Cameron leaves for US amid fears over Lockerbie bomber's release row

London, July 19 (ANI): British Prime Minister David Cameron leaves for a two-day trip for the United States today amid concerns that the row of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release, might derail his summit with President Barack Obama.

According to The Sun, No 10 expressed its worries recently that the Lockerbie row could overshadow Cameron's one-to-one meeting with Obama, even though the Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed he opposed al-Megrahi's release.

"The Prime Minister's view is the decision to release Megrahi was wrong and he deeply regrets the pain his release caused. However, it was a decision for the Scottish executive alone," 10 Downing Street said in a statement.

Meanwhile, US politicians are fuming that Megrahi is thriving in Libya almost a year to the day he was released on "compassionate" grounds by the Scottish Government, which was told he would die of prostate cancer within three months.

Obama himself has described the release as "a mistake".

However, No10 has shunned Washington's claims that Megrahi's release was linked to a BP oil deal in Libya.

Cameron's visit comes ten days before US senators plan an inquiry into the freeing of Megrahi - whose 1988 bomb killed 270 people, most of them Americans.

During the two-day trip Cameron hopes to build on the personal relationship he struck with Obama at the recently held G20 Summit in Toronto, Canada. (ANI)