Lockerbie documents handed over

The two accused deny all the charges

Fresh versions of classified CIA documents have been handed over to defence lawyers at the Lockerbie trial.

But lawyers for the two accused have asked for more time to consider the controversial telegrams concerning a key prosecution witness.

They say it could take them a week to pore over the documents - which still have some deletions.

And this could further delay prosecution efforts to call Abdul Majid Giaka, who is expected to give vital evidence on the events at Malta Airport, from where the suitcase containing the bomb is alleged to have been despatched.

The development came as United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan released the text of a letter he wrote to Libya's Colonel Gadhafi during negotiations setting up the Lockerbie trial.

The Scottish Court at Camp Zeist

The British and US government have issued a statement saying the letter - which was released at the request of the two accused - should put an end to speculation that there was a hidden agreement giving concessions to the Libyan leader.

The Central Intelligence Agency cables relating to interviews with Giaka caused controversy this week when it emerged that the defence had only seen censored versions of the papers.

Passages had been blanked out by the CIA because of national security or because they were considered not relevant to the case.

CIA officials were then asked to hand the uncensored documents over to the defence - which they did on Friday.

Lord Advocate Colin Boyd told the court that there were still some deletions in the telegrams, but said he would address the trial about that matter on Monday.

Defence lawyer Richard Keen QC said he would need to speak to at least one further potential witness before Giaka went into the witness box.

He said a preliminary glance at the documents made it clear that they were highly relevant to the defence, concerning matters at the heart of the trial.

Witness protection scheme

The Lord Advocate said he would be in a position to bring Giaka to the witness box on Monday.

But presiding judge Lord Sutherland said the likelihood of that happening was "now remote" and asked the prosecution to have other less contentious witnesses standing by.

Giaka is an ex-member of the Libyan Intelligence Services who has been living for the last 10 years under a witness protection scheme in the United States.

He is regarded as a key prosecution witness against Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, who are alleged to be members of the Libyan Intelligence Services.

Defence lawyers are seeking more time

The trial earlier heard that an airport security guard did not know about a warning of a possible bomb concealed in electronic equipment.

The court at Camp Zeist was told that the guard, who checked luggage for Pan Am, had not received a warning about explosives concealed in Toshiba equipment.

A bomb exploded on Pan Am flight 103 bound for New York over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people.

The two Libyans are accused of concealing a bomb in a suitcase in Malta and routing it onto flight 103 via Frankfurt.

Security guard Sulkash Kamboj was working for Alert Security at Heathrow Airport on the night of the disaster.

He was on duty at the interline shed, where baggage from passengers who were connecting to Pan Am flight 103 from other airlines was brought for x-ray.

He scanned a small number of bags, between six and 10, and these were taken in a container by Pan Am loader John Bedford out to the runway.

X-ray machine

Luggage taken off the connecting Pan Am 103 Frankfurt flight was then placed directly into the same container and loaded onto the New York flight.

The brown Samsonite suitcase containing the bomb was within this container, according to the prosecution case.

Mr Kamboj told Crown counsel Alan Turnbull QC that his x-ray machine would identify electrical items such as radios.

Whether any were identified on that fateful night did not emerge in court.

Trial details

The two accused are Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 48, and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, 44

Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988, killing all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground

The two men deny three charges - murder, conspiracy to murder and a breach of the 1982 Aviation Security Act

The trial is taking place in a Scottish courtroom at Camp Zeist, in the Netherlands

The case is being heard by three Scottish judges

Under cross-examination from defence counsel Jack Davidson, Mr Kamboj said he was not aware of a security warning known as the Toshiba warning.

Mr Davidson asked: "You had not been made aware to look out for any specific type of fake radio such as a Toshiba that might be carrying explosive?"

Mr Kamboj replied: "No sir."

The court also heard evidence from Mr Bedford who said he loaded several bags into a container after they had been x-rayed in the interline shed.

He then went away to speak to his supervisor for a short time and when he returned to the interline shed a further two suitcases had been put at the front of his container.

Mr Bedford said Mr Kamboj told him he had put them in the container for him after they were examined by the x-ray machine.

However, the court heard that Mr Kamboj denied loading any bags into a container during police statements he gave in the aftermath of the disaster.

In court, Mr Bedford was unable to recall details of the two items concerned but he told police shortly after the tragedy that they were Samsonite suitcases and at least one was brown.

The trial will continue on Monday.