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Re Ritter.. now the inevitable discrediting of Scott: Sidney Morning Herald http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/05/1051987658018.html Baghdad's plan to influence Ritter May 6 2003 Iraq's intelligence services bought gold jewellery that they planned to give to the wife and daughter of Scott Ritter, a filmmaker and former weapons inspector, in a project to encourage him to work closely with Saddam Hussein's regime, according to documents The Sunday Telegraph has discovered. The documents, found in the bombed headquarters of Iraq's intelligence services in Baghdad, say the cost of the presents was approved at the highest level to try to develop "strong relations with them [Mr Ritter's family] that affect positively on our relations with him". The documents say the gifts should be offered via an intermediary, Shakir al-Khafaji, an Iraqi-American businessman and associate of Mr Ritter. The documents, which are signed by the then director-general of Iraqi intelligence, purport to reveal close links between Mr al-Khafaji and Iraqi intelligence, and suggest that the regime was making available substantial funds to offer him. Mr Ritter and Mr al-Khafaji said they received no gifts or money. The papers referred to the "Scott Ritter Project" and were found in a file "Hosting in hotels 1997-2000", which held details of Iraqi intelligence guests. They were in the same folder as reports of a visit to Baghdad in 1998 by an envoy of Osama bin Laden disclosed in The Sunday Telegraph. Mr Ritter formed a partnership with Mr al-Khafaji to finance the documentary Shifting Sands, which, according to Mr Ritter, "proved" that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. In 2001, Mr Ritter said none of Mr al-Khafaji's funding came from Saddam's regime. Of the $A630,000 film budget, he said his payment was $67,000. He said he had Mr al-Khafaji checked by CIA "sources" through a friend who was a reporter. There is no suggestion in the documents that money or benefits were paid to Mr al-Khafaji. Mr Ritter said officials had offered a gold bracelet for his wife and to finance the film. He said he rebuffed the attempts and filed reports to the FBI and US Treasury. The Telegraph, London ================================== btw, wrt Science Applications International Corporation: A SAIC connection to PNAC and Iraq as a "shadow" is weird. SAIC owns Bellcore, which merged with Level Three Communications in 1998. Level Three is an inter-exchange carrier which hauls bits around over its optical fibre network (over the internet). If you ping, you are going to go over a Level Three network. IOW, SAIC has a great deal of control over the internet--the electrical grid/the electro-sphere. This bodes ill for non-monitored/controlled internet access here and assuredly in Iraq. http://www.telcordia.com/newsroom/pressreleases/981116mgcp.html "Bellcore, a SAIC company is a leading provider of communications software, engineering, consulting and training services based on world class research. Bellcore creates business solutions that make information technology work for telecommunications carriers, businesses, and governments worldwide. More information about Bellcore can be found at Bellcore's Web site, http//www.telcordia.com or by calling 1-800-521-CORE. About Level 3 Communications, Inc. Level 3 Communications, Inc., is a communications and information services company that is building the first international network optimized for Internet Protocol technology. The Level 3 Network will combine both local and long distance networks, connecting customers end-to-end across the U.S. and in Europe and Asia. The company expects to complete the U.S. intercity portion of the network during the first quarter of 2001. In the interim, Level 3 has signed an agreement to lease a national network over which it began to offer services in the third quarter of 1998. Level 3 will provide a full range of communications services-including local, long distance, international and Internet services. Level 3's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol LVLT. Its World Wide Web address is http://www.Level3.com. pg, nyc ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glen Rangwala" <gr10009@cam.ac.uk> To: "CASI discuss list" <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2003 3:56 PM Subject: [casi] Some coincidences? The Science Applications International Corporation > Dear All > > Would someone with a bit of energy do some hunting around on the web about > a strange set of coincidences. This revolves around the Science > Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a San Diego-based defence > contractor with annual revenues of $5.9 billion. > > 1. Iraq. Its most prominent role at present in Iraq is the role as the > official employer of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council > (IRDC). SAIC is, the New York Times tells us, officially in charge of the > Iraqi side of the temporary government that is being set up under Jay > Garner. My overview of IRDC is at: > > http://middleeastreference.org.uk/irdc.html > > A second role that SAIC has in Iraq is as behind the "Voice of the New > Iraq", the radio station established on 15 April 2003 at Umm Qasr, as the > US government propaganda outlet. > > A particularly interesting feature is that SAIC's Vice President until > October 2002 was David Kay, the former IAEA inspector who has been one of > the core media pundits on Iraq's weapons, perpetually stressing the > imminent threat of Iraq's weapons. He was also coordinator of SAIC's > homeland security and counterterrorism initiatives. Conflict of interest, > or what? > > A final Iraq-related link is that SAIC's Corporate Vice President for > Strategic Assessment and Development until 7 February 2003 was Christopher > Ryan Henry of Virginia, now Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. > > 2. the anthrax attacks in the US. There was a SAIC employee until March > 2002 who has gone onto achieve some notoriety: Stephen Hatfill. > > Any thoughts? Anybody want to concoct a plausible story..? Of course, with > 38,000 employees, the Hatfill link may just be one-of-those-things. > > All the best > Glen. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk