29 Aug 2009
The sole man convicted of the Lockerbie plane bombing says he backs calls for a public inquiry into the atrocity that killed 270 people in 1988.

Since his controversial release on compassionate grounds, the terminally ill convict, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, has repeatedly vowed to clear his name and promised to publish evidence.

"I support the issue of a public inquiry if it can be agreed," Megrahi told Scottish newspaper The Herald from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where he moved back following his release.

He rejected the notion of 'pressure from the Libyan authorities or Scottish authorities' forcing him to drop his attempt to exonerate himself, adding that the probe, called by British families of the victims, would help shed light on who planned the bombing and the motives behind the attack.

"It is all about my family. People have said there was pressure from the Libyan authorities or Scottish authorities, but it wasn't anything like this," said Megrahi.

However, Britain has rejected the need for such an inquiry.

"In my view, it is unfair to the victims' families that this [inquiry] has not been heard. It would help them to know the truth. As I said, the truth never dies. If the UK guaranteed it, I would be very supportive," he added

After his release, he expressed frustration that he would never prove his innocence, but has vowed to do so.

The 57-year-old Libyan abandoned a second appeal against his conviction earlier this month, while the Scottish government mulled over the decision to free him or transfer him to a detention center in Libya.

Megrahi said his desire to see his family again had increased when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, with possibly several months to live.
presstv