Qatar raised al-Megrahi release during talks with Alex Salmond.
"The Scottish government faced demands last night for full details of its relationship with Qatar, after the Gulf state was revealed to have lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
During trade talks held in June with Qatar’s International Co-operation Minister, Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, was asked to free Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi.
The Times has discovered that Mr Salmond first discussed possible trade deals with the Gulf state at least 18 months ago. The First Minister had a previously undisclosed meeting with a senior executive at the Qatar Investment Authority about potential financial support for the Scottish economy in May last year. Mr Salmond and Jim Mather, the Scottish Enterprise Minister, met Dr Hussain Ali al-Abdullah, executive director of the investment authority, which owns almost a third of the J Sainsbury supermarket chain.
The Qatar Investment Authority declined to comment on “speculation” about the meeting. However, the fund has made a number of investments in Britain, including buying a 6.4 per cent stake in Barclays Bank for £2 billion last year, and it holds 15 per cent of the London Stock Exchange company.
Mr Salmond met Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, Qatar’s Minister for International Co-operation, on June 11 while Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, was considering applications to free al-Megrahi.
Minutes of that meeting released last night show that the Qatar officials said they wanted to co-operate with Scotland on a range of issues, including trade.
Mr Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, said that he would be happy to travel to Qatar after Lena Wilson, head of Scottish Development International, visited the country during a tour of the Gulf.
In an extraordinary intervention by a third-party country, the Gulf minister then said that the Emir of Qatar had asked him to discuss the issue of al-Megrahi’s continuing imprisonment. Mr Salmond said that they must follow procedure on making representations, and later sent the minister details about contacting Mr MacAskill.
Duncan McNeil, the Labour MSP for Greenock, where al-Megrahi was jailed, said: “There are serious questions about the role of Qatar and the pressure they brought to bear on the Scottish government.” He said that he had asked the Scottish government to delay trade visits to Qatar seeking funds for infrastructure projects.
During First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament yesterday Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Conservative leader, demanded to know whether Mr Salmond had been engaged in “nudge and wink” diplomacy.
Mr Salmond strenuously denied any link between the talks and the release of al-Megrahi. “This suggestion that there is a connection is ridiculous and nonsensical,” he said. “As a government we will always look to encourage trade from anywhere in the world, but we based the al-Megrahi decision on a judicial basis alone.”
"Deaths in the Bible. God - 2,270,365
not including the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the
many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc because no specific numbers
were given. Satan - 10."
Qatar raised al-Megrahi release during talks with Alex Salmond.
"The Scottish government faced demands last night for full details of its relationship with Qatar, after the Gulf state was revealed to have lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
During trade talks held in June with Qatar’s International Co-operation Minister, Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, was asked to free Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi.
The Times has discovered that Mr Salmond first discussed possible trade deals with the Gulf state at least 18 months ago. The First Minister had a previously undisclosed meeting with a senior executive at the Qatar Investment Authority about potential financial support for the Scottish economy in May last year. Mr Salmond and Jim Mather, the Scottish Enterprise Minister, met Dr Hussain Ali al-Abdullah, executive director of the investment authority, which owns almost a third of the J Sainsbury supermarket chain.
The Qatar Investment Authority declined to comment on “speculation” about the meeting. However, the fund has made a number of investments in Britain, including buying a 6.4 per cent stake in Barclays Bank for £2 billion last year, and it holds 15 per cent of the London Stock Exchange company.
Mr Salmond met Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, Qatar’s Minister for International Co-operation, on June 11 while Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, was considering applications to free al-Megrahi.
Minutes of that meeting released last night show that the Qatar officials said they wanted to co-operate with Scotland on a range of issues, including trade.
Mr Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, said that he would be happy to travel to Qatar after Lena Wilson, head of Scottish Development International, visited the country during a tour of the Gulf.
In an extraordinary intervention by a third-party country, the Gulf minister then said that the Emir of Qatar had asked him to discuss the issue of al-Megrahi’s continuing imprisonment. Mr Salmond said that they must follow procedure on making representations, and later sent the minister details about contacting Mr MacAskill.
Duncan McNeil, the Labour MSP for Greenock, where al-Megrahi was jailed, said: “There are serious questions about the role of Qatar and the pressure they brought to bear on the Scottish government.” He said that he had asked the Scottish government to delay trade visits to Qatar seeking funds for infrastructure projects.
During First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament yesterday Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Conservative leader, demanded to know whether Mr Salmond had been engaged in “nudge and wink” diplomacy.
Mr Salmond strenuously denied any link between the talks and the release of al-Megrahi. “This suggestion that there is a connection is ridiculous and nonsensical,” he said. “As a government we will always look to encourage trade from anywhere in the world, but we based the al-Megrahi decision on a judicial basis alone.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6820993.ece
"Deaths in the Bible. God - 2,270,365
not including the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the
many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc because no specific numbers
were given. Satan - 10."