Word: libya
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...which reveal how Britain's clumsy realpolitik and the ambitions of the nationalist-led Scottish government to assert independence from Westminster led to a messy outcome. On one point at least, conspiracy theorists were wrong: this was never all about oil. Preserving and expanding Britain's commercial interests in Libya was always a part of the equation, but so too was a desire to seal Libya's rehabilitation...
...what I meant by 'national interests,' " Justice Secretary Jack Straw wrote in February 2008, during an exchange of letters about al-Megrahi with Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond. "Developing a strong relationship with Libya, and helping it to reintegrate into the international community, is good for the U.K." He added, "Libya is one of only two countries to have ever voluntarily and transparently dismantled its weapons of mass destruction program. Having sponsored terrorist attacks in the past, it is now an important partner in the fight against terrorism." (Read "Lockerbie Bomber Returns to Cheers in Libya...
...Libya repeatedly warned Britain of "catastrophic effects" for their relationship if al-Megrahi died in jail - the alarmist phrase also emerges in the minutes of the March 2009 Glasgow meeting. Ministers in Westminster duly conveyed these threats to Edinburgh. Labour and the Scottish Nationalists are fierce opponents. "The British government have a better relationship with [Libyan leader Colonel Muammar] Gaddafi than they do with Scotland," says Ed Owen, a former special adviser to Straw. But Scottish politicians could not ignore the overlap between Scottish and U.K. interests. Instead, they devised a plan to release al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, rather...
...Scotland withholds consent for Washington's "government-to-government" correspondence to be made public but reiterates "the United States Government's consistent and long-standing view that Mr. Megrahi should serve out his prison sentence in Scotland and the opposition of the United States to his transfer to Libya." U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made a grave and measured statement after al-Megrahi's release. "The interests of justice have not been served by this decision," he said. It seems probable that he expressed that view more trenchantly in a phone call to Scottish ministers; Washington has refused to release...
...Amid all the behind-the-scenes recriminations, Britain's relationship with the U.S. feels that little bit less special. Gaddafi may have boosted his domestic popularity, but the affair has done little to burnish his image abroad. "Given the original intent [to anchor Libya more firmly in the international community], it will be interesting to see how Libya's relations with the world are affected," says former special adviser Owen. The star guests at the Sept. 1 celebration in Tripoli to mark the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Gaddafi to power were two of the world's most...