Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the convicted Lockerbie bomber, received a "hero's welcome" at home in Tripoli. Although his welcome was denounced in Washington and London, analysts say British and U.S. geopolitical interests were behind the final decision to set Megrahi free.
Despite immediate denial from London, many argued that the British government had actually pushed for Megrahi's release to bolster commercial ties with oil-rich Libya and improve ties with the Arab world at large.
As the Scottish authorities were the ones to make the decision, there was no harm for London and Washington to show some unease at his hero-like return.
REACTIONS FROM U.S., BRITAIN
A total of 270 people died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on Dec. 21, 1988. Among the dead, 189 were Americans.
It was predictable how the United States, most eager to protect its citizens, would react after more than 1,000 young Libyans cheered and waved national flags upon greeting Megrahi at the airport.
"The images that we saw in Libya yesterday were outrageous and disgusting," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Friday.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday the decision of the Scottish government to release the Lockerbie bomber early was a "mistake," suggesting the Libyan should be under house arrest.
Britain also expressed its displeasure. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Friday that the sight of the Lockerbie bomber "getting a hero's welcome in Tripoli is deeply upsetting."
Both countries said they would closely monitor the Libyan government in the following days.
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
Megrahi, a 57-year-old former Libyan intelligence agent, is the only person convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103.
He has never pleaded guilty. This year, he was appealing his conviction for a second time when he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
Mysteries remain as to who orchestrated the bombing, and distinguished lawyers cast doubts on the reliability of the evidence at Megrahi's trial. It was not a proven fact that Megrahi had been the culprit.
However, relevant nations, including the United States and Britain, were rarely so unanimous in refraining from pursuing the case.
"We do not know which government, or governments, were ultimately responsible. We do not know, it can be argued, because we do not wish to know," a Saturday editorial in The Guardian concluded.
Further investigations could embroil nations like Syria, Iran or Libya, which "would have repercussions threatening so many interests, in so many countries, that it is not worth doing," the editorial continued.
From the very beginning, Britain denied any involvement in Megrahi's release, insisting it was an independent decision of the Scottish government.
However, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, who accompanied Megrahi back to Libya, earnestly thanked his "British friends."
"I personally thank our friends in the British government as they have had an important role in reaching this happy conclusion," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Obama is hoping to improve relations with the Arab world that were strained during his predecessor's administration. Unexpected re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran and sluggish progress in improving ties with Syria have already impeded his diplomatic pursuit.
It is understandable that Washington does not want any more distractions if it was to continue using "smart power" in implementing U.S. policies in the region.
At the least, the energy-opulent Libya is no small deal for the United States, as the country is still wavering between Russia and the Western world.
(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2009)
