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Most reports about the US First Lady trip to Spain focus on her shopping and beach time. The part of the story that is missing is the location itself. Barcelona newspaper describes the Michelle Obama vacation place like this: The Spanish resort of Marbella, often associated with Arab princes and crime lords, geared up Tuesday to welcome US First Lady Michelle Obama, with authorities eyeing a boost in tourist revenues… Marbella, where Arab royals maintain vast properties, lies on what the British press has dubbed the "Costa del Crime" because of the large number of fugitives reputedly hiding out...

The Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar last year, but American officials later grew alarmed as evidence grew that Qatar was turning some of the weapons over to Islamic militants, according to United States officials and foreign diplomats. No evidence has emerged linking the weapons provided by the Qataris during the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to the attack that killed four Americans at the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in September. But in the months before, the Obama administration clearly was worried about the consequences of its hidden hand...

U.S. convicts "Prince of Marbella" of arms deal Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:17pm EST By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal jury convicted a Syrian arms dealer and a co-defendant on Thursday of conspiring to sell $1 million in weapons...Monzer al-Kassar, 62, a longtime resident of Spain known as the "Prince of Marbella" for his lifestyle in the glitzy seaside town... Kassar has been selling weapons since the 1970s to the Palestinian Liberation Front and clients in Nicaragua, Bosnia, Croatia, Iran, Iraq and Somalia. In 1995, Kassar was tried and acquitted of supplying arms that were used...

With thanks and credit to Brugmansian, it's looking like all the LSM fuss about Michelle's extravagant vacation in Spain, just might be a distraction to cover up a much more sinister reason for her trip. Brugmansian uncovered the following article in EL MUNDO and the last paragraph is of specific importance. Varias casas reales árabes también pasan sus veranos en Marbella desde hace años. Así, habrá un encuentro entre Michelle Obama y el príncipe Salman bin Abdelaziz, gobernador de Riad y hermano del fallecido Rey Fahd de Arabia Saudí; mientras que se baraja otra reunión de la primera dama con...

Democratic Party front group Media Matters for America has been loyally defending First Lady Michelle Obama's luxurious Spanish vacation this week even as other liberals concede the Obama administration made a politically insensitive call in signing off on the trip.Today, Media Matters attacked Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit/Pajamas Media for his critique of Michelle Obama's trip. The headline of the attack piece: Michelle Obama derangement syndrome: Instapundit posts pic of First Lady as Marie AntoinetteNot only does the headline reinforce the growing meme that Michelle Obama is acting like a rich pig, but upon opening the article one is confronted with...

Michelle Obama will arrive in Marbella this week for her summer holiday. But does the presidential seal of approval really mean the 'Costa del Crime' has finally turned the corner? As Michelle Obama sits on the stone terrace of her five star Andalusian hotel this week, with sweeping views across the lush golf course to the Mediterranean Sea below, the stress of Washington will seem a long way away. Swallows ride the breezes above fluttering golf flags, and the sound of cicadas in the hot afternoon mingles with soft jazz music in the background. Yet despite the sophistication and elegance...

It's a tourist destination usually associated with beer-swilling Brits, but U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is set to holiday with daughter Sasha on Spain's Costa del Sol. Mother and daughter are due to travel to the resort of Marbella in southern Spain next week for a private trip with long-time family friends, the White House announced today. But Barack Obama, who turns 49 on 4 August, will celebrate his birthday home alone while elder daughter Malia, 12, attends summer camp back in the States. The Obamas tour Ghana in 2009 Despite the unusual choice of holiday destination, Mrs Obama, who...

The United States President will spend four days of his holiday in the town with his family during August The President of the United States, Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha, will spend part of their summer holidays in Marbella. In what will be his first visit to Spain as President, he will stay from August 4 – 8 in the luxury Villapadierna Hotel. Before returning to the United States, Obama will travel to the Marivent Palace on Mallorca to meet with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. He’s also expected to meet with the...