Bully tactics

The US cables say London's fully supported the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi by the Scottish authorities.

The details, published in the Guardian, allege Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi made "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals if Megrahi stayed in jail.

The UK was "between a rock and a hard place", one cable to Washington said.

The British ambassador in Libya allegedly told a US diplomat that the Libyans could "cut us off at the knees".

British diplomats planned dramatic and pre-emptive measures preparing for hostile demonstrations and leaving only essential staff in the embassy.

'Enormous repercussions'

The American charge d'affaires in London, Richard LeBaron, wrote a cable to Washington in October 2008.

"The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly," he said.

In January 2009 the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, confirmed that "dire" reprisals had been threatened against the UK, and the British were braced to take "dramatic" steps for self-protection.

The Libyans "convinced UK embassy officers that the consequences if Megrahi were to die in prison… would be harsh, immediate and not easily remedied… specific threats have included the immediate cessation of all UK commercial activity in Libya, a diminishment or severing of political ties, and demonstrations against official UK facilities.

Via the BBC.

So this is how diplomacy is done.

In other news:
Julian Assange, who is wanted in Sweden regarding sexual assault allegations has surrendered at a UK police station.

I don't think he's doing what he's doing out of an altruistic desire for transparency, but I find myself rooting for him a bit (just a bit: he is kind of creepy, and though he claims that Wikileak's actions do not harm individuals, how credible is that?). Maybe it's just the way he's been able to frustrate the superpowers, maybe it's because he comes across as the underdog (I guess it's easier to root for an individual than to feel sorry for the most powerful countries in the world), maybe it's his and Wikileaks' refusal to give up. Maybe it's just because this is such an intriguing saga.

Whatever it is, this is a very interesting story. And I'm sure the news reports don't do it justice. The books that'll be written on this would be pretty interesting I think.