The knives are out for Libya simply because the Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill made the decision to release the only person convicted in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing on compassionate grounds, ignoring US government representations to keep him locked up. America’s ire was compounded when Libyan national Abdul Baset Ali Mohammad Al Megrahi, was warmly welcomed home as a prodigal son. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and the Director of the FBI Robert Mueller have all condemned Al-Megrahi’s repatriation in unprecedented undiplomatic terms. Mueller is “outraged and believes the terminally ill man’s premature release gives comfort to terrorists everywhere. Scotland is also coming under fire with US websites having been set-up urging the boycott of Scottish goods echoing the way France was treated in 2003 for its opposition of the Iraq war when ‘French Fries were renamed “Freedom Fries . Most Scots believe that their devolved government was cornered by Downing Street into becoming its patsy. They might be right as Westminster overrides the Scottish government on foreign policy. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under attack on both sides of the Atlantic after evidence emerged that Al-Megrahi’s homecoming had been in the pipeline for some time as a condition for Britain being awarded lucrative Libyan oil, gas and hotel deals. The Libyan President’s Son Seif Al-Islam has admitted that Al-Megrahi’s repatriation was always on the table during trade discussions with Britain. It seems that Adm. Mullen believes him. He has termed the release “Political . Some commentators predict that the special relationship between the US and Britain could be in jeopardy. Brown has denied influencing MacAskill in any way and says he was “angry and “repulsed by the reception the former prisoner received. But he adamantly refuses to say whether he believes the decision to free him was the right one. It seems to me that such US hysteria is unwarranted and contrived. US officials, senators, governors and mayors are playing to the gallery in hopes of impressing voters and constituents. At the same time the British government is attempting to squirm away from accusatory fingers by pointing its own at poor Mr. MacAskill, who is nothing more than a hapless fall guy. But it will be Libya that will suffer most from the flack. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil, Libya has gone out of its way to rejoin the international community following decades of isolation. It relinquished its support for extremist groups, dismantled its nuclear program and paid US$ 2.8 billion in compensation to the families of Lockerbie victims. Yet, now, it looks as though all the country’s efforts may have been for nothing. The Libyan government has always protested Mr. Al-Megrahi’s innocence while most Libyans are convinced that he sacrificed his freedom for the good of his country. The former Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem has said that in spite of Libya’s letter to the UN admitting responsibility “for the actions of its officials his country was, not, in fact, responsible. “After the sanctions and after all the problems we thought that it was easier for us to buy peace, and this is why we agreed compensation, he said. “We said, let’s buy peace, let’s put the whole thing behind us, and let us move forward. If what he says is true, then it is only natural that the returnee would be seen as a patriot and welcomed as such. As far as the Libyans were concerned, they were not honoring “a terrorist but a hero. Al-Megrahi’s lawyers say there is a wealth of evidence to support his innocence, which the dying man has promised to make available to the British public so people can judge for themselves now that his appeal has had to be dropped. The case against Al-Megrahi has always been flimsy. It was based on circumstantial evidence and hung on the testimony of one man – Tony Gauci, a Maltese shopkeeper, who sold someone clothes that later turned up fragmented inside the incendiary suitcase. A former Scottish Lord Advocate, later, admitted that Gauci was an unreliable witness, referring to him as “not the full shilling. And according to reports, Gauci was bribed to testify with millions of dollars, was coached by prosecutors prior to trial, and changed his testimony numerous times. Moreover, a key piece of material evidence, a timer, is now believed to have been tampered with following an admission by a Swiss engineer who worked for the manufacturer. Ulrich Lumpert said the timer’s circuit board had been brown when he was first given sight of it – indicating it was not of the type exported to Libya – yet when it was submitted before the court it was carbonized. Last October, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission announced that “a miscarriage of justice may have occurred and identified six grounds for an appeal. One of these is likely to be a Heathrow restricted baggage area break-in just 18 hours before the Pan Am flight took off. The possibility that baggage was tampered with was not divulged to the defense team until after their client’s conviction. President Qaddafi is scheduled to visit New York, next month, to attend a United Nations General Assembly meeting, his first since becoming Libya’s leader in 1969. It is thought he plans to pitch his air-conditioned Bedouin tent in the garden of an Englewood mansion, owned by the Libyan government. But the Englewood community has made it clear it doesn’t want him. The city’s mayor Michael Wildes said “We’ve seen him in recent days offer a hero’s welcome to a convicted terrorist. This is a community that will never forget acts of terrorism . His is a sentiment that is echoed by a slew of senators, governors and mayors and ordinary Americans who have organized a series of demonstrations in protest. It’s time that those faux holier than thou individuals were reminded of another 1988 man-made air disaster. On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 55 while flying within Iranian airspace killing 290 passengers and crew, including 66 children. The Ship’s Captain William C. Rogers III said he had mistaken the Airbus A300 for a fighter plane – believe that if you will! – and later became the commanding officer of the US Navy Tactical Training Group before retiring with honor. The then US Vice-President George H.W. Bush told Rogers that he had acted appropriately and the US Ambassador to Britain Charles H. Price II sent him a congratulatory message for having done his duty. The US refused to apologize to Iran but did pay US$ 61.8 million in compensation, which doesn’t compare to the huge sum Libya was coerced into paying to Lockerbie families. The double standards are glaring. Mr. Al Megrahi, who may or may not have done the crime, gets a 27 year sentence for bringing down a civilian airliner while for doing the same thing Capt. Rogers was praised and rewarded. It’s evident that Libya can’t win. President Qaddafi will have to decide whether to postpone his trip to New York until the dogs quit barking. “The barking of a dog does not disturb the man on a camel goes an old Egyptian saying.
But will it upset the man in a tent? Linda S. Heardis a specialist writer on Middle East affairs and a syndicated columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]
