PETER BROOKES IN THE TIMES
GORDON BROWN personally vetoed an attempt to force Colonel Muammar Gadaffi to compensate IRA bomb victims because it might have jeopardised British oil deals with Libya.
However, Brown refused to help the victims because of government concerns that putting pressure on Gadaffi might lead to Libya withdrawing co-operation over trade and the war against Islamic terrorism.
The documents will cause embarrassment for Brown as he faces new questions over the early release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
In a further damaging twist, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, was last night accused by the Tories of misleading the public over the prime minister’s role in talks about the decision to free the terminally ill Libyan terrorist.
The Sunday Times has established that Straw wrote to Brown warning the Libyans might block a multi-million-pound BP oil deal unless the bomber was released. The disclosure contradicts remarks Straw made in a newspaper interview published yesterday in which he insisted there had been “no paper trail” to No 10.
Campaigners claim the official letters about IRA compensation highlight the government’s preoccupation with trading relations with Libya at the expense of bomb victims.
A letter from Bill Rammell, then the Middle East minister, sent on November 6, 2008 to Jonathan Ganesh, who was injured in the 1996 Docklands bomb and now campaigns for IRA victims, states that oil contracts were a factor in the government’s failure to act.
Brown said in a letter to Jason McCue, the victims’ lawyer, dated October 7, 2008: “The UK government does not consider it appropriate to enter into a bilateral discussion with Libya on this matter.”
Responding to claims that the government had been swayed by narrow commercial interests, Brown insisted that “trade” was not the “core reason” for his refusal to act over victims’ compensation.
However, in the letter he went on to acknowledge that it had been one of the factors: “While the UK-Libya relationship does indeed include trade, bilateral co-operation is now wide-ranging on many levels, particularly in the fight against terrorism. I believe it is in all our interests for this co-operation to continue.”
Libya shipped Semtex and arms to the IRA for several years from 1985. Lawyers representing
British victims have evidence that the Semtex was used in a series of IRA atrocities, including the Enniskillen bomb of 1987, the Manchester bomb in 1996 and several explosions in London.
Daniel Kawcynski, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on Libya, said the interests of BP “should never trump the demands of justice for the victims of terrorism”.
You can also find this story dealing with Blair's part in all the double dealing at the INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY.
And now I think I need to take a day off and have a nice relaxed Sunday, complete with traditional Sunday dinner and far too much wine - so, if I do find myself tempted towards the computer tomorrow and end up talking shit, you'll know exactly what's wrong with me! I'll see you all on Monday.
Documents passed to The Sunday Times reveal how the prime minister took a close interest in a campaign to secure payouts for the 2,500 families of those blown up by the Libyan-supplied Semtex explosive used by republican bombers.
However, Brown refused to help the victims because of government concerns that putting pressure on Gadaffi might lead to Libya withdrawing co-operation over trade and the war against Islamic terrorism.
The documents will cause embarrassment for Brown as he faces new questions over the early release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
In a further damaging twist, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, was last night accused by the Tories of misleading the public over the prime minister’s role in talks about the decision to free the terminally ill Libyan terrorist.
The Sunday Times has established that Straw wrote to Brown warning the Libyans might block a multi-million-pound BP oil deal unless the bomber was released. The disclosure contradicts remarks Straw made in a newspaper interview published yesterday in which he insisted there had been “no paper trail” to No 10.
Campaigners claim the official letters about IRA compensation highlight the government’s preoccupation with trading relations with Libya at the expense of bomb victims.
A letter from Bill Rammell, then the Middle East minister, sent on November 6, 2008 to Jonathan Ganesh, who was injured in the 1996 Docklands bomb and now campaigns for IRA victims, states that oil contracts were a factor in the government’s failure to act.
Brown said in a letter to Jason McCue, the victims’ lawyer, dated October 7, 2008: “The UK government does not consider it appropriate to enter into a bilateral discussion with Libya on this matter.”
Responding to claims that the government had been swayed by narrow commercial interests, Brown insisted that “trade” was not the “core reason” for his refusal to act over victims’ compensation.
However, in the letter he went on to acknowledge that it had been one of the factors: “While the UK-Libya relationship does indeed include trade, bilateral co-operation is now wide-ranging on many levels, particularly in the fight against terrorism. I believe it is in all our interests for this co-operation to continue.”
Libya shipped Semtex and arms to the IRA for several years from 1985. Lawyers representing
British victims have evidence that the Semtex was used in a series of IRA atrocities, including the Enniskillen bomb of 1987, the Manchester bomb in 1996 and several explosions in London.
Daniel Kawcynski, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on Libya, said the interests of BP “should never trump the demands of justice for the victims of terrorism”.
You can also find this story dealing with Blair's part in all the double dealing at the INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY.
And now I think I need to take a day off and have a nice relaxed Sunday, complete with traditional Sunday dinner and far too much wine - so, if I do find myself tempted towards the computer tomorrow and end up talking shit, you'll know exactly what's wrong with me! I'll see you all on Monday.
