Senators urged to carry out full Lockerbie probe

Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died on Pan Am flight 103, has written to Senator John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, asking him to broaden their investigation which focuses on the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Dr Swire, spokesman for the UK families, said successive UK governments had rejected every request for a full inquiry and he is currently waiting for a response from the Prime Minister.

The retired GP said in his letter: "I do not feel proud of the circumstances that have led me to hope that representatives of the USA rather than my own nation should be searching for the truth on our behalf.

"My deeply loved elder daughter Flora, aged 23, was among the victims aboard the plane. I think that all affected families, both here and in the US, would welcome knowing the whole truth about every aspect of who caused the disaster and why they were not stopped.

"So may I welcome you and your band of four senators in your search for aspects of that truth, but this letter proposes reasons why it would be wise to consider the question of why the atrocity was not prevented as well as Megrahi's guilt or innocence rather than only the reasons for his release."

The request comes as David Cameron continues to try and calm the diplomatic row over the decision to release Megrahi.

The Prime Minister's first visit to Washington has been overshadowed by the furore, with US senators suspicious that oil giant BP may have had a hand in the affair.

Megrahi is the only man to have been convicted of the Lockerbie atrocity which killed 270 people on December 21, 1988.

He was released on compassionate grounds from a Scottish prison last August, having been given three months to live, but is still alive and living with his family in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond wrote to US senators on Wednesday to try to defend the decision to release the Libyan and refute claims BP had lobbied for his release.

Yesterday, the Edinburgh government declined requests for Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and Scottish Prison Service health chief Dr Andrew Fraser to appear at the Senate hearing next week.

A spokesman said: "The First Minister wrote to Senator Kerry on Wednesday providing comprehensive information and assistance, which is the appropriate nature of Scottish Government involvement in the Senate Committee's hearing next week."

He added"The focus of the Senators' concern has been any role played by BP in decisions on al-Megrahi, and we have stated categorically to Senator Kerry that there was no contact of any kind between the Scottish Government and BP.

"In addition to the extensive information already provided, we have written to Senator Kerry again today and offered to answer any additional questions in advance of the hearing, and we would also be very happy to answer formally and in writing any more questions that may arise from the hearing itself."

Scotland Secretary Michael Moore said the medical decision was made "in good faith".