Letter from First Minister Alex Salmond to Senator Kerry
United States Senate Washington DC 20310, USA
10 September 2010
Dear Senator Kerry,
I am writing to you in your capacity of Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, to advise you of the position that has been reached in correspondence with your
Senatorial colleagues on the subject of the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed AI-Megrahi.
You will recall that I wrote to you on 21 and 22 July 2010 responding on a number of issues
about which you had written to me. You acknowledged that my response was "thoughtful
and thorough". Since then, there have been five further rounds of correspondence with
Senators Menendez, Gillibrand, Lautenberg and Schumer, and my officials have also met
staff from their offices to provide background information on a number of questions of detail.
I attach a copy of my most recent letter to the four Senators, making clear that I am now
drawing a line under the correspondence as no new issues of substance are being raised.
You will also note, however, that I have offered the courtesy of an appropriate official
meeting with staff from Senators' offices should they decide to visit Scotland.
I believe that the Scottish Government has been as helpful as could be expected of a friendly
foreign government in relation to these matters. Indeed, we have now gone beyond what
could reasonably have been expected of us. Nevertheless, I remain willing for the Scottish
Government to respond, in writing, to any new issues of substance that may arise from the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee's interest in these matters. I also remain content for
my correspondence with you to be entered into the official record of the Committee.
ALEX SALMOND