LONDON — A Libyan military commander suing the British government over its alleged role in his detention and rendition has offered to settle his case for £3 ($4.50) and an apology. Abdel Hakim Belhaj is suing the British government, former foreign secretary Jack Straw and the former head of the MI6 spy agency. Belhaj was arrested in 2004 in Bangkok and returned to Muammar Gaddafi's Libya, where he spent years in prison. He says he will drop the case in return for a token £1 compensation from each defendant along with an apology and an admission of liability. Belhaj said in a statement Monday that he wants to lay to rest the misconception he is suing for personal enrichment. British ministers have always denied any complicity in rendition or torture. He and his wife were detained by American intelligence officers at Bangkok airport in Thailand in 2004 when Belhaj was leader of the anti-Gaddafi Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. The couple were then taken to Tripoli, where Belhaj was jailed for six years. Files unearthed from Gaddafi's archives after his fall suggest he was captured due to a British tip-off. In a letter sent to Prime Minister David Cameron, Straw and Allen, Belhaj wrote: “I am making an open offer to settle our litigation. My wife and I are willing to end our case against the UK Government and Messrs Straw and Allen in exchange for a token compensation of a British pound from each defendant, an apology and an admission of liability for what was done to us.” He rubbished media reports that suggested they were bringing the case “to enrich ourselves. “I wish to lay this misconception to rest,” he added. “It is certainly true that my wife and I suffered deeply during our kidnap and in Libya. “But we have come to court in Britain because we believe your courts can deliver justice.” Reprieve legal director Cori Crider added: “What our clients want from the government is an admission, an apology and an explanation of how this was allowed to happen. “It is time to put the ghosts of Tony Blair's toxic ‘deal in the desert' with Qaddafi to rest, and this is the perfect opportunity for David Cameron to do so.” – Agencies
