The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has said that he has evidence that the intelligence agent jailed for life for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing is innocent. He did not elaborate. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was sentenced to life after being found guilty at a Scottish court in the Netherlands. Colonel Gaddafi spoke after greeting Mr Megrahi's co-accused, Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima, who was acquitted and flown home aboard a Dutch Air Force aircraft.
Libya has said that it would not bow to demands by Britain and the United States that it accepts responsibility for the 1988 bombing, in which 270 people died. The two countries have also demanded compensation for the families of the victims. The Libyan ambassador to London, Mohamed Azawi, said that this issue could not be dealt with until after Mr Megrahi's appeal against his conviction had been heard. Diplomatic efforts are still underway to tackle the problems that were left unresolved by the conviction.
