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Report: Deal for U.S. to Hunt Bin Laden in Pakistan
Sun Feb 29, 2004 01:09 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States has struck a deal with Pakistan to allow
U.S. troops to hunt for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden this spring in an area
of Pakistan where he is believed to be operating, the New Yorker magazine
reported on Sunday.
Thousands of U.S. troops will be deployed in a tribal area of northwest Pakistan
in return for Washington's support of President Pervez Musharraf's pardon of the
Pakistani scientist who this month admitted leaking nuclear arms secrets to
Iran, Libya and North Korea, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh wrote in the
issue that goes on sale on Monday.
Full disclosure of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's activities would have
exposed him as "the worst nuclear-arms proliferator in the world," an
intelligence official is quoted as saying.
"It's a quid pro quo," according to a former senior intelligence official.
"We're going to get our troops inside Pakistan in return for not forcing
Musharraf to deal with Khan."
Musharraf has also offered other help in the hunt for bin Laden, accused of
masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, according to the
article.
"Musharraf told us, 'We've got guys inside. The people who provide fresh fruits
and vegetables and herd the goats' for bin Laden and his al Qaeda followers,"
the intelligence official added.
The spring offensive could slow the tempo of U.S. operations in Iraq, the
magazine said.
"It's going to be a full-court press," one Pentagon planner was quoted as
saying. The article added that some of the most highly skilled U.S. Special
Forces units would be shifted from Iraq to Pakistan.
Special Forces personnel have been briefed on their new assignments and in some
cases have been given "warning orders" -- the stage before being sent into
combat, according to a military adviser
--
"Naturally, the common people don't want war;
neither in Russia nor in England nor in America,
nor for that matter in Germany.
That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders
of the country who determine the policy and
it is always a simple matter to drag the people
along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist
dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can
always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked and denounce the
pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing
the country to danger. It works the same way
in any country."
- Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshall
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----- Original Message -----=20
From: Ojos Que Ven=20
To: Venezuela=20
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 7:16 AM
Subject: VENEZUELA: OPEN LETTER TO FOREIGN DIGNATARIES
Caracas, Venezuela, February 26th, 2004
Your Excellency:
Are you, somehow, responsible for what might happen in Venezuela? =
Tomorrow, could you withstand the question, "What did you do to permit =
this?"
Too many times a peoples' strife is looked upon from afar as something =
better not to get involved in. =20
Perhaps you, personally, have at some time in your life despaired that =
people with the power to heal a situation would, for some reason unknown =
to you, decide to look away.
Such is our despair in Venezuela, where we have forced ourselves to =
follow every democratic rule in the book, only to have every turn =
blocked, every step attacked, every solution offered only given a new =
problem with which to contend.
Nine months ago, at the urging of the OAS, the Carter Foundation and =
the UNPD, a reluctant Venezuelan opposition agreed to play Democracy by =
the book and --despite the misgivings and mistrust of most-- follow the =
"Democratic, Constitutional, pacific and electoral" route out. At that =
time, President Carter spoke of a Recall Referendum on August 19th, =
2003, with "no tricks".
This agreement was blessed by the Group of Friends of Venezuela, =
which, along with the previous organizations, became guarantors for the =
process.
Today, over six months after that August 19th target, not only have we =
been denied the opportunity to vote on whether or not Mr. Chavez will be =
recalled, but there seems to be an ever-diminishing hope for that =
process to ever take place.
Tricks, scams, perversion of Constitutional rights, twisting of laws, =
invention of rules in order to modify processes already carried out, =
have all happened in this time period. An Electoral Council supposedly =
composed of gentlemen turns out to be adamantly pro-Chavez from the =
outset, working not to promote the process that would test the People's =
will, but rather to impede it, twist it, pervert it.
As time runs out on the process and on the possibility to contain the =
People's wrath, we notice, with great concern, the International =
Community's apparent aloofness from the process, its apparent disdain =
for the tragedy contained in a people whose right to vote is being =
denied it systematically and with great cynism.
Some conclude that when tensions were high, that International =
Community came in to defuse it, convincing only the most rational side =
to mend its ways and take another route, as ours did. And that, once =
that peaceful route was embarked upon, that same International Community =
then turned away and allowed the other party --which had always =
disdained true Democratic procedure-- to carry on as before, abusing, =
taking advantages, digging in for the long haul.
Time is now running out. Your Foreign Ministries have informed you of =
what is really going on here, and about how our government is not only =
not playing per Democratic rules, but rather is abusing all good faith =
invested in it, in an attempt to perpetuate its power.
We are a peaceful people. We love Democracy and freedom. We refuse =
to lose them. =20
If we can retain them using Democratic practice, so be it, we will do =
all to so do. If not, we shall employ any means necessary.
Are you, Your Excellency, somehow responsible for what might happen =
here? =20
Tomorrow, could you withstand the question, "What did you do to permit =
this?"
Thank you for your time.
The Venezuelan People
---
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