'Libya not behind Yvonne Fletcher murder or Lockerbie bombing' - PM

Libya's prime minister said today that his country had no involvement in the murder of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher or the Lockerbie bombing.

Libya's prime minister said today that his country had no involvement in the murder of British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher or the Lockerbie bombing.

Shokri Ghanem's explosive comments provoked outrage just weeks after moves began to thaw the relationship between Britain and Libya.

He insisted that Libya had not admitted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing, but had paid compensation to "buy peace".

Mr Ghanem's comments on the shooting of Wpc Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 were described as "absolute garbage" by the Metropolitan Police Federation, which claims the identity of the culprit was well known.

Wpc Fletcher was killed by a marksman who opened fire on Libyan dissidents protesting at the embassy.

The gunman was smuggled out with 21 other embassy staff under diplomatic immunity the next day.

Libya accepted responsibility for the murder in July 1999 and agreed to pay compensation to Wpc Fletcher's family, from Semley, Wilts.

However, a lawyer who has studied the incident said there was no evidence Wpc Fletcher was killed by a Libyan, or even that the fatal shot was fired from the embassy.

Dr Ghanem said: "There is no reason to oppose that view because I think it is an educated view coming from a lawyer who followed the case. So I will go along of course with what the lawyer says."

Dr Ghanem said the issue had now been settled to the satisfaction of both the Libyan and British governments.

But that is at odds with comments from Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who said after talks with the Libyan foreign minister in London earlier this month that Britain and Libya had agreed to step up joint efforts to tackle unresolved issues over the murder.

Dr Ghanem's comments on the Lockerbie atrocity also risk upsetting the relatives of the dead.

Libya has paid about £2.2 million to each of the families of the 270 people killed in the bombing, including 11 on the ground.

Dr Ghanem said Libya had paid the compensation to bring to an end the damaging sanctions imposed on the country. But he insisted that was not an admission of responsibility.

"We thought it was easier for us to buy peace and this is why we agreed to compensation," he said in an interview with BBC Radio Four's Today programme.

"Therefore we said, 'Let us buy peace, let us put the whole case behind us and let us look forward'."

Relationships between Libya and Britain have improved after Tripoli agreed to abandon plans to develop weapons of mass destruction. The new relationship was underlined by the Libyan foreign minister's visit to London.

But it will be tested by Dr Ghanem's comments.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to visit Libya. Dr Ghanem said he would be made very welcome. The visit was important because he could see the country for himself rather than hearing about it from others.

And he said Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi would consider visiting Britain if he was invited.

In the interview Dr Ghanem also called for the USA to take his country off the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

And he dismissed calls for the country to pay compensation to the families of people killed by guns supplied by Libya to the IRA. He said people should forget about issues from the past and no-one had suffered more than Libya from terrorism.

Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers, said: "If they are denying it, it is absolute garbage. They did a fingertip search of the embassy, they knew exactly from where the weapon was fired and they have a pretty damn good idea who was responsible.

"This is the nation that engaged in mass murder that is now saying it didn't do what everyone knows it did and how on earth can we normalise relations with a state like that?

"It is utterly inconceivable they didn't know who did it; we know who did it.

"It just beggars belief.

He added Wpc Fletcher's parents had been offered compensation by the Libyan government, but had refused and would now be 'outraged' at the denial.

He said: "As far as Yvonne's mum and dad are concerned they will be outraged. They are very down to earth, very ordinary people who know the difference between justice and being bought off. They don't want money, they want justice."