Why Bush Wants to Legalize the Nuke Trade with Turkey - CounterPunch

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.counterpunch.com/frank01272008.html


Why Bush Wants to Legalize the Nuke Trade with Turkey
Exonerating Neo-Con Crimes
By JOSHUA FRANK

According to FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds there is a vast black market for nukes, and certain U.S. officials have been supplying sensitive nuclear technology information to Turkish and Israeli interests through its conduits. It's a scathing allegation which was first published by the UK Times two weeks ago, and Edmonds' charge seems to be on the verge of vindication.

In likely reaction to the UK Times' report, the Bush Administration quietly announced on January 22 that the president would like Congress to approve the sale of nuclear secrets to Turkey. As with most stories of this magnitude, the U.S. media has put on blinders, opting to not report either Edmonds' story or Bush's recent announcement.

The White House Press Release claims that President Clinton signed off on the Turkey deal way back in 2000:

"However, immediately after signature, U.S. agencies received information that called into question the conclusions that had been drawn in the required NPAS (Nuclear Proliferation Assessment Statement) and the original classified annex, specifically, information implicating Turkish private entities in certain activities directly relating to nuclear proliferation. Consequently, the Agreement was not submitted to the Congress and the executive branch undertook a review of the NPAS evaluation My Administration has completed the NPAS review as well as an evaluation of actions taken by the Turkish government to address the proliferation activities of certain Turkish entities (once officials of the U.S. Government brought them to the Turkish government's attention)."

What "private entities" the press release refers to is not clear, but it could well include the American Turkish Council, the "entity" revealed in the Times' article.

The Bushites seem to be covering their own exposed backsides, for the timing of Bush's call to sell nuke secrets to Turkey is certainly suspicious, if not overtly conspicuous.

[LaStrega]

1. "Edmonds' charge seems to be on the verge of vindication..."

It's about damned time. Now if only the American MSM would fucking report about it!

[lovuian]

3. Unfreakingbelievable isn't that amazing

Bush is so guilty

[BeHereNow]

5. What's amazing is the BLATANT complicity of the CONGRESS!!!

Throw them ALL out-NOW!
Fucking criminals; each and every.
BHN

[LaStrega]

12. agreed

And they've got MSM in their pockets. It's beyond frustrating. I don't even have words to describe how much it pisses me off!

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

[Tuesday_Morning]

2. k & r

:kick:

[BeHereNow]

4. Throw the peasants $300.00 and give myself and my cronies a "get out of jail" card...

I am sickened beyond belief.
WHERE is the fucking CONGRESS on this?
Does anyone REALLY believe they are not aware
of the reporting out of the UK on this TREASONOUS
ship of fools?
I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK.
BHN:grr: :grr: :grr:

[BeHereNow]

6. Recommend- and kicking.

I am beyond outraged.
BHN

[BeHereNow]

7. Kicking...again n/t

bhn

[comradebillyboy]

8. Since Turkey and Israel are military allies

I would imagine the Israelis are quite willing to help the Turks develop their nuclear program, with US approval and assistance. After all, Turkey is the only Muslim majority nation whose population has a generally negative view of Arabs. I visited friends in Turkey last year and this is the impression I got:
1. they are really upset about our invasion of Iraq because of the negative economic consequences to Turkey
2. Turks don't like Arabs
3. Turks don't dislike Israelis. I met several Israeli tourists while I was there. They also get along fine with westerners. I spent a lot of time on public transportation and had no problems at all, every one was helpful and friendly, and my wife and I are obviously not Turks.
4. Turks (despite being 99% Muslim) really dislike Muslim fundamentalists and see them as a serious threat to their democratic and secular state.

It is in the best interests of the United states to have a militarily strong and stable Turkish democratic state in that extremely important part of the world. For once Bush, or rather Bush's foreign policy people are right. They will also sell out the Kurds in a millisecond to keep the Turks in our camp, and so will the Israelis.

The Iraqi Arabs, both Sunni and Shia as well as the Iranians are quite pissed at the Kurds and the Turks may end up being their sole benefactors. The Kurds have finally figured out what the score really is and are backing away from the PKK and other anti Turkish terrorist organizations that they have been sheltering.

I also think the EU cannot afford to exclude a nuclear Turkey, especially since Turkey is in fact more democratic, progressive and prosperous than many current EU members.

I correspond regularly with my Turkish friends. they can't understand why the US would leave Iraq without obtaining a secure oil supply for the US. They don't see any benign motives to our invasion since to the Turks all of the neighboring Arab regimes were even worse than Saddam.

Oh and just an off the wall observation I saw many fewer beggars in Istanbul (13,000,000 people) than i did in San Fransisco, and I saw a lot of Istanbul.

[AntiFascist]

9. I'm sure that most Turks are fine people...

I think that the real point of the Sibel Edmonds case is that there is this nexus of drug-trafficking and arms trading (including the AQ Khan network) which is also feeding our enemies, all for the ultimate benefit of the military-industrial complex and the neocons, so that we can have never-ending war in the Middle East. What is doubly insulting is the incestuous relationship with the defense contractors and the ATC and their lobbyists in Washington, and also the government officials who may be receiving payments directly from illegal activities.

[Richard Steele]

10. K&R

[sattahipdeep]

11. 2001 and 2002

http://www.theshellgame.net/

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bill_dou_080123_what_do_a__22new_novel.htm


http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003699450


Her allegations are not insignificant. Edmonds claims that Marc Grossman—ambassador
to Turkey from 1994-97 and undersecretary of state for political affairs from 2001-05—was
a person of interest to the FBI and had his phone tapped by the Bureau in 2001 and 2002.
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-30893.html

....
Sakka’s lawyer said: “Just like there is money laundering, there is also
terrorist laundering and Turkey was the centre of this.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2936761.ece

[Octafish]

13. The Bomb in the Shadows: Proliferation, Corruption and the Way of the World

Gee. It appears a lot of what you've been writing about is finally making it onto the pages and airwaves of Corporate McPravda, seemslikeadream.

Take Chris Floyd, for instance.

The Bomb in the Shadows: Proliferation, Corruption and the Way of the World

Written by Chris Floyd
Tuesday, 08 January 2008

This week, the Sunday Times lifted the lid on one of the most important stories of the last quarter-century: how American officials sold nuclear arms technology to illegal proliferators -- including ideological allies of al Qaeda -- in return for bribes and other inducements. This widespread corruption has been protected from exposure by the highest levels of the U.S. government, which has gone to enormous lengths to protect the truth from coming out. The entire planet has been put at grave risk by the greed -- and geopolitical gamesmanship -- that lies behind this criminal enterprise, which actually is even more extensive, and goes back further in time, than the newspaper’s remarkable revelations.

The Sunday Times story is based on the evidence provided by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, who has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of state-enforced muzzling by the Bush Administration since she first tried to speak out about the corrupt connections between American officials and foreign agents she discovered when reviewing transcripts associated with the 9/11 investigation. As even the leaders of the whitewashing 9/11 Commission themselves now admit, that investigation was deliberately sabotaged by the Bush Administration – in part to cover up the nuclear proliferation network that has directly or indirectly enriched so many in the American elite over the past decades – including the sitting president of the United States, George W. Bush.

I.
Edmonds’ revelations should be seen in their larger historical context, as an outgrowth of the activities of BCCI, the “Bank of Credit and Commercial International,” a supposed financial group that a U.S. Senate investigation called “one of the largest criminal enterprises in history.” BCCI was a prime vehicle for clandestine nuclear proliferation, among many other illegal activities, and was also used by the CIA and the White House for various covert operations, including secret military and financial support for Saddam Hussein. It also paid numerous grandees of the Democratic and Republican parties to front its operations – and gave George W. Bush $25 million to rescue one of his many business failures.

Although BCCI as a “bank” eventually failed, spectacularly, costing its unsuspecting customers more than $10 billion, almost no one was punished for its myriad crimes, and the full extent of the organization’s activities continue to be shielded by the many national governments that became entangled in its operations, including the United States and Great Britain, where the Labour government has made extraordinary interventions in court cases to protect BCCI’s secrets, invoking the most draconian state secret laws to quash a lawsuit against the Bank of England for the blind but knowing eye that the regulator turned toward BCCI’s deadly fraud.

Before exploring these deeper connections further, let’s review the tip of the iceberg that Edmonds has courageously exposed, despite the very real threat of retaliation from the U.S. government. From the Times:

“Edmonds described how foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of US officials to acquire a network of moles in sensitive military and nuclear institutions. Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.

“The name of the official – who has held a series of top government posts – is known to The Sunday Times. He strongly denies the claims. However, Edmonds said: ‘He was aiding foreign operatives against US interests by passing them highly classified information, not only from the State Department but also from the Pentagon, in exchange for money, position and political objectives.’

“She claims that the FBI was also gathering evidence against senior Pentagon officials – including household names – who were aiding foreign agents. ‘If you made public all the information that the FBI have on this case, you will see very high-level people going through criminal trials,’ she said.”

CONTINUED...

http://www.chris-floyd.com/Articles/Articles/The_Bomb_in_the_Shadows%3A_Proliferation%2C_Corruption_and_the_Way_of_the_World/

No matter what the consequences, personal and otherwise, you've been at the forefront spreading the truth. Those who follow such things know who's who and give thanks for the heads-up, seemslikeadream.

[Octafish]

14. Special Report: THE A.Q. KHAN NETWORK: CRIME… AND PUNISHMENT?

Have a good viddy, from 2006:



SNIP...



Good reading, too:

http://www.wmdinsights.com/I3/G1_SR_AQK_Network.htm