THE Scottish Government has insisted that Kenny MacAskill will make the "right decision for the right reasons" when he decides whether or not to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing on grounds of compassion.

Scotland's Justice Secretary is widely expected to announce his decision this week after considering "all the medical evidence", but he knows that whatever decision he makes will attract criticism from some quarter.

The US administration and American relatives of the Lockerbie victims are adamant Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the only person to have been convicted of the bombing, should remain behind bars in Scotland.

Last week, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, telephoned Mr MacAskill to underline her government's view.

It was reflected in a weekend poll of 1000 Scots, which said 49% believed the 57-year-old Libyan should stay in Greenock Prison. Some 40% said he should be transferred to a jail in Libya, while only 11% felt he should be released on compassionate grounds.

By contrast, were Mr MacAskill to reject Megrahi's request for release, then this could spark a backlash from the Libyan government, with which the UK has sought to improve relations ever since it abandoned its nuclear programme in 2003.

At the weekend it was reported that Megrahi's prostate cancer has spread to his spine and pelvis and doctors do not expect him to live beyond three months.

The pressure on the Justice Secretary is mounting for what is likely to be the toughest decision of his ministerial career.

Paul McBride, a top QC and prominent Conservative, has made clear Mr MacAskill should consider resigning if he does not come up with satisfactory answers over the handling of the Megrahi case.

He suggested the Libyan, whom the Justice Secretary recently visited in jail, was being "feted as a celebrity" and that Scotland was being made to look "an international laughing stock" - assertions strongly denied by the Scottish Government.