London: Britain has refused a request from a US Senate committee to interview officials involved in the release of the man convicted of blowing up a passenger plane over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is sending officials to Britain as part of its investigation into the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted of the 1988 attack, which killed 270 people.
The Foreign Office said on Monday it had declined a request for officials to meet senate staffers, because civil service rules prevent serving staff from discussing the policies of previous governments.
Megrahi was freed from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds in August 2009. Doctors advising the government gave him three months to live, but he's still alive.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, September 13, 2010, 15:29