Two US Senators are again calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the release of convicted Libyan terrorist Abdel Basset Al Megrahi.
Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined family members of victims of the Lockerbie bomber at a news conference in Times Square today and questioned the medical pretext for sending Al Megrahi back to Libya from prison in Scotland last August.
Gillibrand said the fact Al Megrahi remains in relative good health, continues to live freely and was greeted has a hero upon his return to Libya is unacceptable and requires a full and transparent investigation.
Al Megrahi was the only suspect convicted for the 1988 bombing of Panam 103 flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270, more than half of whom were American.
Al Megrahi was said to be suffering from terminal prostate cancer, when Scotland released him for a return to Libya on humanitarian grounds in August, 2009. A British cancer expert who examined Al Megrahi at the request of Libyan government initially gave him three months to live but now says he could live 10 to 20 more years. At the time, family members of the victims as well several American and British politicians publicly condemned the move and suggested BP had been lobbying for his release. Now Al Megrahi’s continued good health and BP’s disastrous handling of the Gulf Oil spill have reignited debate.
Senator Menedez says BP CEO Tony Hayward’s possible departure does not change the importance of his testimony before the Senate Foreign Policy Commitee. Hayward and BP have still not given an answer as to whether they will appear, while former British Justice Minister Jack Straw, Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill and Dr. Andrew Fraser have already declined.
“It is my hope that all of the parties that we have asked to appear will commit to appearing this Thursday” said Menendez, also noting he would be in favor of issuing subpeonas if Hayward and others do not voluntarily testify, but the decision to subpoena witnesses was up to the Chairman of the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry.
Staffers for the Senators circulated copies of a letter that surfaced in September of 2009 from British House of Lords member and Chairman of the Libyan British Business Council( LBBC) Lord Trefgarne addressed to Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
In it, Trefgarne asks MacAskill to bring the Megrahi matter to a “swift and “satisfactory conclusion” and warns of the risks it could pose to ties between both countries.
“The Libyan authorities have made it clear that should he die in prison in Scotland there will serious implications for UK-Libyan relations. This prospect is of grave concern to LBBC members, not just Scottish ones.” wrote Lord Trefgarne, a few sentences later suggesting Megrahi’s situation was “tailor made” for Release on Licence on Compassionate Grounds.
BP officials have already stated that they did lobby for a prisoner transfer agreement but not specifically for Al Megrahi, a claim Senator Menendez doubts.
“I think its a little incredulous, and I say that simply because Al Megrahi clearly was the one prisonner in custody of the British/Scottish government that meant something to them. This advocacy by the British Libyan Business Group which BP was part of , clearly, when you talk about the concern about Libyan relations, what was at the forefront of Libyan relations at the time was the 900 million dollar deal. So I think it stretches the imagination not to believe that Al Megrahi was the focal point of what BP was trying to achieve in order to be able to make sure that those relationships were calm. ” said Menedez.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 9:27AM
Hoyer Guarantees Democratic Victories In November
By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) downplayed speculation that Democrats may lose the House in the upcoming mid-term elections. Hoyer said the election is going to be a simple referendum on which party Americans want to lead the nation, adding that Republicans are eager to bring back the policies of the Bush years.
“The public is very concerned about the economy, [Democrats] share that concern,” he told reporters during his weekly press briefing.
“We have been working very hard to get this economy out of the very deep ditch that the Bush administration policies put it into, which were almost unanimously supported by Republicans in the House and Senate, who are now saying they want to return to that exact same agenda.”
Those policies, said Hoyer, created the “worst economy that we’ve had, worst job production, large deficit…That, in my opinion, is what America is going to vote on.”
Democrats need to prevent a Republican net gain of at least 10 seats in the Senate and 40 seats in the House in order to keep their majority this November.