Four Labour ministers met Libyans before bomber's release
At what point will Prime Minister Brown no longer be able to continue avoiding calling that election? | A Cabinet minister also held talks with his Libyan counterpart in Geneva.
The disclosures will add to the pressure on Gordon Brown to explain exactly what trade or other deals have been negotiated with Libya. It is certain to lead to calls for an inquiry into the circumstances around the release.
Last night the Cabinet Office released papers which showed that Lord Jones, a trade minister, visited Tripoli in May last year to talk to business representatives.
In November last year Dawn Primarolo, then a health minister, held bilateral talks with the Libyan prime minister and the Secretary of the General People's Committee. Her boss, Alan Johnson also met Libyan health ministers at the World Health Assembly held in Geneva last year.
In addition, Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office Minister, held bi-lateral talks with foreign ministers in the Libyan capital in February 2009.
The row over the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al Megrahi has led to questions about whether the Government had done a deal with Colonel Gaddafi's regime involving lucrative trade contracts in exchange for Megrahi's release.
Posted by: ed 2009-08-27 |