Links: Le Figaro Reports CIA, bin Laden Contacts

Friday, 2 November 2001, 3:50 pm
Article: The Scoop Editor

Le Figaro Reports CIA/Bin Laden Contacts

LINKS:
LE FIGARO - La CIA aurait rencontré Ben Laden en juillet
GOOGLE - Computer Translation Of Le Figaro Article

The Front-Page lead story in French Newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 is that Osama bin Laden was in an American Hospital in Dubai, in July, and had contacts with the CIA. The story, also featured on Radio France Internationale and other radio news, is as follows:

[Source: Le Figaro, 31.10.01]

Kicker: "Gravely ill, enemy number one stayed in an American hospital in the [United Arab] Emirates at the beginning of the summer."

Banner headline: "July 2001: Bin Laden meets the CIA in Dubai"

"Suffering from a kidney disorder, Osama Bin Laden stayed at the American hospital in Dubai, from July 4-14, where he reportedly met an official of the CIA, according to a witness, a professional partner of the administrative management of the hospital.

"Coming from the airport in Quetta, Pakistan, the man who since the Sept. 11 attacks has become public enemy number one, was immediately transferred on arrival at the Dubai airport. He was accompanied by his personal physician and loyal lieutenant, who could be the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahari, four bodyguards, as well as an Algerian nurse.

"Already in March 2000, the weekly Asia Week, published in Hong Kong, was concerned about Bin Laden's health, talking about of a serious physical problem, specifiying that his days were in danger, due to a 'kidney infection which is spreading to the liver, and requires special treatment.' According to authorized sources, Bin Laden had a mobile dialysis machine delivered to his hideout in Kandahar in the first half of 2000.

"His trip to Dubai was not the first, according to our sources. Between 1996 and 1998, Osama bin Laden had gone there several times for business. During his hospitalization in July, he received the visit of the local representative of the CIA. This person was recalled to Washington on July 15, the day after bin Laden's departure for Quetta.

"Fifteen days later, UAE customs officials arrested a Franco-Algerian Islamist activist, at the Dubai airport, named Djamel Beghal. The French and American authorities were alerted. Interrogated at Abu Dhabi, Beghal said that he had been convoked to Afghanistan at the end of 2000, by Abu Zoubeida -- a military official of the bin Laden organization, Al Qaida. Beghal's mission: to blow up the American embassy in Paris.

"According to Arab diplomatic sources, and French intelligence services, very precise information was communicated to the CIA, regarding terrorist attacks against American interests in the world. A report of the DST [French intelligence] of Sept. 7, collected this information, specifying that the order to act would come from Afghanistan.

"In August, at the US Embassy in Paris, an emergency meeting was convened with the DGSE [French intelligence] and the most senior officials of the American intelligence services. Extremely disturbed, the latter presented their French counterparts with demands for very precise information concerning the Algerian activists, without however explaining the general sense of their demand. When asked, 'What do you fear in the coming days?', the Americans responded with an incomprehensible silence."

[Source: same]

Kicker: "The head of the Al Qaida organization stayed in the U.A.E. at the beginning of the summer for health reasons"

Title: "The CIA met bin Laden in Dubai in July" by Alexandra Richard

"Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates federation, is northeast of Abu Dhabi. This city of 350,000 inhabitants was the discreet stage for a secret meeting between Osama bin Laden and the local CIA representative, in July. A man, a professional partner of the administrative management of the American hospital of Dubai, affirms that public enemy number one stayed in this hospital from July 4-14.

"Coming from the airport of Quetta in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was transferred on arrival at Dubai airport. Accopanied by his personal doctor, and faithful lietenant, who could be the Egyptian Ayman al Zawahari, -- on this point the eyewitness accounts are not fully confirmed --, four bodyguards, as well as an Algerian nurse, bin Laden was admitted to the American hospital, a glass and marble building situated between the Al-Garhoud Bridge and the Al-Maktoum Bridge.

"Each floor has two VIP suites and about 15 rooms. The Saudi billionaire was admitted to the very famous urology department of Dr. Terry Calloway, specialist in kidney stones and male infertility. Reached by telephone, several times, Dr. Calloway did not want to answer our questions.

"Already in March 2000, the weekly Asia Week published in Hongkong, etc. .... a mobile dialysis machine delivered to his hideout in Kandahar, in the first half of 2000. According to our sources, 'bin Laden's move for health reasons' was not the first. Between 1996 and 1998, Osama bin Laden went to Dubai several times for business.

"On September 27, 15 days after the attacks against the World Trade Center, on US demand, the central Bank of the U.A.E. announced that it had ordered the freezing of accounts and investments of 26 persons or organizations suspected of having contacts with the organizaiton of bin Laden, especially the Dubai Islamic Bank.

"'Relations between the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have always been very close,' our sources explain, 'the princes of the royal (reigning) family which had recognized the Taliban regime, travelled to Afghanistan frequently. One prince of the reigning family participated regularly in hunts on the land of bin Laden, whom he had known and frequented for many years.' An air connection between Dubai and Quetta is guaranteed daily by Pakistan Airlines and the Emirates. As for private Saudi or Emirate planes, they service Quetta frequently, where they are most of the time neither registered nor listed in the registers of the airport.

"During his hospitalization, Osama bin Laden received visits of several family members, Saudi and Emirate personalities. In the course of the same stay, the local CIA representative, whom many people in Dubai know, was seen taking the main elevator of the hospital to go to Osama bin Laden's room.

"A few days later, the CIA man boasted to some friends that he had visited the Saudi billionaire. According to authorized sources, the CIA agent was called by his headquarters on July 15, the day after bin Laden's departure for Quetta.

"At the end of July, the U.A.E. customs authorities arrested Djamel Beghal.... Beghal's mission: to blow up the US Embassy, Avenue Gabriel, near the Place de la Concorde, on his return to France.

"According to different diplomatic Arab sources and the French intelligence services, very precise information was communicated to the CIA concerning terrorist attacks aiming at American interests in the world, including on the territory of the Union ***. A report of the DST dated Sept. 7, collected the totality of such detailed information, specifying that the order to act was to come from Afghanistan.

"In August, at the US Embassy in Paris, etc. ... incomprehensible silence.

"The contacts between the CIA and bin Laden date back to 1979, when representing the family firm in Istanbul, he began to recruit volunteers from the Arab-Islamic world, to the Afghan resistance against the Red Army. Investigating the August 1998 attacks against the US Embassies in Nairobi (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the FBI investigators discovered that the traces left by the explosions came from a military explosive *** of the US army, and that this explosive had been delivered three years earlier to Arab Afghansi, the famous international volunteer brigades, engaged with Osama bin Laden during the Afghan war against the Soviet army.

"Following their investigations, the FBI discovered 'structures' that the CIA had developed with its 'Islamist friends' for years. The meeting in Dubai, therefore, is nothing but the logical follow-up of a 'certain American policy'."

[source: Le Figaro, Oct 31, pg 2]

Figaro: Osama is "a 'monster' created by the American Intelligence Services."

"The CIA has always had murky links with foreign agents, creating them for the occasion, believing they could thus better control them. 'They are sons of bitches, but at least they are ours,' one US President said a half a century ago, regarding the 'recruitment' of a Latin American leader."
The article goes on to say, these creatures have often turned against their puppet-masters, citing the case of Noriega, and now Osama bin Laden. The rest of the article reviews relations with bin Laden, from the Afghan resistance period. It emphasizes that bin laden built up his network after 1982 "always with the approval of the CIA."

[source: Le Figaro, Oct 31, pg 2]

"Three years of Secret Links between Kabul and Washington." This article picks up from the Washington Post, on the history of the contacts.

[Source: Le Figaro, 31.10.01]

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