London - The son of Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi Friday reignited the row over the release of the Lockerbie bomber by claiming a direct link between trade interest and an Anglo-Libyan prisoner transfer agreement.

In an interview published by The Herald newspaper in Glasgow, Scotland, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi said the "deal in the desert" which was signed in 2004 during a visit to Libya by former British prime minister Tony Blair "specifically targeted" the prisoner.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, 57, was freed from jail in Scotland on compassionate grounds just over a week ago, sparking a furious row between Britain and the US.

Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in 2001 for the bombing of a Pan Am airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in which 270 people died - 189 of them Americans.

"Lockerbie is now history," said the son of the Libyan leader.

"For the last seven to eight years we have been trying very hard to transfer Mr Megrahi to Libya to serve his sentence here and we have tried many times in the past to sign the PTA (prisoner transfer agreement) without mentioning Mr Megrahi, but it was obvious we were targeting Mr Megrahi and the PTA was on the table all the time," said Gaddafi's son.

"It was part of the bargaining deal with the UK. When Blair came here we signed the agreement. We didn't mention Mr Megrahi. We signed an oil deal at the same time. The commerce and politics and deals were all with the PTA."

Last week, British business secretary Peter Mandelson rejected as "offensive" suggestions that al-Megrahi's release was linked to trade interests.

The British government has said it had not "interfered" with the decision to release al-Megrahi, who is suffering from cancer, which was entirely one for the regional government of Scotland to take.

However, the Libyan leader's son also tried to calm the row over the release by saying that he apologized for "any perception that the Libyan government had not done its best to contain the jubilant scenes that accompanied Megrahi's arrival in Libya."

He revealed that Megrahi would play no role in celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of Gaddafi's ascent to power next week.

"Lockerbie is history. The next step is fruitful and productive business with Edinburgh and London. Libya is a promising, rich market and so let's talk about the future. There is no reason for people to be angry. Why be so angry? This is an innocent man who is dying," said the son of the Libyan leader in what was described as an "exclusive interview" held near Tripoli. (dpa)