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Khan's visit to Timbuktu was to prospect for uranium - dissident
Gulf News ^ | February 19, 2004 | Shyam Bhatia

Posted on 02/23/2004 6:56:39 PM PST by piasa

A London accountant has described how Pakistan's disgraced nuclear hero Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan visited the West African state of Mali on three occasions between 1998 and 2000.

Abdul Ma'bood Siddiqui accompanied A.Q. Khan on three mystery trips  between 1998 and 2000. Their final destination was Timbuktu, a remote outpost in the desert that has always been a magnet for explorers and adventurers from around the world.

The mystery behind the visits has deepened following recent revelations that Khan is also the owner of a small hotel in the town that he has named after Hendrina, his Dutch-born wife and the mother of his two daughters.

Siddiqui, who used to live in the Gulf until he moved to London, has told how on his vists to Timbuktu  the 'father' of the Pakistani bomb witnessed the digging of a well, toured an ancient Islamic library and enjoyed the views of the desert.

Despite Siddiqui's claim that the three visits had no ulterior motive, the  qualifications of the men who accompanied Khan, including his chief scientific adviser, the head of security at the top secret Khan Research Laboratories near Islamabad and a former surgeon general of the Pakistan army, would suggest otherwise.

Pakistani dissidents for their part have told how  the real reason for Khan's visit Timbuktu was to prospect for uranium. Landlocked Mali lies adjacent to uranium-rich Niger, from where the French government obtains all the uranium it needs for its nuclear programme, and Mali also has untapped resources of the same mineral.

The dissidents  say Khan's subsequent purchase of the newly named Hendrina Khan  Hotel was just a cover to his real interest in the precious uranium needed for nuclear bombs. But  Siddiqui, a partner in the London accountants firm Reddy, Siddiqui and Watts says he has no knowledge of any uranium prospecting.

"What uranium is there in Timbuktu?" he asked when he was contacted on the telephone, at variance with what he wrote of his journeys in a book.

"We went three times. There is a village there, people are very poor there, we went to help them. We dug a well that's why we went there. There are other villages nearby, you will get more information if you go there. There is a desert there. There is an ancient islamic library there. Once upon a time it was a big civilisation."

Siddiqui is the author of a book on Timbuktu that 'Hurmat' publications of Islamabad published in 2000. In it the author describes three journeys he made to Timbuktu in the company of the renegade scientist.

"In February 1998 I received a call from Tahir Mian, a dear friend of mine and a very close associate of Khan. He lives in the Gulf and is a computer businessman. He said that Khan is planning a visit to Timbuktu and 'you are invited to join him'. 

"My joy knew no bounds at the prospect of spending a few days with Khan. On February 19, 1998 I met up with Khan. He had with him Hank, a Dutch businessman dealing in air filtration system, solar energy, metallurgical machinery and materials; Lt Gen Dr Chauhan, former Surgeon General of Pakistan Army and now Director General of KRL (Khan Research Laboratories); and Brigadier Sajjawal. Khan told us that we would fly to Timbuktu via Casablanca in Morocco and Bamako, capital of Mali." 

After stopping over in Casablanca and attending a dinner where Pakistani ambassador to Morocco Azmat Hussain was also present, the group flew to the Mali capital of Bamako and then chartered a private plane to fly them to Timbuktu. 

"We had only a few hours in Timbuktu, which we spent in sight seeing. We returned by the same route", Siddiqui writes. 

One year later in February 1999 Siddiqui agreed to accompany a Khan-led group back to Timbuktu. This time Khan had with him his chief scientific adviser, Dr Fakhrul Hasan Hashmi, Brig. Tajjawal, Dir. Gen. of Security at KRL and other senior officials of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

The group flew via Sudan, Nigeria, Niger and Chad. In February 2000 Siddiqui travels to Niamey, capital of Niger, where Ambassador Brigadier Nisar, hosted a dinner in honour of Khan."Niger has big uranium deposits", Siddiqui adds in the book without further comment.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 1998; 199802; 1999; 199902; 2000; 200002; abdulqadeerkhan; abdulsiddiqui; africa; airfiltration; ams; aqk; azmathussain; azmathussein; bamako; benghazi; brigadiernisar; businessman; casablanca; chad; chauhan; directorgeneral; drchauhan; drhashmi; drilling; dutchbusinessman; excavation; fakhrulhashmi; filtrationsystem; filtrationsystems; france; hank; hasanhashmi; hashmi; hendrina; hussain; hussein; islamabad; islamicbomb; joewilson; kahn; khan; krl; laboratories; labs; maboodsiddiqui; machinery; machinetools; mali; metallurgical; mian; morocco; niamey; niger; nigerflap; nigeria; nisar; nukes; pakistan; pakistanarmy; pakistaniarmy; plameleak; proliferation; qadeerkhan; religionofpieces; researchlabs; rice; sajjawal; scientificadviser; siddiqui; solar; solarenergy; sudan; surgeongeneral; susanrice; tahirmian; tajjawal; timbuktu; uranium; waronterror; well; welldigging; wells; westafrica; wmd; yellowcake

1 posted on 02/23/2004 6:56:41 PM PST by piasa
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To: piasa
Crosslinking with another article from rediff.com but by the same author; some slight differences in the emphasis on Niger:

'A Q Khan (Pakistani nuke scientist) visited Timbuktu for uranium'

2 posted on 02/23/2004 7:10:54 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Shermy; swarthyguy; William McKinley; Howlin; Miss Marple; Cindy; Alamo-Girl; Dog
fyi
3 posted on 02/23/2004 7:14:51 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Grampa Dave; Travis McGee
fyi
4 posted on 02/23/2004 7:21:32 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa
Swell.

Thanks Piasa.
5 posted on 02/23/2004 7:26:06 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Cindy
Siddiqui says they went three times- but the article only describes two of the times. I wonder if the third time was in June of 1999, the same month an official in Niger said he was contacted by a businessman inquiring about making a deal the Nigeriens considered to be about uranium?
6 posted on 02/23/2004 7:29:53 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Cindy
Nevermind0 I see the third trip was in Feb 2000
7 posted on 02/23/2004 7:30:39 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa
Thanks for the ping!
8 posted on 02/23/2004 8:11:45 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: piasa
Thanks keep us posted if you run into any Yellowcake being purchased and sought after.
9 posted on 02/23/2004 11:36:50 PM PST by Grampa Dave (Recall Lockyer/Lockliar! Make him as relevant as Davis is now!)
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To: Grampa Dave; Alamo-Girl; Cindy; Howlin
Since we're on the topic of Qadeer "Islamic Bomb" Khan, Pakistan, nukes, Africa and so forth, it seems fitting to post this little bit I stumbled across on Clinton's gal Hazel O'Leary and here trips to Pakistan and Africa to offer foreign scientists an open door - anyone of you have more info on her travels?

1990s mid : (HAZEL O'LEARY'S "FLYING CARPET TRIPS" TO PAKISTAN, INDIA & AFRICA WHERE SHE OFFERED TO "SHARE" AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY AND OPEN US NUCLEAR RESEARCH LABS TO FOREIGN SCIENTISTS) He [ret. Col. Edward McCallum, former head of Energy's Office of Safeguards and Security] says that in her [former Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary] trade trips to Pakistan, India and Africa, O'Leary invited scientists to tour the labs. "When Hazel O'Leary was on her flying carpet trips in the mid-'90s, one of the pitches she made was, 'Send your scientists. We have technology to share,'" McCallum said. And she made sure they got into the labs. - "Clinton opened nuclear labs to terrorist-state visitors," By Paul Sperry, WorldNetDaily.com, Thursday, December 13, 2001

1994 : (CLINTON ENERGY SECRETARY O'LEARY EXEMPTS LOS ALAMOS & SANDIA LABS AN EXEMPTION FROM REAGAN-ERA REQUIRED BACKGROUND CHECKS, DESPITE WARNINGS FROM SECURITY PROFESSIONALS ABOUT THREAT OF TERRORISM) Under the Reagan and Bush administrations, Energy required background checks on foreign visitors. But in 1994, O'Leary granted Los Alamos and Sandia exemptions from the rule. As a result, few background checks were conducted at those labs, and the number of foreign visits exploded. Los Alamos, for example, had 2,714 visitors in two years from sensitive countries, but only 139 were checked, according to a 1997 congressional report. The new policy did not sit well with McCallum [ret. Col. Edward McCallum, former head of Energy's Office of Safeguards and Security] , a former green beret. "We raised hell about it all the time," he said. He and other security officials worried that the uncontrolled access to the labs invited not only espionage, but terrorism. But O'Leary and her aides dismissed their warnings. In one meeting, McCallum recalls, the former Energy secretary pooh-poohed the idea of threats from other countries. "Hazel said to me, and this is a quote, 'Boy, don't you understand that the Cold War is over, and all these people are our friends now?'" McCallum said. "And we were talking about security against terrorists and espionage in the same conversation." Phone calls seeking comment from O'Leary were not returned.
After McCallum told Congress about Energy's security problems, he was punished by former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. He left the department in 1999. - "Clinton opened nuclear labs to terrorist-state visitors," By Paul Sperry, WorldNetDaily.com, Thursday, December 13, 2001

10 posted on 03/22/2004 1:37:51 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa
Thank you so much for the information, piasa! It is amazing we didn't have further problems from the Clinton Nuclear Openness Initiative. BTW, another troubling 'player' in the African affairs under Clinton was Susan Rice...
11 posted on 03/22/2004 1:45:21 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl
I'd like to dig more on Susan Rice- I've come across some info regarding her and Amb Wilson before that caught my eye.
12 posted on 03/22/2004 2:24:49 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: piasa
Indeed, Susan Rice is a most interesting character. From the DSL:

9/21/98 NY Times “…In May 1996, at the request of the United States and Saudi Arabia, Sudan expelled bin Laden, who moved to Afghanistan. Sudanese officials also say that they sent 100 of his operatives and their dependents to Afghanistan as well. But U.S. officials were convinced that the Sudanese were insincere. "With the exception of the expulsion of Osama bin Laden, which was not followed by any steps to get rid of his financial network, they have not done anything serious," Ms. Rice said. ….In February 1997, Sudanese President Oman al-Bashir sent President Clinton a personal letter. It offered, among other things, to allow U.S. intelligence, law-enforcement and counterterrorism personnel to enter Sudan and to go anywhere and see anything, to help stamp out terrorism. The United States never replied to that letter; the isolaters derided it as a meaningless "charm offensive" by Sudan, in Ms. Rice's words. A senior Sudanese official made a similar offer directly to the F.B.I. six months ago -- send a counter-terrorism team to Sudan, and we will help in any way we can, it said. The F.B.I. wrote back more than four months later, in June, declining the opportunity….”


13 posted on 03/22/2004 2:34:50 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: piasa
Thanks Piasa.
14 posted on 03/22/2004 11:29:52 PM PST by Cindy
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To: Alamo-Girl
BTW, another troubling 'player' in the African affairs under Clinton was Susan Rice...

"Nostalgia" ping

15 posted on 01/13/2013 10:18:23 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Alamo-Girl
BTW, another troubling 'player' in the African affairs under Clinton was Susan Rice...

"Nostalgia" ping

16 posted on 01/13/2013 10:18:26 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: piasa
No kidding. According to Wikipedia, Rice - who held extremely high office and influence at the time - had this to say at the time of Rwanda genocide of nearly a million people: "If we use the word 'genocide' and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect on the November [congressional] election?"
17 posted on 01/14/2013 7:55:19 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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