NATO calls emergency meeting after France blocks Turkey defense plan

CNN | February 10, 2003

[HAL9000]

Per Richard Quest on CNN International -

NATO calls emergency meeting after France blocks Turkey defense plan

Meeting to begin in one hour (4:30 EST)

MORE...

[Peach]

What perfect BS

[Aaron0617]

MacDonald14 where are you coming from? Are you some kinda Libertarian?

This isn't some 'media induced war frenzy' Are you a DUh escapee?

[Miss Marple]

Your comment sounds very much like a New York Times propoganda piece. Where is your evidence? Your source?

[Kip Lange]

Oh, I always get pulled back; I just think it *will* (now have decided) be very healthy to just pull the plug on everything for a few hours and watch the Professor build WMDs out of coconuts, cuz you're right on target -- it's beyond our control. Let's hope it's being dealt with by wiser/calmer heads than ours -- or at least mine, hehe ;-) (read: Let's hope Rumsfeld has calmed down enough and there is now a plan in the works that involves stuffing various sharp objects in several of Chirac's & Schroeder's orifices).

[Peach]

You probably saw/heard this exchange on Fox News yesterday re the French and ANOTHER thing they're hiding:


Why The French Are So Scared & Link To Al Qaeda/Iraq
Fox News




IJAZ: Exactly. But there is another more important and more dangerous thing that is at hand. In my judgment, tomorrow Secretary Powell is going to go in front of the United Nations and make a case.

The case that he makes forensically is fairly clear now, that is that he is going to bring in intercepts and he's going to show exactly what it is we know the Iraqis have been moving around to violate the spirit and the letter of 1441. But what he may not be able as to easily talk about is the connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq, because that is not as much of a forensic connection.

HUME: In other words, that is not the kind of thing revealed in intercepts and photographs?

IJAZ: Exactly right. Because now al Qaeda has reduced itself to carrying all if its messages and all the most dangerous things that it does by hand carriage, if you will, by hand messengers.

Now, that is where we come back to what President Bush said in October of last year when he identified a senior al Qaeda leader who had gone to Iraq, received medical treatment to have a leg amputated that was blown up in the Afghan bombing campaign and then proceeded to a northern Iraqi terrorist outfit. What we have not yet heard and this is what my sources are telling me over the past two or three days, is that that leader was in fact, transported through southern Turkey using Albanian mercenaries to transport him into...

HUME: What is his name, by the way?

IJAZ: Abu Masab al-Zawkawi. He was transported through southern Turkey into the Balkans and then ended up in Paris sometime just before Ramadan started...

HUME: Last fall?

IJAZ: ... in 2002, last fall.

Now, the thing that is the most important about this is that when they uncovered the cells in Paris two weeks ago, in the apartment where they uncovered those cells, they found traces of ricin. And those traces of ricin are linked directly to this man Zawkawi.

HUME: These are al Qaeda cells?

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MANSOOR IJAZ, FOX FOREIGN AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thank you for having me here in Washington.

HUME: What's your -- what are your sources telling you what France might be nervous about here?

IJAZ: Well, there are two separate things. One is what would be uncovered if we were going to go to war with Iraq and essentially obliterate without French help the system that Saddam has set up. And there, what you have to worry about -- let's not forget that the French provided nuclear reactors to Iraq once upon a time.

And there may be a lot more in terms of information that could be brought out about what the French help has been quietly behind the scenes to the Iraqis during the ensuing years thereafter. That is, thing that is could be technically in violation of existing United Nations resolutions.

HUME: And sanctions, right.

IJAZ: Exactly. But there is another more important and more dangerous thing that is at hand. In my judgment, tomorrow Secretary Powell is going to go in front of the United Nations and make a case.

The case that he makes forensically is fairly clear now, that is that he is going to bring in intercepts and he's going to show exactly what it is we know the Iraqis have been moving around to violate the spirit and the letter of 1441. But what he may not be able as to easily talk about is the connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq, because that is not as much of a forensic connection.

HUME: In other words, that is not the kind of thing revealed in intercepts and photographs?

IJAZ: Exactly right. Because now al Qaeda has reduced itself to carrying all if its messages and all the most dangerous things that it does by hand carriage, if you will, by hand messengers.

Now, that is where we come back to what President Bush said in October of last year when he identified a senior al Qaeda leader who had gone to Iraq, received medical treatment to have a leg amputated that was blown up in the Afghan bombing campaign and then proceeded to a northern Iraqi terrorist outfit. What we have not yet heard and this is what my sources are telling me over the past two or three days, is that that leader was in fact, transported through southern Turkey using Albanian mercenaries to transport him into...

HUME: What is his name, by the way?

IJAZ: Abu Masab al-Zawkawi. He was transported through southern Turkey into the Balkans and then ended up in Paris sometime just before Ramadan started...

HUME: Last fall?

IJAZ: ... in 2002, last fall.

Now, the thing that is the most important about this is that when they uncovered the cells in Paris two weeks ago, in the apartment where they uncovered those cells, they found traces of ricin. And those traces of ricin are linked directly to this man Zawkawi.

HUME: These are al Qaeda cells?

IJAZ: These are al Qaeda cells run by Algerian operatives, who are then responsible for going and giving it to the London cell, to the Barcelona cell, to the Milan cell.

And the point I'm trying to make to you is if the French have not publicly acknowledged that they found ricin in that apartment, that is a major breach of what this international war against terrorism is all about. Now, there can only be two reasons for that. One reason is that the French are afraid that there may be 50 other cells like this and don't want to cause a panic inside of France, which is a valid domestic reason.

But I think the more likely reason is that they are deeply concerned if they put that information out there, that then makes the case of al- Zawkawi tied to Iraq, getting recipes from making ricin from Saddam Hussein and bringing those to western Europe to commit terrorist acts.

That is where we sit with the French today, that lying and obfuscation is unacceptable. They need to be called on the mat about this and I hope the secretary will, at minimum, mention the recipe books being moved around inside of Iraq so we can clearly see what the intent of these people are through this process.

HUME: You mean the intent of al Qaeda.

IJAZ: The intent of al Qaeda working with Saddam inside of Iraq.

HUME: Now, in what sense though, would a revelation of this kind other than the fact that this information hadn't been given to western intelligence agency, if it hasn't, embarrass Franc? Very quickly.

IJAZ: It embarrasses France in a very important way. It showed that they are not -- when they had the intelligence -- and by the way, German intelligence is the one that confirmed that Zakawi had gone back to Iraq into Iran. That means the French and the Germans, the two people that are complaining the loudest are the ones with the best intelligence and not sharing it with the world. This is absolutely unacceptable.

HUME: Monsoor Ijaz, very interesting. Thank you, sir.

IJAZ: Thank you for having me.

[Peach]

We have our hands full in this country and sometimes mindless activity is what one needs to escape from worry. Gilligan's Island sounds good. I watch The Dick Van Dyke show when I need some great laughs. Anyway, no more French wine for me - buy Australian!

[Peach]

Sorry for that double post, folks. Haven't done that in a while. Although, if I were to chose something to double post, it would be the exchange on Fox yesterday regarding the French. Jaw dropping read.

[Kip Lange]

Wasn't Ijaz on later, as well? Thought I saw him again. But yep, saw the exchange. Key word: LYING. The French are *lying*.

[Peach]

And endangering their own people. Liars, weenies, insert every swear word I know here. The day just HAS to get better. Regards, Peach

[Catspaw]

And the point I'm trying to make to you is if the French have not publicly acknowledged that they found ricin in that apartment, that is a major breach of what this international war against terrorism is all about. Now, there can only be two reasons for that. One reason is that the French are afraid that there may be 50 other cells like this and don't want to cause a panic inside of France, which is a valid domestic reason.

I thought this was the most chilling part of the interview. Not only is France covering up for Iraq, but endangering its own people.

[Catspaw]

Wow, you sound just like Bernie Sanders.

[Peach]

That was the most chilling part of the interview and I'm glad you pointed it out; I'd meant to put it in bold and forgot. Can you imagine if we had a president who knew of such danger in this country and didn't alert us? Well, actually I guess we can - 8 years of Clinton.

[a_Turk]

>>Time to kick the Frogs and Krauts out of NATO.

Yes, and withdraw that unconditional NATO (US and Turkish) support for the EU Army.

[Kip Lange]

Not only is France covering up for Iraq, but endangering its own people.

History will judge them accordingly.

[Catspaw]

It's mind-boggling to think of France covering up for Iraq to the extent that they have. Would they blame it on us if the al Qaeda operatives unleashed the ricin, just to cover for the Iraqis? I mean they wouldn't want to upset their good friends, the Iraqis. It's much easier to blame it on France's enemy--which, it seems, is the United States of America.

And to think my father and grandfather fought to save their sorry butts in WWII and WWI.

[Peach]

10,000 American soldiers died on French soil so they wouldn't spend their lives speaking German. Ungrateful SOB's.

[ez]

France, Germany and Belgium have argued that preparations for war, even the defense of Turkey, could undermine diplomatic efforts to avert a conflict in Iraq.

Morons. Military buildup ENHANCES diplomatic efforts.

[fella]

I thought that DeGaul had taken France out of NATO.

[Kip Lange]

Morons. Military buildup ENHANCES diplomatic efforts.

Exhibit A: The former Soviet Union. ;-)

[Sloth]

"Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person! I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!!!"