Freedom for agent Libya's top priority-Gaddafi son

NICE, France, July 30 (Reuters) Libya is confident it will be proven innocent of the Lockerbie bombing and its top priority now is the release of its jailed agent Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, Muammar Gaddafi's most influential son said today.

In a Reuters interview, Saif al-Islam added Megrahi's freedom was more important than the possible future return of the 2.7 billion dollars Libya has paid in compensation to the families of the victims of the 1988 airliner bombing.

''The top of our priority is the return of Mr Megrahi and not the return of the money because I think he is more important than the money,'' Islam said on a visit to France. ''We are confident one day it be proved to the world that we had nothing to do with Lockerbie.'' REUTERS JT HT2253