Libya invitation for Met

The way was opened today for a Metropolitan Police squad to travel to Libya to begin a direct investigation into the 1984 killing of Pc Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London.

The move was made by Libya's foreign minister, Mohammad Shalgam, in a phone call this morning to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Whitehall sources said Mr Shalgam had told Mr Straw that officers from the Met were free to come to Libya "at any time" to begin an investigation which could eventually identify the killer.

The concession came as both sides moved to quell the row which blew up after Libya's prime minister denied his country was to blame for the shooting of Pc Fletcher.

Downing Street said Libya had "clarified" the comments yesterday from Shukri Ghanem. Mr Ghanem said there was no evidence that the shot which killed Pc Fletcher as she policed a demonstration outside the embassy in 1984 had come from the building. He also denied Libya was behind the Lockerbie bombing, saying his country paid compensation and admitted blame only to escape sanctions.

Mr Blair's official spokesman said today Britain had sought for and received an assurance from the foreign minister that Libya "stands by all its previous commitments".

That appeared to reaffirm Libya's past acceptance of responsibility for the bombing and the killing of Pc Fletcher. The affair left a residue of confusion and damage to the effort, led by Mr Blair, to rebuild ties between Libya and the west.

The US, angered by Mr Ghanem's remarks, said it was delaying plans to lift travel restrictions to Libya - a reward to Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffy for agreeing to scrap his country's weapons programmes.