Calling US to account over its actions

On 6 October, 1976, a Cubana Flight from Barbados to Jamaica was blown up in what was then the most deadly terrorist attack in the western hemisphere. All 73 people onboard were killed.

The evidence implicated anti-Castro CIA-backed terrorists. One of them, Luis Posada Corrales, has also been implicated in numerous other terrorist attacks across Latin America and is still wanted in Venezuela to stand trial.

Posada Corrales lives in the US and it is refusing to extradite him to Venezuela. One wonders if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would go to Caracas to answer questions on why he is not going to be extradited.

Neither will they go to Iran to answer questions about the warship USS Vincennes shooting down an Iranian civilian airliner in 1988. Nor will they be going to India to explain why they have not extradited Warren Anderson who was in charge of Dow Chemicals when the Bhopal disaster happened, killing some 15,000 people.

So, I wonder why the US Senate feels it has the right to call members of the Scottish Government to Washington to explain a decision that had nothing to do with them. The Scottish Government is not accountable to the US senate, it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish voters.

ALAN HINNRICHS

Noran Avenue

Dundee

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The atrocity which led to the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 happened in Scottish air space, and the victims fell on Scottish soil. It was Scottish rescue services who had to deal with the aftermath, and with their own trauma on witnessing such horror. It was the people of Lockerbie who, despite their own shock and disbelief, worked tirelessly to help with the collection of the victims' belongings to aid identification. They also opened up their homes to the relatives of American victims, showing towards them the same compassion enshrined in Scottish law.

Despite their direct experience of man's inhumanity to man, they are not baying for blood and calling for the head of Kenny MacAskill. Now we read that the Scottish justice secretary has received threatening e-mails and phone calls from Americans, and that SNP Christine Grahame has received a call from an unnamed American who said he had written to his Congressman asking him to back military action against Scotland "in reprisal" for the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi . We do not share America's thirst for revenge, and I, for one, am proud of my nation's independent outlook.

CAROLYN TAYLOR

Gagiebank

Wellbank, Dundee

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Two separate points to add to the correspondence on the Megrahi case. Neither point has any relevance to Mr MacAskill's correct and admirable decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds, although this has prevented a due appeal.

First, the US's treatment of the commander of USS Vincennes was to award him a medal. No-one has answered for that action.

Second, Megrahi could not have caused the Lockerbie bombing. No-one could arrange for unaccompanied luggage to be transferred between planes at two high security airports, in Germany and in England. There was, however a break in perimeter security at Heathrow at that time.

SUSAN FG FORDE

Main Street

Scotlandwell Kinross-shire