Libyan Leader Gaddafi hugs Lockerbie bomber and thanks Britain

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi hugged the convicted Lockerbie bomber and promised more cooperation with Britain in gratitude for his release, while London and Washington condemned his "hero's welcome" home.

Meeting Abdel Basset al-Megrahi and his family late on Friday, Gaddafi thanked British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Queen Elizabeth for "encouraging" Scotland to release the dying prisoner from a Scottish jail, Libyan news agency JANA reported.

After receiving a warm embrace from Gaddafi, Megrahi bent forward and kissed the leader's hand, TV images showed.

"This step is in the interest of relations between the two countries ... and of the personal friendship between me and them and will be positively reflected for sure in all areas of cooperation between the two countries," the Libyan leader said.

Gaddafi's comments drew a flat denial from Britain that Megrahi's release was in any way linked to business deals with Libya, which has Africa's largest proven oil reserves. Britain said all responsibility for his release rested with Scotland, which runs its own judicial affairs.

"There is no deal -- all decisions relating to Megrahi's case have been exclusively for Scottish ministers, the Crown Office in Scotland and the Scottish judicial authorities," a spokesman for the Foreign Office said.

"No deal has been made between the UK government and Libya in relation to Megrahi and any commercial interests."

Scotland's government on Thursday released Megrahi from a life sentence for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland because he has terminal prostate cancer. The attack killed 270 people, most of them Americans.

"At this hour, I want to send a message to our friends in Scotland, the Scottish National Party and the first minister of Scotland, to congratulate them for their bravery," JANA quoted Gaddafi as saying.

"Despite the unacceptable and illogical pressures against them, they took this humanitarian and brave decision."

More than 1,000 young Libyans gathered at an airport in Tripoli on Thursday to welcome Megrahi home, cheering and waving national flags, images that angered Washington and London.

WAITING TO DIE

Megrahi promised in an interview with Britain's Times newspaper published on Saturday that he would present new evidence before he died exonerating him of the bombing.

He dismissed the international furor over his release, saying President Barack Obama should know he would not be doing anything apart from going to hospital and waiting to die. Doctors say he may have less than three months to live.

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[Realistic0912]

@TropikalWaves Who's everyone? If that's true, why the fastest growing religion is Islam? Why thousands of people converting to Islam everyday? Can you tell me why? Also, don't trust everything you see in TV and internet, because most of it is controlled. Talking about nations, did you go to United Arab Emirates? Saudi Arabia? Kuwait? Qatar? Bahrain? Oman? I'm sure you don't, if you go there you will see how Islam is. So don't say everyone, just say I see it like.

[Realistic0912]

@TropikalWaves I told you you don't have any idea about Islam :) .. Islam means that you believe in one God only and that means Muslim is free and only following Allah rules not the government rules. What you have saw is made to you to see it like that to control your mind and make you a slave for them without your notice. But Muslims aren't slaves for their governments. The governments law made to control you but Islamic law made to free you, and that's why Islam always been attacked.. :)

[JiminyKracker]

@Realistic0912 I've already told you that I'm Christian, like the majority of Westerners. We stopped believing in jewish fairy tales decades ago. Islam is also based on jewish fairy tales, just rehashed for the Arabs.

You sound silly blaming the US for every problem in the middle East. They must have god-like powers to extend so far.

The fact is, that the koran and hadith support everything that murderers do. From daughters who were murdered because they refuses to wear veil or had boyfriend

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker Oh,, don't forget to go back for the terror Christian history, specifically between 1562 and 1589 and find out how Christians killing other Christians and Jews :)

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker Do you think I have to respond to you at the first place? Ignorant people like you will never get to a point to discuss, just hate hate hate. To prove that, look how you don't want to accept your terror history.

The answer for your stupid question is because the terrorist people (Al-qaida) who are made and supported by the US intelligence to make Muslims killing each other as you see in everyday news. Do you understand stupid terrorist?

[JiminyKracker]

@Realistic0912 Do you notice how you COMPLETELY avoid the question, as muslims always do!

The figures you give are absurd. There was never 20 million aboriginals - athropologists have estimated that there were only 300,000 and the vast majority of deaths were dues to western diseases like smallpox. In fact, every single figure you quote is rubbish that you made up on the spot.

Now stop avoiding the question! Why do muslims murder ex-muslims if this merciful allah will judge them anyway?

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker Go read about your terror history and don't involve yourself in something you don't know about?

Stupid terrorist.

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker Do Muslims are the cause of World War I? Do Muslims are the cause of World War II? Do Muslims are the ones who threw the bomb on Hiroshima? Are the Muslims who killed 20 million of the native population (aboriginal) of Australia? Are the Muslims who killed more than 100 million Indians in North America and more than 50 million of South America? Do Muslims have taken more than 80% of slaves from Africa and 77% of them died in the way and buried in the Atlantic Ocean?

[JiminyKracker]

@Realistic0912 Then why are muslims not so merciful as their god, when they murder ppl who stop practising islam (apostasy)?

I encourage you to read about more enlightened spirituality and philosophy rather than dogmatic religions from the middle East.

[JiminyKracker]

@Realistic0912 lol, what movie or game has such things in it? The producers would be murdered before such a film could be screened!

All of the so-called "Abrahamic" religions are poison. There was no literal Abraham anyway - he is no more real than Robin Hood.

Muhumad didn't correct anything. There was no straight line of truth in Judaism or Christianity. Muhumad was a bandit who condoned rape/murder, & used his lies to build a cult of fanatical warriors dreaming of captured women as war booty

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker I encourage you to read about Abrahamic religions. You might find something guide you to the truth.

Don't forget that Allah is one and he is so merciful to let you live to find the truth.

[Realistic0912]

@JiminyKracker Now I understand. You totally brainwashed from what you see in movies and games. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all belong to Abraham the prophet, and those religions called the Abrahamic Religions. All of them are came from the same god who is Allah by his messengers Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. After Judaism twisted, Allah sent Jesus to tell them the truth, but a few who believed Jesus and the others thought he is God. Then Allah sent Mohammed to correct all the conflicts.