Olive Branch

Does Qaddafi Get Lockerbie Anger?

Strikes conciliatory tone in interview.

Is Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi capable of sympathy for Americans who lost relatives in the Lockerbie bombing? After his long diatribe at the U.N., during which he called the Security Council a "terror council," Qaddafi said in an interview that he could "comprehend" the anger that the families of Lockerbie victims feel, noting that "we all feel the pain for such a tragedy,” according to the Wall Street Journal. During the interview, he strongly denied the idea that his government whipped up a hero's welcome for Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the convicted bomber who returned home on compassionate release last month, and argued that al-Megrahi's release had come through proper legal channels. Between al-Megrahi's release, and the $2.7 billion his government paid to victim's families—amounting to about $10 million per family—the chapter is over for Col. Qaddafi. "It's come to an end, legally, politically, financially," he said, adding, "Thank Allah that this problem has been solved to the satisfaction of all parties." But some victims' families don't seem to agree. One woman who lost her brother in the bombing called him a "devil" and "murderer" who is not "capable of remorse."