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PM 'repulsed' at bomber welcome | PM 'repulsed' at bomber welcome |
(20 minutes later) | |
Gordon Brown has said he was "repulsed" by the welcome given to the Lockerbie bomber on his return to Libya. | Gordon Brown has said he was "repulsed" by the welcome given to the Lockerbie bomber on his return to Libya. |
In his first comments since the decision to free Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, Mr Brown said he was angry about the jubilant scenes in Tripoli. | In his first comments since the decision to free Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, Mr Brown said he was angry about the jubilant scenes in Tripoli. |
He said the decision was a matter for the Scottish government and he had "no role" in it but he would not comment on whether he backed the move. | |
Opposition leaders have accused the PM of a "deafening silence" on the issue. | |
Anger | Anger |
Mr Brown was asked about the decision to free Megrahi, who is suffering from terminal cancer, on compassionate grounds at a press conference in Downing Street. | |
He said he was "angry and repulsed" at the jubilant reception Megrahi - convicted for his role in the bombing of a Pan Am jet above Lockerbie in 1988 - received when he arrived back in Libya. | |
Megrahi received a rapturous welcome and later met Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. | |
Mr Brown said he had made it "absolutely clear" to the Libyan leader when they met in July at the G8 summit in Italy that the decision was a matter for the Scottish government alone. | |
He said the UK could not interfere in the judicial process and could have "no control over the final outcome". | |
He stressed that his "first thoughts" were with the families of victims of the Lockerbie atrocity but said he was still committed to working with countries such as Libya to fight terrorism. | |
The Scottish National Party administration's decision to approve Megrahi's release has been condemned by the relatives of some Lockerbie victims and by politicians in Edinburgh, Westminster and Washington DC. | |
Public concern | Public concern |
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have urged Mr Brown to comment on the case, which they argue could do serious damage to relations between the UK and US. | The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have urged Mr Brown to comment on the case, which they argue could do serious damage to relations between the UK and US. |
Tory leader David Cameron has said the decision was wrong and the public were entitled to know Mr Brown's views on a matter of "great public concern". | Tory leader David Cameron has said the decision was wrong and the public were entitled to know Mr Brown's views on a matter of "great public concern". |
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has said it is "absurd and damaging" that Mr Brown has yet to comment on the decision. | Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has said it is "absurd and damaging" that Mr Brown has yet to comment on the decision. |
British officials have revealed they wrote to the Libyan government urging him to be given a low-key reception. | British officials have revealed they wrote to the Libyan government urging him to be given a low-key reception. |
Ministers have denied the decision to free Megrahi, who served seven years of his life sentence for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, was linked to trade deals with Tripoli. | Ministers have denied the decision to free Megrahi, who served seven years of his life sentence for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, was linked to trade deals with Tripoli. |