Islam Times - Koussa leaves UK for Doha

Islam Times - The former Libyan foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, who arrived in the UK after fleeing Libya has been allowed to travel to Qatar to take part in a critical peace conference...

Islam Times: The Foreign Office said he (Koussa) was “a free individual, who can travel to and from the UK as he wishes”.

However the decision has been met with great anger from Lockerbie campaigners who have accused the British government of betrayal.

Brian Flynn, the brother of J P Flynn, who died in the 1988 attack accused the UK government of crossing the line by allowing Koussa to attend the conference, suggesting he is a peace negotiator rather than, as they believe, a key instigator of the bombing.

“I think the British are being played by him,” said Flynn.

“He has convinced them he can be valuable in this process, but he is not the suave diplomat in the suit sitting on the sidelines, he is one of the key guys who masterminded [the bombing of] Pan Am flight 103. He is a stated enemy of the British government. Our feeling is that the British government gave a nod to Lockerbie by questioning him two days before this conference, but that feels disingenuous.

“The Scottish and American prosecutors on Lockerbie are being betrayed by the politicians and the diplomats. Cameron has been good on Libya, but this sounds an awful lot like Tony Blair is back in charge.”

Other relatives of Lockerbie victims were also enraged that Koussa was allowed to travel while a Conservative MP accused the Coalition of allowing Britain to be used as a “transit lounge for alleged war criminals”.

He added: “This sends the wrong signal to Gaddafi and those complicit in dictatorships everywhere. It should not be forgotten that Moussa Koussa was allegedly behind many IRA outrages, the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. He should be here in the UK or facing trial in the international courts for complicity in the Gaddafi regime.”

The government is hoping that any leniency towards Koussa will encourage other members of Gaddafi’s government to defect.
© Islam Times