US talks: BP 'not linked to bomber's release'

DAVID Cameron insisted that BP should not be blamed for the "completely wrong" decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi as he sought to diffuse a transatlantic row over the freeing of the Lockerbie bomber.

Standing side-by-side with US President Barack Obama following their first White House talks since he became Prime Minister, Mr Cameron said the Scottish Government was responsible for the decision.

He said the two leaders were in "violent agreement" that allowing the terminally-ill terrorist to return home on compassionate grounds last August had been wrong.

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Mr Cameron also warned the US against excessive punishment of BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill – insisting it was in no one's interests to undermine the firm's future and the two issues should not be confused.

Mr Cameron said he had seen no evidence that the Scottish Government had been "swayed" by lobbying from BP but the company would have to explain any representations it had made.

Mr Cameron said: "Releasing the Lockerbie bomber, a mass murderer, was completely wrong. He showed his victims no compassion. They were not allowed to die in their beds at home, neither should he.

"That was not a decision taken by BP, it was a decision taken by the Scottish Government."

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Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan spy, was found guilty of murdering 270 people when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie in December 1988.

He was released after doctors said he had only three months to live but recent estimates suggest he could survive for a decade.

The Prime Minister resisted demands led by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a new British inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the decision, and re-stated his promise to disclose any Government documents that shed light on negotiations with Libya.

President Obama also seemed keen to play down the renewed row, telling a Press conference: "I think all of us were surprised, disappointed and angry about the release of al-Megrahi. We welcome any additional information that will give us insight into how the decision was made.

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"The key thing here is we have got a British Prime Minister here who shares our anger, and also objects to how it played out. The bottom line is that we all disagreed with it. It was a bad decision."

Mr Cameron also warned the issue should not be confused with the issues surrounding the oil spill. "It is BP's role to cap the leak, to clean up the mess, and to pay appropriate compensation. Equally, BP is an important company to both the British and American economies. Thousands of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic depend on it.

"So it is in the interests of both our countries, as we agreed, that it remains a strong and stable company in the future."

After several hours of talks the two men were keen to emphasise the strength of the "special relationship" between the US and Britain.

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They exchanged gifts, including a painting by London street artist Ben Eine – best known for painting graffiti-style letters on shop shutters in London's East End and one of Samantha Cameron's favourite artists. He donated the 2,500 piece titled Twenty First Century City so the Prime Minister and his wife could give it to the US president.

With Washington being drenched by occasional torrential downpours, the first family's young daughters may also appreciate their offerings from Britain – two pairs of Hunter Wellington boots, one in pink and one in purple.

For Michelle Obama, there were candles made by London-based perfumer Miller Harris.

The president stuck to the art theme with his gift – a signed lithograph by well-known pop artist Ed Ruscha chosen for its red, white and blue colours matching the two countries' flags.