tonyz
03-31-2011, 17:56
Let's hope we can nail some who were responsible for that act of terrorism.
WSJ online
* MIDDLE EAST NEWS
* MARCH 31, 2011, 7:33 P.M. ET
Libyan Defector Faces New Peril in U.K.
Ex-Minister Questioned Over His Role in Lockerbie Bombing, as Rumors Swirl in Tripoli Over Who Might Desert Next
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703712504576234130243485052.html
Excerpts:
By ALISTAIR MACDONALD , SAM DAGHER and MARGARET COKER
"Former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, having defected to the U.K., faces possible prosecution there after the government said he wouldn't receive immunity.
At the same time, Scottish law officials said they wanted to interview Mr. Koussa, a former longtime intelligence spy chief, in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
Mr. Koussa's arrival in the U.K. late Wednesday on a private jet from Tunisia was widely hailed as the biggest diplomatic setback for Col. Moammar Gadhafi since the start of the Libyan uprising in February.
U.S. and European officials say they expect more defections and are seeking to engineer that, while Tripoli swirled with rumors of who might be next.
But some analysts say news that Mr. Koussa might have to answer for his time in Col. Gadhafi's inner circle might put other members off from following his lead. "This puts them into a dilemma, they may not find a welcoming environment out of Libya after all," said Azzedine Layachi, a professor of international and Middle East affairs at St. John's University.
It also underscores the dilemma faced by Western governments that both want to warn Col. Gadhafi confidants that they will be held to account for any crimes, and yet encourage them to leave his side. U.S. and European officials continue to say there are signs of fissure in Col. Gadhafi's circle.
U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague on Thursday said Mr. Koussa wouldn't be offered immunity from U.K. and international justice.
Scottish prosecutors and police said they have asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to interview Mr. Koussa in connection with Lockerbie. The case "remains open and we will pursue all relevant lines of inquiry," a Crown Office spokeswoman said.
The U.K. foreign office said it would "respond to any request" to interview Mr. Koussa. An independent police force "should follow evidence wherever it takes them," it said."
WSJ online
* MIDDLE EAST NEWS
* MARCH 31, 2011, 7:33 P.M. ET
Libyan Defector Faces New Peril in U.K.
Ex-Minister Questioned Over His Role in Lockerbie Bombing, as Rumors Swirl in Tripoli Over Who Might Desert Next
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703712504576234130243485052.html
Excerpts:
By ALISTAIR MACDONALD , SAM DAGHER and MARGARET COKER
"Former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, having defected to the U.K., faces possible prosecution there after the government said he wouldn't receive immunity.
At the same time, Scottish law officials said they wanted to interview Mr. Koussa, a former longtime intelligence spy chief, in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
Mr. Koussa's arrival in the U.K. late Wednesday on a private jet from Tunisia was widely hailed as the biggest diplomatic setback for Col. Moammar Gadhafi since the start of the Libyan uprising in February.
U.S. and European officials say they expect more defections and are seeking to engineer that, while Tripoli swirled with rumors of who might be next.
But some analysts say news that Mr. Koussa might have to answer for his time in Col. Gadhafi's inner circle might put other members off from following his lead. "This puts them into a dilemma, they may not find a welcoming environment out of Libya after all," said Azzedine Layachi, a professor of international and Middle East affairs at St. John's University.
It also underscores the dilemma faced by Western governments that both want to warn Col. Gadhafi confidants that they will be held to account for any crimes, and yet encourage them to leave his side. U.S. and European officials continue to say there are signs of fissure in Col. Gadhafi's circle.
U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague on Thursday said Mr. Koussa wouldn't be offered immunity from U.K. and international justice.
Scottish prosecutors and police said they have asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to interview Mr. Koussa in connection with Lockerbie. The case "remains open and we will pursue all relevant lines of inquiry," a Crown Office spokeswoman said.
The U.K. foreign office said it would "respond to any request" to interview Mr. Koussa. An independent police force "should follow evidence wherever it takes them," it said."