David Cameron grilled over alleged BP role in Lockerbie bomber case
| Washington
Afghanistan and economic recovery may have been the preferred topics when President Obama met at the White House Tuesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron. But for the press, which got a few minutes with the two leaders at an East Room press conference, the focus was BP.
The British oil company, which is responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, is now more deeply embroiled in controversy over allegations that it lobbied the Scottish government last year to release Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi. Allegations have resurfaced in the British press that BP wanted Mr. Megrahi freed to improve prospects for oil projects in Libya.
Megrahi was ultimately released by Scotland last August on humanitarian grounds amid much international uproar.
In a spirited response to questions about BP鈥檚 alleged role in Megrahi鈥檚 release, Mr. Cameron said he supported a review of all government documents to see if any additional 鈥渋nformation鈥� might be released publicly to further clarify the Scottish government鈥檚 decision. But he opposes a formal inquiry into the matter 鈥� something Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for over the weekend.
Cameron, on his first US visit as prime minister, was scheduled to meet with Senate leaders later Tuesday to discuss the Megrahi issue. He noted that as leader of the opposition he had firmly opposed the decision to release Megrahi, and that he still considers it 鈥渃ompletely wrong.鈥� He said his government would 鈥渆ngage constructively鈥� with an inquiry that Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts has said the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will undertake. Most of the 270 crew and passengers killed in the 1988 airliner bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, were American.
Mr. Obama sought to put the issue in the broader context of what he said has been life-saving US-British counterterrorism cooperation. The 鈥渆xtremely strong ties between our two countries in fighting terrorism shouldn鈥檛 get lost in this debate,鈥� he said.
Obama also noted that he stood with 鈥渁 British prime minister who shares our anger鈥� over Megrahi鈥檚 release 鈥� a quip that could be heard as a dig at former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was in office at the time of Megrahi鈥檚 release and with whom Obama had a cool relationship at best.
Clearly mindful that the Megrahi controversy only further tarnishes BP鈥檚 reputation, Cameron sought to keep the two issues of the oil leak and a terrorist鈥檚 release separate. 鈥淟et us not confuse the oil spill with the Libyan issue,鈥� he said, noting that it is important to both the British and US economies that BP remain a 鈥渟trong and stable鈥� company.
Cameron said there was so far no evidence to suggest that BP had lobbied for Megrahi鈥檚 release, or that the Scottish government had made its decision based on BP鈥檚 efforts. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen anything to suggest they [in the Scottish government] were swayed by anything鈥� from BP, he said.
But BP has acknowledged pressing for a prisoner exchange deal as far back as 2007 over its concerns that friction between the two governments was disrupting prospects for its drilling plans in Libya. And the British press was full of speculation at the time of Megrahi鈥檚 release last year that the gesture would pave the way for BP鈥檚 planned projects in Libya 鈥� projects that were said to be experiencing bureaucratic sabotage in Tripoli.
Also notable in Tuesday鈥檚 press conference was how both leaders made specific reference to the "special relationship" between the US and Britain 鈥� something some British and American pundits had speculated would not occur, as Cameron establishes his leadership legs and given Obama鈥檚 coolness to European leaders in general.
鈥淭he special relationship between our two countries will only grow stronger in the years to come,鈥� Obama said 鈥� only to be outdone by Cameron, who first spoke of an 鈥渆xtremely special relationship鈥� that he then went on to call an 鈥渆ssential relationship鈥� for delivering security and prosperity.
Despite the presumed desire of both leaders to sound pragmatic, the force of history imposed itself on their comments, some experts say.
鈥淚t鈥檚 true David Cameron has promised a more hard-nosed approach to the special relationship, but at the same time he grasps the tremendous historical significance of the relations, and that came through in his comments today,鈥� says Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
Cameron even made specific reference to the 鈥渆motional鈥� ties between the two countries, something Mr. Gardiner said should surprise no one.
鈥淭he relationship cannot be separated from the special history the US and the UK share,鈥� Gardiner says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an intellectual endeavor, but really a partnership between two great countries that share history, heritage, and culture.鈥�
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