§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 8, following the emergence of new information about the Lockerbie crime, if he will pursue the Lockerbie investigation further with the Government of Finland. [18205]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 9, if he will specify what the unwarranted criticisms were to which he referred, with regard to the German authorities and the Scottish police in relation to Lockerbie. [18203]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggIt was reported in the press and media, wrongly, that the German authorities had released Abdul Fatah Ghadanfar before the Scottish police were given an opportunity to interview him and that the Scottish police had not made any efforts to interview him, or his associate Haj Hafez Dalkamouni, in connection with the Lockerbie bombing.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 9, if the concerns of Her Majesty's Government about Abdul Ghadanfar were known to the German police before his release from arrest. [18191]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI have nothing to add to the answer that I gave the hon. Member on 6 March.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 6, regarding the possible involvement of officials of countries other than Libya in the Lockerbie bombing, if he will name the countries, the possible involvement of whose nationals have been very closely investigated. [18193]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 6, regarding the possible involvement of officials of countries other than Libya in the Lockerbie bombing if he will make available all available evidence which supports charges to the Government of Germany. [18195]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe United Nations Security Council has endorsed our demand that Libya make the two accused available for trial in Scotland or the United States. It would not be appropriate to disclose the contents of confidential communications with the prosecuting or judicial authorities of other countries.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 5, if he will specify what were the differences in detail to which he referred, between the story in relation to which Air Malta brought the action and those contained in the warrants for the arrest of the two accused Libyans. [18197]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI have nothing to add to the answer that I gave the hon. Member on 6 March.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has conveyed to the German authorities details of the suitcase of white powder, handled by Mr. Wilson, farmer of Tundergarth Farm near Lockerbie in December 1988, about which1204W information was conveyed to him in a letter of 9 February from the Rev. John Mosey. [18183]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo significant quantities of drugs were recovered in the course of the Lockerbie investigation, although some small "user" amounts of cannabis were found. Allegations that a quantity of white powder drugs were found in a suitcase recovered at Tundergarth Mains farm were investigated some years ago in the early stages of the investigation. There was no substance to the allegations and nothing to be conveyed to the German authorities.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 6, what action he has taken to offer Volke Rath, state prosecutor at Frankfurt, additional evidence against two accused Libyans, to enable him to bring proceedings in Germany. [18184]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe United Nations Security Council has endorsed our demand that Libya make the two accused available for trial in Scotland or the United States. It would not be appropriate to disclose the contents of confidential communications with the prosecuting or judicial authorities of other countries.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 7, whether the Scottish police asked or suggested to the Bundeskriminalamt or Verfassungschutz that they could directly question Mr. Ghadanfar and Mr. Dalkamouni. [18185]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI have nothing to add to the answer that I gave the hon. Member on 6 March.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 9, if he will enter into discussions with Egypt and Sudan about Lockerbie and their opposition to sanctions against Libya. [18202]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe have regular contacts with the Governments of both countries on a wide range of issues.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 6, on the consideration of evidence of the involvement of officials of countries other than Libya in the Lockerbie bombing, what new information has been considered since 6 March. [18192]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI have nothing to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 6 March.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet Esmat Abdul Meguid and the Arab League on the issue of Libya's position in relation to Lockerbie in the next three months. [18194]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI hope to meet Dr. Meguid in London today.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 6, when he estimates that the issue of the United States decision that the Montreal convention, requiring attempts at conciliation and arbitration, should not be applied in relation to Pan Am 103 and Lockerbie will be heard before the International Court of Justice; and if he will outline the position of Her Majesty's Government. [18196]
1205W
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe timing of any hearing is a matter for the International Court of Justice. The United Kingdom does not accept that Libya enjoys rights under the Montreal convention in relation to the sabotage of Pan Am 103.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation have been made to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Professor Dr. John Buontempo, former Maltese ambassador to Arab countries, in connection with the Lockerbie bombing. [18198]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggProfessor Buontempo has explained to Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials his personal view that the trial of the two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie bombing should be held in Malta.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's ambassador in Cairo last had discussions with Dr. Meguid, Secretary General of the Arab League, on Lockerbie; and what was the result. [18200]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggHer Majesty's ambassador at Cairo has had a number of discussions on Lockerbie with the Secretary General of the Arab League. Dr. Meguid shares our concern that the issue should be resolved urgently, in accordance with the Security Council resolutions.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March,Official Report, column 8, if he will support the proposal by the hon. Member for Eastwood, (Mr. Stewart) to allow the Scottish courts to operate outside Scotland. [18204]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI have been asked to reply.
There is no need for Scottish courts to operate outside Scotland. There are arrangements which allow the evidence of witnesses who are abroad to be taken before a local judge or relayed by direct television link to the courts in Scotland. We have no reason to believe that the Libyans will surrender the two accused for trial before a Scottish court sitting aboard. The Scottish lawyer representing the two accused has most recently suggested trial by a panel of judges headed by a Scottish judge. This is simply the latest in a long line of inappropriate and often contradictory proposals, none of which satisfies the requirement of the Security Council that the accused be produced for trial in Scotland or the United States.