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Edited on Wed Dec-29-04 05:21 PM by Judi Lynn
I'm trying to keep out of posting until my new computer is hooked up but this subject cries out for attention, doesn't it? Here's what a quick look turned up: "A long-time friend of former U.S. President George H. Bush was arrested today on charges of illegal arms trafficking."
"The friend in trouble is the former President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, a golfing partner and business benefactor of the elder Bush. He is suspected of having illegally sold 6,500 tons of arms to Croatia and Ecuador between 1991 and 1995, in violation of international arms embargoes. Menem, who was put under house arrest today by a Buenos Aires federal judge, said in his defense last weekend that the U.S. knew all about the arms sales."
"Given how profitable the Menem connection has been for the Bushes, one might imagine Boucher was frostily putting interests of state ahead of the Bush family, until you realize that, with a Bush in the White House, they are essentially one and the same."
"In 1988, a few months before Menem was elected for his first term, George W. Bush, the then oilman son of a sitting U.S. President, had tried to pressure the administration of outgoing President Raúl Alfonsín to favor Enron, the Houston-based company, over other, more qualified bidders to build a gas pipeline in Argentina. He was unsuccessful, but the Bushes hit it off with the high-rolling, big-spending Menem from the start. One of Menem's first acts as President was to give Enron a $300-million sweetheart deal on the pipeline project."
(snip/...) http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/01/011302_Bush_Enron_Argentina.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.....Terragno did not OK the project, and the Alfonsín administration came to an end in 1989. Enron was luckier with the next one. The pipeline was approved by the administration of President Carlos Saúl Menem, leader of the Peronist Party and a friend of President Bush. (The day after Menem was inaugurated, Neil Bush played a highly publicized game of tennis in Buenos Aires with Menem.) Argentine legislators complained that Menem cleared the pipeline project for development before economic feasibility studies were prepared.
(snip/...) http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20020204&s=corn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shortly before Bush announced his own campaign for president, he had received a visit from Carlos Saul Menem, the right-wing leader of Argentina for the past decade. The two men retired to an Austin country club, where they were joined by Bush's father. Governor Bush had the flu, so he contented himself with riding along as the former president and Menem played a round of golf.
The capitol press corps trailed along, dutifully recording the governor's cordial relationship with a visiting head of state. Unknown to the assembled reporters, however, was the story of how Bush and his family became immersed in Argentine politics. The little-known tale begins with George W. making a phone call to secure a $300-million deal for a U.S. pipeline company -- a deal that provoked a political firestorm in Argentina, drawing scrutiny from legislators and a special prosecutor. The episode marked one of George W.'s first ventures into foreign affairs, demonstrating the fundamental rule by which the Texas governor and his family conduct business: Always know that the Bush name is a marketable commodity.
(snip/...) http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2000/03/argentina.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Rohm brothers are very
well-connected internationally - they are friends of Carlos Menem, Henry
Kissinger, David Mulford, and George Bush senior. Jose Rohm is on the
advisory council of David Rockefeller's Americas Society <3>.
The charges against Menem and his regime are also another embarrassment for
the Bush family, already hit by links to the unfolding Enron scandal.
Mulford was Bush senior's under-secretary of the treasury, responsible for
the implementation of the Brady debt plan in Latin America in the early
1990s. Bush senior himself had very close links with the Menem regime. He
visited Menem eight times during and after his presidency. Menem was a
frequent guest of the Bush family. When he was awarded an honorary degree by
the University of Houston, Bush introduced him to the audience as a
"visionary". Menem was the only Latin American politician to attend George
W. Bush's inauguration. Neil Bush, brother of George W. Bush, has also
stayed with Menem in Argentina.
Friends of Bush and members of his administration have clearly done well
from Menem and Cavallo's rapid programme of privatization. A close friend of
the Bush family - Tom Hicks - who was one of the largest donors to Bush
junior's presidential campaign, ran a company called Citicorp Equity
Investment (CEI) which for a time was the most active private equity firm in
Argentina's telecom and media industries.
(snip/...) http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-bold-0202/msg00096.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This article also says that Spain was seeking prosecution of criminals in Argentina who had taken part in torture and genocide there, and Menem's government refused to allow it in Argentina, although the current President Néstor Kirchner is definitely disposed to clean it all up. You remember he was tortured as a prisoner, himself. (You also undoubtedly remember Bush sent Colin Powell to Argentina to instruct Kirchner to stay away from Hugo Chavez. What an utter @$$####.) Guembe cited the ongoing trial that began in 1995 in Spain of everyone involved in the dictatorship, including armed forces and police or civilians accused of torture, genocide, forced disappearance or kidnapping. The trial "was a major annoyance" for the government of Carlos Menem (1989-99), who signed a presidential decree categorically refusing any kind of collaboration with Spanish justice.
The government of Fernando de la Rúa (1999-2001) took the same line, refusing Garzón’s extradition requests for 198 civilians and former members of the military accused of genocide and terrorism (LP, Oct. 9, 2000).
(snip)
The new government of President Néstor Kirchner took a different line to that of De la Rúa and Menem, allowing the June 28 extradition to Spain of former Argentine Navy Captain Ricardo Miguel Cavallo, detained in Mexico at the request of Garzón, who is investigating the officer for crimes of genocide, torture and terrorism (LP, Oct. 9, 2000 and June 18, 2003).
(snip/...) http://insidecostarica.com/specialreports/argentina_international_pressure.htm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    He's a Bush kinda guy. |
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