Posted on 08/31/2011 1:00:51 PM PDT by Cardhu
Al Jazeera uncovers evidence that influential Americans tried to help the now-deposed Libyan leader cling to power.
Al Jazeera news producer Jamal Elshayyal recently gained access to the Tripoli headquarter of Libya's intelligence agency. Among the documents scattered throughout the demolished building were secret files indicating that influential Americans advised Muammar Gaddafi since the beginning of the Libyan uprising. Here is his account of the discovery:
The destruction by NATO airstrikes of Libya's intelligence headquarters at the heart of Tripoli has transformed the once-feared building into a symbol of how Gaddafi's regime has been all but toppled.
Guarding the compound are dozens of armed rebel fighters, some of them told me their friends and families went missing as a direct result of "intelligence" gathered by those who worked in the building.
It's fair to assume that among the rubble and ransacked offices, are some of the darkest, deepest secrets of Gaddafi's regime. I'm looking for files entitled "Lockerbie" or "IRA", but the place is a mess.
I'm taken to the office of Abdullah Alsinnousi, head of Libya's intelligence service and one of the Gaddafi regime's most notorious and feared strong men.
Scattered on his desk are dozens of documents branded "top secret", but the rebels accompanying me aren't keen on me taking anything away. I find a folder titled "Moussa Al Sadr", who was the founder of the Amal movement, a Shia party in Lebanon, who went missing in Libya over 30 years ago. Within seconds, the folder is taken by my minder who said none of these documents can leave the compound.
In the room adjacent to Sinnousi's office is a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom kitted with a plush jacuzzi, an indication of the lush lifestyle led by the heads of the former regime.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.aljazeera.net ...
[snip}
It appears Welch was not the only prominent American giving help to Gaddafi as NATO and the rebel army were locked in battle with his regime.
On the floor of the intelligence chief's office lay an envelope addressed to Gaddafi's son Saif Al-Islam. Inside, I found what appears to be a summary of a conversation between US congressman Denis Kucinich, who publicly opposed US policy on Libya, and an intermediary for the Libyan leader's son.
It details a request by the congressman for information he needed to lobby US lawmakers to suspend their support for the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) and to put an end to NATO airstrikes.
According to the document, Kucinich wanted evidence of corruption within the NTC and, like Welch, any possible links within rebel ranks to al-Qaeda.
The document also lists specific information needed to defend Saif Al-Islam, who is currently on the International Criminal Court's most-wanted list.
The documents read: “Any information related to al-Qaeda or other terrorist extremist organisations should be found and given to the American administration but only via the intelligence agencies of either Israel, Egypt, Morroco, or Jordan America will listen to them It’s better to receive this information as if it originated from those countries...
This is goodddd
I am hooked on Al Jazeera english news since KCET went without PBS funding they been carrying news coverage since Egyptian uprising
This is goodddd
I am hooked on Al Jazeera english news since KCET went without PBS funding they been carrying news coverage since Egyptian uprising
It is the best news organization in the world - since it`s founding I have found all the major news organization, BBC, RT, France24, Press TV, Chinese, and Taiwanese stations - have improved their sets and organization to keep up with Al Jazeera.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Here in SO CAL we get France 24 NHK World news IBA News and BBC world news and others since KCET went solo after they drop PBS I am so hooked on France 24 and Al Jazeera english news
Wow. David Welch was a career diplomat. The Obama administration must have used him as an intermediary and used his retired status as a cut out so that whatever was discussed could not be traced back directly to the Aministration. The meeting took place on August 2nd. Congress needs to investigate this immediately and see who ordered and arranged the meeting from our side. Very distrubing.
I heard the State Department’s spokeswoman say, in answer to a question, that David Welch was a private citizen and has no connection with the administration, then moved on.
Without touching on the purported Welch promise: “To convey everything to the American administration, the congress and other influential figures.”
We are relying on the Libyan version of events so there may have been more to this exchange than reported. We wanted Ghadaffi to step down, so this could have been a ploy to trick him into doing just that. Still, it needs to be investigated, probably best behind closed doors.
Obviously, this contact by Welch was supposed to be kept secret. Its revelation will do harm to our future relations with the new Libyan government. Unfortunate given all of the assistance we have provided the rebels.
David Welsh needs increased security and stay inside at night.
He was just acting as the messenger.
Doesn't make any sense. We're (NATO) bombing the sh*t out of Kadaffy and his hordes and sending someone in to negotiate with him?
The implications are interesting. A broad spectrum of dynamics appear possible.
I must state again folks, with the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas in the region, and us knowing that Iran has been operating outside it’s borders, Libya is a great big fat goose-egg right now, concerning which, we should have kept our nose as far out of it as we could have.
If we helped we’re bad.
If we didn’t help we’re bad.
If we tried to get Khadaffy to step down we’re bad.
If we tried to manipulate him we’re bad.
We aren’t going to win here. We never could. The best we could hope to do, it help one of the worst entities known to man take control in Libya. That is how it will turn out.
Whoopie...
Trying to convince him to relinquish power and end the war sooner rather than later. It was August 2nd.
But, the bombing began in mid-March. Approximately 5 months later they (Administration) decide to begin negotiating to end the hostilities sooner rather than later? Again, it makes no sense to me....
This guy Welch has a pair. Bet he’s po’d at the Zero kiss the Islamofascist Butt administration.
In Egypt, Sheikh Goma’a delivered a fatwa, an Islamic opinion issued by Islamic scholars, which states that anyone who detonates himself among Israelis is a martyr. David Welch, the United States ambassador to Egypt, stated that this fatwa was an attempt to justify and promote terrorism. He also formed a committee intended to inspect the Egyptian schools to remove curriculum that promote terrorism. Welch’s statements aroused anti-US sentiments amongst Egyptians as Muslims believed that the United States ambassador had no authority to interfere in religious matters of foreign country. Egyptian media criticized him for describing Palestinians who carry out martyrdom operations against Israel as terrorists, labeling Hizbollah as a terrorist organization, and excluding Israel from countries required to disarm its nuclear weapons.
The ambassador criticized the process of editing, calling it “recklessness in checking the facts of serious matters.” He criticized the Egyptian media by accusing Egyptian journalists of lacking precision and professionalism, and often fabricating and sensationalizing news. The Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Maher, in return, said that the Egyptian press is worth respect and the attack on the Egyptian press does not correspond with the principles of democracy and freedom of opinion promoted by America. He added that the Egyptian press is expressing independent opinions that might or might not be in accordance with the governments policy.
He has also previously appeared on Egyptian television and confirmed that America would cut off its aid to Egypt because of the stand of the Egyptian judiciary toward the case of Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian liberalist and political activist. He has also attacked the Azhar and the Friday sermon that described the Jews as the “descendants of monkeys and pigs.” He sent a message of objection to this sermon confirming that it creates a climate that is hostile to Jews and justifies terrorism. Welch has also sent a letter to the Minister of Culture requesting the safeguard of Jewish monuments after rumors spread that mosques would be built over those monuments.
Egyptian intellectuals sarcastically criticized him, stating that he acts like “the American High Commissioner in Egypt, referring to the authority that the British High Commissioner once had during British occupation, as they considered his statements a severe interference in domestic issues.
Re: wikijunk
That won't prevent either Arkancide or Chicagocide...
The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami were March 11th...The bombing started within a week of that....
August 2nd...Oh yeah...DD day on the Federal Budget Deficit Day...When Zer0bomber declared that it was the Tea Party & the Japan Quake that was behind all our economic woes...
Yes this needs investigated now.
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