Detectives and Scottish Crown Office lawyers are in London but there has been no interview with former Gaddafi minister
Scottish prosecutors who want to interview the dissident Libyan minister Moussa Koussa about the Lockerbie bombing have failed to meet him four days after they flew to London.
Lawyers from the Crown Office and detectives from Dumfries and Galloway police travelled to London on Monday to meet Koussa after he defected to the UK last week. There has been intense speculation that he may have significant information about Libya's role in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.
In a carefully worded statement released on Monday evening Crown Office officials said they had met with the Foreign Office. "It was a very positive meeting and steps are being taken with a view to arranging a meeting with Mr Moussa Koussa at the earliest opportunity in the next few days."
There were press reports that prosecutors believed they would meet Koussa on Monday but sources close to the investigation have confirmed no interview has yet taken place. The Crown Office and police refused to comment.
The Foreign Office confirmed Koussa had not been offered immunity but nor had he been arrested. He was not under any obligation to meet prosecutors, police or other officials. "Moussa Koussa is not detained by us and has taken part in discussions with officials since his arrival, of his own free will," a spokeswoman said.
"As the Crown Office statement on Monday evening indicated, Crown Office and FCO officials had a very positive meeting to address these matters on Monday with a view to arranging a meeting with Moussa Koussa at the earliest opportunity. It is not appropriate for us to say anything more at this stage."
The Times reported on Monday that the prosecutors were "fully expecting the interview to take place" that day. David Cameron, the prime minister, and William Hague, the foreign secretary, said they would encourage Koussa to talk to the Scottish team. But they played down speculation that he would agree.