Powell Blasts Gore on Bin Ladengate Scandal

NewsMax.com ^ | 6/30/02 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Responding to former Vice President Al Gore's criticism on Saturday of the Bush administration's handling of the war on terrorism, Secretary of State Colin Powell blasted the Clinton-Gore administration for not accepting a deal for Osama bin Laden's extradition from Sudan negotiated by Pakistani-American businessman Mansour Ijaz in the late 1990's.

"Perhaps that's what Vice President Gore should have been talking about - what happened on their watch as opposed to the progress we've made on our watch," Powell told "Fox News Sunday," after being asked about Ijaz's claims.

In a Sunday Washington Post op-ed piece, Ijaz and former U.S. ambassador to Sudan Tim Carney detailed the Clinton administration's mishandling of both Sudan's bin Laden offer and overall U.S. relations with the country. In another reference to the Ijaz-Carney piece, Powell said the Bush administration had made progress, "not only in Afghanistan but, I would also submit, in Sudan."

"We've recently sent a presidential emissary to Sudan," Powell told "Fox News Sunday." "Sen. Jack Danforth, he's had very successful trips there. We now have a policy with respect to Sudan that will start to move them in the direction of cooperating with us in the campaign against terrorism."

Powell cited the Clinton-Gore bin Ladengate scandal after the former vice president slammed the Bush administration for failing to capture the 9-11 terrorist mastermind.

On Saturday Gore told a crowd of Democratic Party faithful, "They haven't gotten Osama bin Laden or the al Qaeda operation and they have refused to allow enough troops from the international community to be put into Afghanistan to keep it from sliding back under control of the warlords."

Before making reference Mr. Ijaz's allegations, Powell called Gore's remarks "patent nonsense" adding, "I notice the previous administration didn't even make a serious try (to get bin Laden)."

With his comments on Sunday, the Secretary of State becomes the highest ranking Bush administration official to endorse Mr. Ijaz's claims, which have been all but ignored by the mainstream news media except for the occasional op-ed column authored by the Pakistani-American businessman himself.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ijaz has come under fierce attack from the Clinton administration and their supporters in the press.

In a May radio interview, for instance, Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri called Ijaz "a liar" and "a crackpot." (See: DNC Spokesgal Trashes Key Bin Ladengate Accuser)

Clinton friendly media reporters like the New York Times' Judith Miller and NBC newswoman Andrea Mitchell have explained their own decisions not to cover Ijaz's claims by saying he lacks credibility. Miller said she established Ijaz's lack of credibility by contacting former Clinton administration sources.

In May, Ijaz told radio host Sean Hannity that he, Mr. Carney and the chief of Sudanese intelligence would be willing to give sworn testimony on bin Ladengate but had not yet been called by Congress. (See: Bin Laden-gate Witness Dares Dems: Depose Me on Clinton 9-11 Cover-Up)

Earlier this month, Ijaz told radio host Don Imus that former Clinton administration officials had mounted a campaign to block his testimony. (See: Bin Laden-gate Accuser: Ex-Clinton Officials Trying to Silence Me)

But with Powell's tacit endorsement, the bin Ladengate accuser's story it may be more difficult for congressional investigators and the press to ignore.

In their Sunday Washington Post op-ed piece, Ijaz and Carney added new details to their account of the Clinton administration's bin Ladengate intelligence failure:

"After offering to hand bin Laden over to U.S. authorities, Sudan expelled him..... Sudan gave U.S. authorities permission to photograph two terror camps. Washington failed to follow up. In August, (Sudan) sent an 'olive branch' letter to President Clinton through Ijaz. There was no reply.

"By election day 1996, top Clinton aides, including (National Security Advisor Sandy) Berger, knew what information was available from Khartoum and of its potential value to identify, monitor and ultimately dismantle terrorist cells around the world. Yet they did nothing about it."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Al-Qaeda
Al Gore
Bush Administration
Clinton Scandals
Media Bias

[Wallaby]

> Did Rich and oil interests oppose a rise to power of Abiola?

One of Abiola's sons is carrying out all business transactions in Nigeria on behalf of Tradescantia, a Rich company.

---

Sources in the oil sector believe that in spite of spirited efforts by NNPC's [Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation] management to give reasons for the selective process used in awarding petroleum product import contracts, they may actually be concerned by efforts by the Lower House to probe the corporation's activities.
Also, industry sources said contrary to NNPC's claims that it patronised mainly the multinationals like Shell, Totalfina and Mobil for the imports, it may have given most of the contracts to a few foreign and local companies, such as Tradescantia of Switzerland; Sahara Energy Resource Limited; Sadiq Petroleum; and two NNPC subsidiaries - Hyson Nigeria Limited and Napoil Nigeria Limited. Others include Ocean and Oil Limited and Besses Oil Limited.
Specifically, an official with one of the multinationals dismissed claims by NNPC's group managing director, Mr. Jackson Gaius-Obaseki that the oil majors had been importing most of the fuel into the country since May last year.
He said companies like Shell and Totalfina were only given a few cargoes to import products after which the contracts petered out entirely. But Tradescantia, which belongs to the Swiss commodity trader, Mr. Marc Rich, has been given contracts to deliver close to 1 million metric tonnes of fuel products since the beginning of this year.
It was further learnt that all business transactions on behalf of the Swiss firm in Nigeria were being carried out by Mr. Michael Prest and one of the sons of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

"Nigeria; NNPC Invites Bids for Fuel Importation,"
Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, This Day (Lagos)
Africa News
September 7, 2000

[Wallaby]

More on the Abacha/Rich connection:

---

An oil embargo is not without risks. Abacha could threaten Americans and nationalize US interests. He could take out his wrath on others still imprisoned, such as Moshood Abiola, Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar'Adua, and Beko Ransome-Kuti, or reach abroad to Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, and Ken Wiwa, the Ogoni leader's son. And he could get around a US embargo and sell at least some of his production to European and Asian buyers through Marc Rich, the indicted American broker who operates for Nigeria out of Switzerland. But what Abacha cannot do is remain long in office. In this highly politicized nation of 250 ethnic groups, no single individual can hold the country ransom forever, particularly no one as despised and isolated as Abacha.
Seizing or freezing foreign bank accounts of Abacha and other members of his cabal has been suggested as an alternative to an embargo, but this would be ineffective. It is difficult to locate his assets; most are not in the US. He does not use his own accumulated wealth to dispense the corruption that sustains him in power, and any assets forfeited will only impel him to recover his losses more aggressively.


From:
"The Only Way to Dislodge Nigeria's Dictator,"
By Paul Beran; [Paul Beran is the pseudonym of an investor with years of experience in Nigeria.]
The Christian Science Monitor
OPINION/ESSAYS; Pg. 19
November 24, 1995, Friday

[Wallaby]

Nigeria; Clinton Should Have Paid Tribute To Abiola

The News (Lagos)
Africa News
September 6, 2000

Lagos - Chief Gani Fawehinmi, a lawyer and human rights activist, spoke with Abimbola Ogunnaike on Clinton's speech and President Obasanjo's age-long hatred for Chief Abiola. Excerpts:
Q: President Bill Clinton's great speech to the joint sessions of House of Representatives and the Senate omitted Chief MKO Abiola's name in the list of the heroes of the democratic struggle in Nigeria. Do you consider this an error of omission or a deliberate blackout?
A: As for the omission or the non-reference to Chief MKO Abiola, whether it is an omission or a deliberate act, I cannot say because I didn't draft his speech for him.
Q: Some people say the Presidency might have seen the speech before Clinton delivered it and might have influenced or doctored it. A: Again, I cannot say whether Aso Rock influenced the speech or saw it after it was made because I don't relate with Aso Rock. But if you want to know my opinion why MKO's name was not mentioned, I myself was surprised.
Because the present civil rule that we have in Nigeria is largely the consequence of the sacrifice of Chief MKO Abiola who was incarcerated, whose election, on June 12, 1993 was illegally and immorally annulled by the dastardly dictator called Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Secondly, his incarceration for four years in solitary confinement simply because he refused to give up the people's mandate. And thirdly, the way he was murdered by the Abdulsalami Abubakar regime at the very height of spiritual purity after four years of constantly reading the Bible and the Quran in an illegal and unjustified incarceration. All these put together should have featured prominently in Clinton's address to the special session of the joint session of the National Assembly.
I believe that Clinton should have paid that respect to him. I was disappointed. But I am not in a way surprised because, Obasanjo, since he came to power on 29 May 1999, has refused to have any iota of respect for the memory of MKO Abiola. Unlike Abiola, Obasanjo made no significant contribution to the present democratic dispensation. Obasanjo did not contribute to this present democracy.
Don't forget that it was in April 1994 that Obasanjo told the world in Harare in Zimbabwe that Abiola was not the messiah we were waiting for. Don't forget that it was also the same Obasanjo who designed, engineered, and instigated the Interim Government of Chief Shonekan to supersede the peoples' victory on the 12 of June. The Nigerian public should not forget since Obasanjo came to power, apart from the arrogant statement he made at Eagle Square in which he deliberately kept Abiola's name out of the whole speech, he has never, in the last one year and two months of his governance of this country, paid tribute for one single day to Chief MKO Abiola. He has not immortalised his name by naming any institution after him, he has not initiated any foundation in the name of Chief MKO Abiola . So, I am not surprised about the non-inclusion of MKO's name in the speech of President Clinton. The hostility of Obasanjo against Abiola's name is not only immoral, it is ungodly.
Q: What do you think might have been responsible for President Obasanjo's attitude toward Chief Abiola?
A: History will tell us because we want to know. I want to know why Abiola died. I want to know how Abiola died. We have not heard the whole story and I don't believe we've heard the whole story. By the grace of God, in our life time, we will hear the whole story.
Q: How can President Obasanjo immortalise Chief MKO Abiola's name?
A: Obasanjo must first apologise to the memory of Abiola, that is number one. This man just thinks that the whole nation is for him, the whole nation is at his feet. The man is just behaving as if he is a rhino in the sea. He is behaving as if he is a shark in the mighty ocean. I think he is badly mistaken and his dictatorial instinct at his disposition has not left him. I think he must start to be humble by paying eulogies to the memory of Chief MKO Abiola and immortalising that name. There are many things he could do.
Let him first apologise to the memory of Chief Abiola and then apologise to Nigerians, the way he has rubbished the great contribution of Chief MKO Abiola. Secondly, he must set up a national foundation in the name of Chief MKO Abiola. He must look for a very great national monument that should be named after MKO Abiola and in addition, he should set aside a particular day, a national day in remembrance of MKO Abiola for his contribution to democracy.
Q: But Obasanjo once said that June 12 should not be observed as a democracy day that instead of that May 29 should be a democracy day. What do you...?
A: It is also an insult to the integrity of the Nigerian psyche for this man to tell us that the day he was sworn in should be a democracy day. What an insult from a man who made no contribution to the struggle, who openly desecrated June 12. How can he be talking of May 29? The process to May 29 was totally a fraud. I mean there was massive rigging in this country in the presidential election. Even the process by which he got there was questionable. How can we immortalise May 29? If May 29 was the best day for this country, how come that after May 29, Nigeria has witnessed the most horrible blood- letting, blood-shedding, mayhem, assassinations, constant robbery, people being killed and communal clashes in the history of this country. And yet this man wants us to remember a day he came to power. I think the events are very clear for everybody to see that May 29 is not democracy day. He just wants to rubbish the memory of Chief MKO Abiola. As long as Obasanjo remains the president of the country, May 29 cannot be significant to the Nigerian people. June 12 is still the day.
Q: The Federal Government has finally accepted that Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka should now administer his AIDS vaccines on his patients.
A: Obasanjo does not think before he acts. We told him that his ban and suspension of Abalaka's vaccines was illegal. We went to court, we challenged him. More than 200 people who were infected with the AIDS virus went to court, we are their lawyers. My chambers also represented Abalaka.
We challenged Obasanjo as a result of his illegal immoral, unpatriotic ban and we also made it known to Nigerians the overtures he made to Abalaka, he Obasanjo, in order to destroy Abalaka from giving the glory to Nigerian people. When the whole nation rose in unison against him, it is then he saw reality and rationality. This man does not think before he acts. Now, it has dawned on him that he is wrong as he has always been wrong in many things.
So, I am happy Abalaka is back to business. He has always been in business anyway. You know he is protected by the army everyday, they guard him everywhere. The army ignored the useless ban from Aso Rock. Everybody ignored his useless ban from Aso Rock. Nigerian people ignored his useless ban from Aso Rock. It was when Obasanjo saw the futility of his ban that he wanted to save a little respect that is left of his integrity. Well, the Nigerian people are greater than any dictator.

[Saundra Duffy]

Well, shut my mouth. Powell's not that bad after all.

[Alamo-Girl]

Jeepers! Thank you so much for the information and heads ups!!!

[GEC]

I guess I was hoping that it was not an indication that the administration was moving toward Powell's stance on the ME and other relatively dovish approaches.

[Prodigal Son]

I guess I was hoping that it was not an indication that the administration was moving toward Powell's stance on the ME and other relatively dovish approaches.

Ahh. Well, I think even if they did, there's too many loose Muslim cannons running around to really make some 'pretended peaceful solution and coalition status quo maintenance' work out. If Powell is naive enough to think that we're dealing with rational people, well, I feel sorry for him.

What I truly think is, Powell is a smart guy. He wouldn't have got where he is if he wasn't (especially with the military route he took). I think he truly wants to feel for himself that we tried every diplomatic avenue and exhausted every means before we take the tough stance. I think Condoleezza Rice has probably been working on him as well. I bet they finally uncovered some damning piece of evidence (as if more were needed) that Arafat is truly behind and orchestrating the murders in the Middle East and this was a huge factor in the administration's call for Arafat's ouster. It must be something that made a believer in all of 'em. Powell must suddenly see the wisdom of Bush and the way he deals with thugs and that gives him more confidence in the administration's other areas of concern.

Bush will make a believer of Powell just like he did out of Rice. Rice is very confident in Bush's leadership and vision and has said so on many occasions. I think Dubya is a great poker player and an acadamy award potential actor. And what I mean by that is, he will either play up or let the media play up this "Bush is Stupid" thing to the max- it only hurts his enemies. I think he is disarming from a distance and might come off as 'simple'- but I bet when he gets you in his pickup truck or off in a corner or over a steak alone he probably turns sharp as a tack and shows his cards and says "This here is how we're going to play this or that".

I would imagine he just runs the table on the opposition to the point they know right from his first shot that he's a pool shark and they've been hustled but I bet he also offers them a nice little treat for doing it his way- a treat that in the end is more savory than the reward would have been for having done it their own way. The Putins and Blairs nod their heads and agree- "Okey Dokey Dubya". We'll hear more about all this after Tony Blair ever gets voted out of office and writes his memoirs.

[Wallaby]

It certainly looks like Abacha was becoming too greedy and obvious. There are also signs in the Rubin press conference that the distance between Abacha and Clinton's State Department had been growing. It is also clear that in July 1998, Kofi Annan, the EU, and the US were desperately trying to get Abiola to give up his claim to be the legitimate leader. While Annan reported that Abiola had told him that he was not so "naive" as to think he could be released from imprisonment immediately to take over the government, my guess is that this was closer to Annan's position than Abiola's.

[aristeides]

One of the interviewers on Sunday pressed Powell on whether Arafat was actively involved in supporting terrorism. Powell said he could not answer that question, as it would involve revealing sensitive intelligence. I.e., he's seen evidence.

[thinden]

sorry I'm late to this one. thanx for the flag.

interesting connection to rich.

[a history buff]

Bear in mind that Africa has a rich history of manufactured stories to suit foreign interests. Like Iraq, Nigeria is an oil rich country where the oil is largely found in a chunk of the country belonging to a minority that is lorded over by the rest of the country, which, of course, guarantees anarchic government.

[Wallaby]

Bear in mind...

Surely, but doesn't this story ring true?

Falana said that immediately Abiola died, the American delegation held a press conference in Abuja where they disclosed that he died of natural causes. Gen. Abubakar in his broadcast also said that Abiola died of natural causes. The following day, July 8, 1998, the then U.S. President Bill Clinton also, in a condolence message, said that Abiola died of natural causes - all at a time when a post-mortem and autopsy had not been conducted.

:Nigeria; How Abiola Died, By Abubakar's Security Aide, The Guardian, Africa News September 26, 2001 Wednesday

[a history buff]

If it's from the Guardian, and pertains to the Caligula of the Ozarks, it may be true.

The French were able to slander their former protege Bokkassa as a cannibal when he become obstinate. Concocting a similar story about the Americans and persuading Nigerians thereof won't help American companies seeking to do business in Nigeria.