Posted on 07/08/2005 10:52:00 AM PDT by nickcarraway
WASHINGTON - A Navy dive team that checked the waters off Iraq for explosives before the American invasion could be used in the search for a missing Alabama girl in Aruba, the country's prime minister says.
Prime Minister Nelson Oduber made the request in a letter to Sen. Richard Shelby in response to the Alabama Republican's suggestion that Aruba give the FBI more authority in the search for Natalee Holloway.
In his letter, Oduber says he was made aware of the unit - known as Naval Special Clearing Team One - by a Texas dive team that has been helping to look for Holloway.
"I would like to request you to use your influence to gain this authorization for the deployment of this unit free of charge to Aruba as soon as possible," Oduber wrote in the letter, dated July 1.
Shelby forwarded the request to the Pentagon and State departments, but a Navy spokesman, Lt. Herb Josey, said Thursday there had been no formal diplomatic request for use of the team. He also questioned how useful the unit could be, since it specializes in covert exercises such as detecting and de-mining underwater explosives.
"I don't know why this team would be better than any other team, but they obviously have experience working underwater," said Lt. Herb Josey.
In an interview from London, Shelby said he hoped Oduber's request was a genuine bid to help the investigation and not retaliation for his complaints that Aruba's search was insufficient.
"We're not going to stop," Shelby said. "We want a professional investigation of what's going on down there. We're not going to look around and ignore what looks to be not a thorough, perhaps even a shoddy investigation."
Holloway disappeared May 30 in Aruba while celebrating her graduation from high school in Mountain Brook, Ala. Although three young men have been connected with her disappearance, none has been charged.
In Shelby's original letter last week asking for more FBI involvement, he called the Aruban investigation a "dead end."
"If her body has been in the water for more than a month, I can't believe there is much left of it. And if her body is on land, there won't be much left of it what with the heat, the humidity and the rains."
Thinking the same thing! The kid (with the help of his dad) has gotten away with murder. OJ, Robert Blake, et al., must be proud. He's one of their own.
Next headline.
US Navy refuses request by SenShelby to send Navy to Aruba to search for NH.
Nice return by the Arubans.
Don't you think that's a bit harsh? How many Americans (and tourists) disappear here...and for much longer periods of time...and with our infinitely greater resources and experience in matters investigative.
No, I don't think it harsh. Please see my post #21.
You may be making the classic mistake of drawing a conclusion from an example of one
Free of charge? Man, don't they get enough money from American tourists to at least pay for part of this?
This whole case and the 24/7 media assualt is getting annoying. While I sympathize with the family, the good ol USA had 15,567 murders last year. If were going to use the military in these cases I'd like to see the Marines clean out Chicago, Compton and DC.
Prime Minister Nelson Oduber seems to be "a day late and a dollar short". IMHO,he is employing CYA 101.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family of
the missing girl.
I am not apologizing for the Aruban Government. However, I really believe that they are doing all that they can with both their limited resources and experience. They have willingly allowed anyone and everyone to look for Ms. Holloway, including a search team from Texas. They have also called in the Dutch Airforce to do an air search. Additionally, they had detained Judge Van Der Sloot (sp? one of their own) and the father of Joran who is detained for questioning to this day.
Your suggesting that local politics are stalling the investigation is to my mind, sheer speculation at this point in time.
I do agree that this tragedy is a black eye for Aruba and will probably have a negative impact on tourism.
I think I heard her say she's considering buying a house there.
No, the criminals are running loose because there is no evidence to charge them with the murder, let alone convict them of it. Do you think they'd ever be convicted HERE on the type of evidence against them? Dream on.
I'll say this: It seems to be universal that in tourist traps the tourists are totally relied upon for the income of the community and totally held in contempt. It's that way here, and probably everywhere else too.
Sad but true. A case like this would never be charged here in the US either.
Sure, Dutch!
Why not?
Get in line with all of the other beggars sucking Uncle Sam's tit!
Agree 100%.
Tourists, especially un-travelled American tourists, need to beware. If you haven't lived or even travelled through a large US city or a turd-world shithole, you have no idea who's preying on you and how.
She's certainly gone. This is terrible.
Could we use Aruba as a replacement for Vieques? As an added bonus, it is located in Chaves' backyard. Perhaps it is in our interest to choke off the tourism. We would then be able to buy the whole place from the Netherlands for a buck fifty next year.
I think the F.B.I. was initially involved in the investigation in a limited way. While your faith in the fornsic abilities of the F.B.I. is admirable, most cases are solved not through Sherlock Holmesian ability but through the use of informants, of which there don't appear to be many in this case. Additionally, if Ms. Holloway's body was disposed of at sea, it is highly unlikely that there is any forensic evidence left to be discovered.
To call Aruba a festering cesspool because of this one incident is really inexcusable and says more about you and your fellow jingoists than it will ever say about Aruba.
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