Former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright has referred to the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie as an "accident".

Albright, Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, was speaking in a live, unscripted two-way with the studios of news network MSNBC debating the furore over the return of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi to Libya.

"This issue itself is most unfortunate because so many Americans and other nationals died in that terrible, terrible accident," Albright said.

Her comments echo those of former Scottish Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, speaking in the immediate aftermath of the incident, when he also described the destruction of the plane as an "accident" on STV.

A Firm investigation concluded that there is sufficient evidence to justify an investigation into the possibility that Pan Am 103 was destroyed as the result of an accidental explosion, possibly resulting from the unintended detonation of weapons components carried illegally on the plane. Such material can be sensitive to specific radio frequencies.

The explosives incident aboard the airliner took place during a period of intense radio activity as the cockpit communicated with air traffic control to obtain their transatlantic clearance. Explosives evidence introduced during the Zeist trial was later found to have been fabricated.

An analysis undertaken by Dr Ludwig de Braeckeleer concluded that it was "scientifically implausible" for Pan Am 103 to have been brought down by a semtex detonation as alleged at the Zeist trial.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi inexplicably dropped his appeal shortly before returning to Libya, ensuring that the possibility that a miscarriage of justice may have occured will now not be tested before the courts.The Scottish Government firmly said no pressure had been brought upon him to do so.

Albright's interview can be viewed here.