The
British government says it has warned Libya against celebrating the
anniversary of the prison release of the Lockerbie bomber.
It's one year since
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison, and given a
hero's welcome as he landed in Tripoli.
Britain's
Foreign Office says a repeat of the celebratory scenes witnessed last
year would be "deeply insensitive".
In
an interview with the BBC, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has
echoed that view.
"The
reason we're against any such thing is it would be inappropriate
because it would add to the suffering and anxiety of the relatives of
the Lockerbie atrocity - I think that's pretty clear," he said.
Al-Megrahi
was jailed by a Scottish court in 2001. He was given a 27-year sentence
for his role in the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am flight that killed 270
people.
Last
year Scotland freed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds because doctors
said he was dying of cancer and had only three months to live. One-year
later, he is still alive.
His
early release has proved deeply controversial, especially in the United
States, home to many of those who were killed in the attack. VOA News
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