Brown backed bomber's release.

GORDON Brown was facing mounting pressure to spell out his position on the Lockerbie row today after it emerged he had privately backed the bomber's release.

Despite the Prime Minister repeatedly refusing to state his views publicly, Libyan negotiators were told he did not want to see Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi die in jail.

The latest revelation surfaced in a mass of documentation published by the Westminster and Edinburgh administrations as they sought to dampen speculation that Megrahi's release was linked to economic and political deals with Colonel Gaddafi's regime.

The Scottish Government issued notes of a meeting with Libya's minister for Europe, Abdulati Alobidi, which took place in March.

Mr Alobidi apparently told Scottish officials he had been given an indication of the view in Downing Street during a meeting with then-Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell in Tripoli the previous month.

The notes stated: "Mr Alobidi confirmed that he had reiterated to Mr Rammell that the death of Mr Megrahi in a Scottish prison would have catastrophic effects for the relationship between Libya and the UK.

"Mr Alobidi went on to say that Mr Rammell had stated that neither the Prime Minister nor the Foreign Secretary would want Mr Megrahi to pass away in prison but the decision on transfer lies in the hands of the Scottish ministers."

Mr Rammell confirmed last night he had relayed the message, but he added: "We need to put it in context. I was making it emphatically clear that this was a decision for Scottish ministers."

Mr Brown previously insisted he was "repulsed" by the rapturous welcome given to Megrahi on his return to Libya last month, but has refused to comment on the decision to free him on compassionate grounds.

CAPTION(S):

FREED: Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi

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