Gaddafi defends Libya over Lockerbie
Colonel Moammar Gaddafi has gone on television to defend Libya over the Lockerbie bombing.
He said the outrage was pinned on his country to justify the West's sanctions and the US bombing of his country.
In a long speech, Colonel Gaddafi blamed the court process and the FBI investigation.
He said "American imperialist policy" demanded Libya be blamed for the bombing.
"The case was political right from the beginning. It is an issue for all peoples, not only the Libyan people, because it came in the middle of a struggle between a tyrant and a defender of justice, otherwise why accuse Libya?"
He said if the Scottish court in the Hague had cleared both Libyans accused: "Then there would not have been a just reason for the evil forces to attack us.
"Therefore America insists on accusing Libya, Libya must be shown as the accused, otherwise, America and Britain would be embarrassed in the face of the whole world."
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 48, was convicted on Wednesday of planting the bomb that blew up a Pan Am airliner over the Scottish town in December 1988, killing 270 people.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no prospect of parole for 20 years and has 14 days to appeal.
Co-defendant Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was cleared and returned to Libya on Thursday.
