministers, including then foreign secretary Jack Straw, believed that Megrahi could have five years to live – contrary to claims by the Scottish justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, that he had only months to live.

A spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond last night dismissed the information contained in the reports as "tittle-tattle", and said the Scottish Government completely stood by its decision to release Megrahi.

However, he claimed that the leaked cables revealed the former UK government was "playing false on the issue" and that "we were the only ones playing with a straight bat".

According to the leaked diplomatic documents, Mr Salmond told the US consul in Edinburgh on 21 August that "he and his government had played straight with both the US and the UK government, but implied the UK had not… He said the Libyan government had offered the Scottish Government a parade of treats, 'all of which were turned down'."

The American diplomats also believed that "Salmond and the SNP will look for opportunities to exploit the Megrahi case for their own advantage".

However, when Mr MacAskill finally announced a "compassionate release" – to a storm of protest the following August – the US ambassador said the Scottish Government had been unprepared for the international backlash. Washington's ambassador to London, Louis Susman,

reported: "It is clear that the Scottish Government underestimated the blowback it would receive in response to Megrahi's release and is now trying to paint itself as the victim.

"The Scottish Government severely underestimated both US government and UK public reaction to its decision… Alex Salmond has privately indicated that he was 'shocked'."

Robin Naysmith, who served as the SNP's representative in Washington, was also said to have confirmed that Mr Salmond was shocked by the US outcry.

"Naysmith underscored that Scotland received 'nothing' for releasing Megrahi, while the UK government has gotten everything – a chance to stick it to Salmond's SNP and good relations with Libya," said one leaked cable.

A spokesperson for Mr Salmond last night insisted that the revelations did not contradict earlier statements that there was no commercial reason for Megrahi's release.

He said: "This is all diplomatic tittle-tattle from US diplomats, but what there is totally vindicates the Scottish Government's position. We were clearly the only ones playing with a straight bat and interested in applying the precepts of Scottish justice, which we continue to do and continue to uphold.

"The cables confirm what we always said – that our only interest was taking a justice decision based on Scots Law without fear or favour, which was exactly what was done, and that our public position was identical to our private one.

"They also show that the former UK government was playing false on the issue, with a different public position from their private one – which must be deeply embarrassing for the Labour Party in Scotland – and that the US government was fully aware of the pressure being applied to the UK government."

Britain at the time was "in an awkward position" and "between a rock and a hard place", in the opinion of US diplomats based in London.

The London charge d'affaires, Richard LeBaron, wrote in a cable to Washington in October 2008: "The Libyans have told HMG (Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly."

This intelligence, the cable said, was confided to the US embassy by two British officials – Ben Lyons, in charge of north Africa for Downing Street, and Rob Dixon, his counterpart at the Foreign Office.

On the subject of Megrahi's state of health, one cable said: "Megrahi could have as long as five years to live, but the average life expectancy of someone of his age with his condition is 18 months to two years. Doctors are not sure where he is on the timescale.

"The Libyans have not yet made a formal application for compassionate release… but HMG believes that the Scottish (Government] may be inclined to grant the request, when it comes, based on conversations between… Alex Salmond and UK justice secretary Jack Straw. Although the general practice is to grant compassionate release within three months of end of life, this is not codified in the law, so the release, if granted, could occur sooner."

The latest WikiLeaks cables show threats of reprisals by the Libyans were feared if Megrahi were to die in prison – and that this may have influenced the decision to release him.

In January 2009, six months before Megrahi's release, the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, confirmed that "dire" reprisals had been threatened, and the British were braced to take "dramatic" steps for self-protection.

The Libyans "convinced UK embassy officers that the consequences if Megrahi were to die in prison… would be harsh, immediate and not easily remedied.

"Specific threats have included the immediate cessation of all UK commercial activity in Libya, a diminishment or severing of political ties, and demonstrations against official UK facilities. (Libyan] officials also implied, but did not directly state, that the welfare of UK diplomats and citizens in Libya would be at risk."

The leaked US cables, which emerged last night, showed that the British ambassador in Tripoli, Vincent Fean, was said to have "expressed relief" when Megrahi was released. The cable read: "He noted that a refusal of Megrahi's request could have had disastrous implications for British interests in Libya. 'They could have cut us off at the knees,' Fean bluntly said."

The Scottish Government eventually released Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August last year because he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer. However, the move caused fury in the US amid suggestions that it was linked to lucrative British oil deals with Libya. Megrahi received a hero's welcome on his return to the country and is still alive more than a year later.

Since becoming Prime Minister, David Cameron has condemned the decision to free al-Megrahi as "completely wrong".

The latest WikiLeaks also reveal US embassy staff's assessment of the Libyan leader – a "mercurial and eccentric" figure who suffers from severe phobias including a fear of staying on the top floor of tall buildings and flying over the sea and who enjoys flamenco dancing and horse racing.

Mr Cretz, the US envoy, said the Libyan leader was "almost obsessively dependent on a small core of trusted personnel, including a senior aide who speaks to him on a special red phone". He also cited "Gaddafi's well-known predilection for changing his mind".