US Senate Asks Tony Blair To Testify On Lockerbie - Report

22nd Jul 2010 00:43

LONDON (AFP)--Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair has been invited to testify before a U.S. Senate committee examining whether BP PLC (BP) played a role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber, reports said Friday. The former premier has been asked to appear at the hearing in Washington next week, the BBC and Sky News television reported. Former U.K. justice secretary Jack Straw was also invited Thursday to attend the hearing. Scotland has turned down a request for its Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill, who made the decision to release the bomber, to attend the hearing. Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted over the 1988 bombing that killed 270 people, was freed by Scotland last August after being given three months to live. However, he is still alive in his native Libya almost a year later. (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 22, 2010 19:43 ET (23:43 GMT)