Author: Spencer

In December 2009, Antonio Maria Costa, who served from 2002 to 2010 as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in positions as both the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna (UNOV), exposed that drug money became the main source of liquidity for banks after the 2008 explosion of the financial system.

Earlier, Costa had exposed the unprecedented rise of opium and heroin production in Afghanistan during the British and US invasion and occupation there–especially the British occupation of the opium-producing Helmand province. Costa also repeatedly identified that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were using the opium/heroin trade as a major source of funding.

As the investigations spread into HSBC, it is important to recall Costa’s revelations, made in an exclusive 2012 interview with EIR and earlier in interviews with the London Observer. On Dec. 12, 2009, Observer reporter Rajeev Syal, wrote:

In April, 2012, EIR published an interview with Costa where he also exposed the cover-up of the banks’ crimes. Costa told EIR:

He singled out the case of Wachovia Bank (now the Wells Fargo megabank), saying,

In December 2009, Antonio Maria Costa, who served from 2002 to 2010 as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in positions as both the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna (UNOV), exposed that drug money became the main source of liquidity for banks after the 2008 explosion of the financial system.

Earlier, Costa had exposed the unprecedented rise of opium and heroin production in Afghanistan during the British and US invasion and occupation there–especially the British occupation of the opium-producing Helmand province. Costa also repeatedly identified that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were using the opium/heroin trade as a major source of funding.

As the investigations spread into HSBC, it is important to recall Costa’s revelations, made in an exclusive 2012 interview with EIR and earlier in interviews with the London Observer. On Dec. 12, 2009, Observer reporter Rajeev Syal, wrote:

In April, 2012, EIR published an interview with Costa where he also exposed the cover-up of the banks’ crimes. Costa told EIR:

He singled out the case of Wachovia Bank (now the Wells Fargo megabank), saying,

Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974-81), the architect of the would-be “United States of Europe,” has called for Greece to exit from the Eurozone and claims that the “pressure of speculative circles” is preventing it. His comments were published yesterday in an interview with the French daily Les Echos.

Giscard presents what is otherwise the typical monetarist argument for a Grexit, including the claim that the only way the Greek government can implement its policy is with a weak currency and devaluation so that it can become “competitive.” He says that both he and the German government at the time opposed Greece’s entry to the Eurozone in 2001, but the French government insisted, and this has proved to have been a “mistake,” he tells Les Echos.

“This process of an orderly exit,” Giscard continued, “should and can unfold in a non-conflicting way, in everyone’s mutual interest. It’s what I would call a ‘friendly exit’ [sic, in English], an exit in an amicable spirit….” But it is not being done “because of pressure from speculative circles.” Thus in his own way confirming that it is the derivatives bubble that is at stake.

Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974-81), the architect of the would-be “United States of Europe,” has called for Greece to exit from the Eurozone and claims that the “pressure of speculative circles” is preventing it. His comments were published yesterday in an interview with the French daily Les Echos.

Giscard presents what is otherwise the typical monetarist argument for a Grexit, including the claim that the only way the Greek government can implement its policy is with a weak currency and devaluation so that it can become “competitive.” He says that both he and the German government at the time opposed Greece’s entry to the Eurozone in 2001, but the French government insisted, and this has proved to have been a “mistake,” he tells Les Echos.

“This process of an orderly exit,” Giscard continued, “should and can unfold in a non-conflicting way, in everyone’s mutual interest. It’s what I would call a ‘friendly exit’ [sic, in English], an exit in an amicable spirit….” But it is not being done “because of pressure from speculative circles.” Thus in his own way confirming that it is the derivatives bubble that is at stake.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has submitted a new letter to the Eurogroup, comprising the 19 euro area finance ministers, stating the position of the Greek government and a request for an extension of the so-called loan agreement. No sooner was it submitted than the German government rejected it.

The moment European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that the Greek letter could be the basis for a “reasonable compromise,” the German Finance Ministry spokesman, Martin Jäger, said in an e-mailed statement that the Greek government is trying to agree to a bridge-financing without meeting the conditions of its existing rescue program, which of course means there will be no compromise.

The Greek Finance Ministry publicly released its letter, which calls again for a six-month extension of the “Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement” so as to
“allow the European Central Bank to re-introduce the waiver in accordance with its procedures and regulations,” referring to reinstating the waiver on Greek bonds which allowed the ECB to issue normal liquidity to Greek banks.

Obviously the offending part of Athens’ letter, signed by Varoufakis, was the statement of purpose for the extension to negotiate a new “Contract for Recovery and Growth” that would
“enable the Greek government to introduce the substantive, far-reaching reforms that are needed to restore the living standards of millions of Greek citizens through sustainable economic growth, gainful employment and social cohesion.”
All of which is not in the original Memorandum of self-destruction that the previous Greek government had signed.

The humanitarian crisis which Athens has told the Eurogroup is its first priority, is demonstrated by a highly illustrated graph on keeptalkinggreece.com, which sandwiches the devastating figures between two halves of the title, “It’s More than Obvious That … The Current Program for Greece Has Failed.” The figures show that since 2009 GDP has decreased by 25%, unemployment has reached 27% and youth unemployment has reached 60%, meaning more than 1.2 million people have lost their jobs; 250,000 young Greek scientists have emigrated; 30% of Greek businesses have closed; salaries have been reduced by 40% and pensions by 50%; the poverty rate has increased by 100%; savings bank deposits declined by EU80 billion; households without electricity have increased by 250%; social security funds have dropped by EU35; and the richest 10% of the population own 56% of the wealth.

With the world on the potential verge of World War III, and with the implications that that War will be waged on a Thermonuclear basis, it’s important to know where the nations of the world stand. Egypt, for instance, has vowed to be a nation of stability, in an otherwise wayward and turbulent region, and they have therefore made it clear that they will fight ISIS, with whatever resources they possess.
Lyndon LaRouche made it clear that Egypt must be defended from the foreign terror assault, that “Egypt is the anchor for any stability in the region…Egypt has aligned with the BRICS nations, and is moving on significant development projects for the benefit of all Egyptians. They must be defended.”

France has also voiced their support for Egypt, with the sale of several fighter Jets, with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declaring: “Our two countries are pursuing a common struggle against terrorism” and “this is a new era of bilateral cooperation between Paris and Cairo.”

France has also just broadcast a rather dramatic exposé of the international fight to uncover the main sources of global terror operations, by releasing the 28 pages. This exposé follows a seeming avalanche of international pressure to release the 28 Pages, and to honestly uncover the sources of funding for the bulk of terrorism around the globe, namely Saudi Arabia, and the city of London.

With the world on the potential verge of World War III, and with the implications that that War will be waged on a Thermonuclear basis, it’s important to know where the nations of the world stand. Egypt, for instance, has vowed to be a nation of stability, in an otherwise wayward and turbulent region, and they have therefore made it clear that they will fight ISIS, with whatever resources they possess.
Lyndon LaRouche made it clear that Egypt must be defended from the foreign terror assault, that “Egypt is the anchor for any stability in the region…Egypt has aligned with the BRICS nations, and is moving on significant development projects for the benefit of all Egyptians. They must be defended.”

France has also voiced their support for Egypt, with the sale of several fighter Jets, with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declaring: “Our two countries are pursuing a common struggle against terrorism” and “this is a new era of bilateral cooperation between Paris and Cairo.”

France has also just broadcast a rather dramatic exposé of the international fight to uncover the main sources of global terror operations, by releasing the 28 pages. This exposé follows a seeming avalanche of international pressure to release the 28 Pages, and to honestly uncover the sources of funding for the bulk of terrorism around the globe, namely Saudi Arabia, and the city of London.

A letter from two women who lost their husbands in the 9/11 attacks was published yesterday in The New York Times, under the heading, “Declassify 9/11 Pages”:

The letter was signed by Lorie Van Auken, and Mindy Kleinberg, both of New York.

A letter from two women who lost their husbands in the 9/11 attacks was published yesterday in The New York Times, under the heading, “Declassify 9/11 Pages”:

The letter was signed by Lorie Van Auken, and Mindy Kleinberg, both of New York.

The France 5 public television channel on Feb. 13 ran a five-minute segment on the classified 28 pages of the Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9/11, during the program “C Dans L’Air,” introduced as the “pages that could change our perception of the 9/11 attacks.” To heighten the suspense, the presenter straightaway declares that two of the hijackers “were lodged and financed by an individual from the Saudi Embassy” in Washington.

Since the terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo and other targets in Paris on Jan. 7, coverage of the Saudi rôle in financing terrorism has finally broken through in France, with prominent exposés run in major print media such as Paris Match, Le Figaro, L’Express and 20 minutes, as well as in Belgium on radio and TV network RTBF. France5 TV is particularly important, as it prides itself on being a “serious” channel, devoted to “factual reporting,” documentaries, and talk shows.

Amid dramatic scenes of the attacks in New York City, their Feb. 13 program shows a clip from the Jan. 7 press conference of former Sen. Bob Graham, who co-chaired the Joint Inquiry, where he states that the 28 pages contain information on Saudi financing of the attacks. “The American people have a right to know who are our friends and who are our enemies,” Graham says.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, the show notes, and it focuses on two of them who received financing in the United States from Omar Al Bayoumi, “who is suspected by the FBI of being a secret agent of the Wahhabite regime” in Riyadh.

A short clip of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) from the Sept. 9, 2014, press conference is shown, in which he says how shocked he was when he read the classified 28 pages, and that every American should have the same experience.

Significantly, the video then switches to George W. Bush, who had originally classified the pages, saying, “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” That was followed by videos of the bombing of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, with the obvious implication, that they were done on fraudulent grounds.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) is also quoted from an interview on the importance of declassification of the 28 pages, as well as Bill Doyle, the father of one of the 9/11 victims, who says that after Osama bin Laden was killed, President Obama told him: “‘Bill, I promise you, I am going to release those 28 pages.’ But he did not keep his promise.”

France5’s presenter references the recent charges by the “20th hijacker,” Zacarias Moussaoui, confirming the rôle of Saudis in the 9/11 attacks.

Right after that are shown images of Barack Obama meeting the new Saudi King and warmly greeting other Saudi officials, with Michelle Obama in the background. The comment to that: “Americans are upset by the fact that Barack Obama went to Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah, whereas no U.S. officials took part in the Jan. 11 march in Paris,” after the Jan. 7 terrorist attacks there.

We then see an unidentified American man asking, “So what are you afraid of, Bush? Why don’t you and Obama get together and release the documents? After all, you are either with us, or with the terrorists.”

It ends by reporting that two senators (sic), one Republican and one Democrat — obviously referring to Jones and Lynch — have co-sponsored a resolution in Congress calling for declassification of the 28 pages.

The five-minute segment was also embedded in an hour-long roundtable on “C Dans L’Air,” with four specialists in varying areas of anti-terrorism, on “Terrorism’s Dirty Money”; it’s available here at minute 32, and worth watching even if you don’t speak French.

The France 5 public television channel on Feb. 13 ran a five-minute segment on the classified 28 pages of the Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9/11, during the program “C Dans L’Air,” introduced as the “pages that could change our perception of the 9/11 attacks.” To heighten the suspense, the presenter straightaway declares that two of the hijackers “were lodged and financed by an individual from the Saudi Embassy” in Washington.

Since the terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo and other targets in Paris on Jan. 7, coverage of the Saudi rôle in financing terrorism has finally broken through in France, with prominent exposés run in major print media such as Paris Match, Le Figaro, L’Express and 20 minutes, as well as in Belgium on radio and TV network RTBF. France5 TV is particularly important, as it prides itself on being a “serious” channel, devoted to “factual reporting,” documentaries, and talk shows.

Amid dramatic scenes of the attacks in New York City, their Feb. 13 program shows a clip from the Jan. 7 press conference of former Sen. Bob Graham, who co-chaired the Joint Inquiry, where he states that the 28 pages contain information on Saudi financing of the attacks. “The American people have a right to know who are our friends and who are our enemies,” Graham says.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, the show notes, and it focuses on two of them who received financing in the United States from Omar Al Bayoumi, “who is suspected by the FBI of being a secret agent of the Wahhabite regime” in Riyadh.

A short clip of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) from the Sept. 9, 2014, press conference is shown, in which he says how shocked he was when he read the classified 28 pages, and that every American should have the same experience.

Significantly, the video then switches to George W. Bush, who had originally classified the pages, saying, “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” That was followed by videos of the bombing of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, with the obvious implication, that they were done on fraudulent grounds.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) is also quoted from an interview on the importance of declassification of the 28 pages, as well as Bill Doyle, the father of one of the 9/11 victims, who says that after Osama bin Laden was killed, President Obama told him: “‘Bill, I promise you, I am going to release those 28 pages.’ But he did not keep his promise.”

France5’s presenter references the recent charges by the “20th hijacker,” Zacarias Moussaoui, confirming the rôle of Saudis in the 9/11 attacks.

Right after that are shown images of Barack Obama meeting the new Saudi King and warmly greeting other Saudi officials, with Michelle Obama in the background. The comment to that: “Americans are upset by the fact that Barack Obama went to Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah, whereas no U.S. officials took part in the Jan. 11 march in Paris,” after the Jan. 7 terrorist attacks there.

We then see an unidentified American man asking, “So what are you afraid of, Bush? Why don’t you and Obama get together and release the documents? After all, you are either with us, or with the terrorists.”

It ends by reporting that two senators (sic), one Republican and one Democrat — obviously referring to Jones and Lynch — have co-sponsored a resolution in Congress calling for declassification of the 28 pages.

The five-minute segment was also embedded in an hour-long roundtable on “C Dans L’Air,” with four specialists in varying areas of anti-terrorism, on “Terrorism’s Dirty Money”; it’s available here at minute 32, and worth watching even if you don’t speak French.

On Feb. 16, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed a series of arms deals, including the sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets. The signing took place at the presidential palace in Cairo, and came as the Egyptian army conducted airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Libya, including training camps and arms depots, after the group published a video showing the beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians it had abducted in Libya.

French President François Hollande said the agreement — clinched in only three months of negotiations — provided Cairo with “quality aircraft” and was important for Egypt, “taking into account the threats existing around the country.” Le Drian, during the ceremony, said: “Our two countries are pursuing a common struggle against terrorism” and “this is a new era of bilateral cooperation between Paris and Cairo.”

“Egypt’s stability is an important element in the stability of the countries overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, especially your country that has witnessed recent terrorist events,” Egyptian Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi told Le Drian.

Egypt asked for three of the planes to be sent immediately. Repainted in Egyptian colors, the planes are to be shown at the huge display organized in August for the opening of the new Suez Canal.

The deal consists of five contracts, three of which are major: besides the 24 Rafale jet fighters, there is a multi-mission frigate FREMM, MICA air-to-air missiles, and Scalp cruise missiles.  The French state guaranteed half the loans from a consortium of banks that include Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, and Société Générale. The EU500 million down payment will be made by Saudi Arabia.

Reflecting the French neo-con freak-out over this development, Le Monde immediately had an article denouncing Cairo’s ‘frightening dictatorship.’ In response, the French government, in an unprecedented action, had the Defense Ministry suspend the accreditation of Le Monde‘s correspondent in Cairo.