Scotland will not seek the extradition of the Lockerbie bomber from Libya's new leaders.
The Libyans say they have no intention of returning Basset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of the Lockerbie airliner bombing over Scotland.
The ABC reports the latest television pictures broadcast from Libya in America show him looking ill.
Pictures taken by CNN show Megrahi in an apparent coma receiving oxygen and being fed through a tube.
Megrahi was jailed for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people over the border town of Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988.
In August 2009, the Scottish government released Megrahi early on compassionate grounds, saying he had only months to live because of prostate cancer.
''The Scottish government has no intention, never has had any intention, to ask for the extradition of Mr al-Megrahi because he has conformed to his licence conditions,'' First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC television.
Scotland is responsible for its own legal system.
''The opinion of many, many people is that it might be time as far as Mr Megrahi is concerned to draw a line under that part of the Lockerbie issue and perhaps allow this man now to die in peace,'' Mr Salmond said.
Megrahi's son Khaled told CNN that he should now be left alone to die in peace with his family at home in Tripoli.
When asked how long his father had to live, he replied: ''Nobody can know.''
