This link:http://www.house.gov/international_relations/105th/ap/wsap212982.htm takes you to a US House of Representatives document archive and the official US House transcript of testimony from John J. Maresca, VP - International Relations - Unocal Oil in February, 1998. This paper pretty much says it all... Gary Evans At 06:56 AM 1/10/02 +0000, you wrote: >saw that at www.progressive.org this morning. Goes to prove that >Bush and his bastard buddies will do absolutely anything, no matter >how immoral it might look to others, to enrich their oil buddies a >little more. > >This goes back much further tho. Many years ago, Unical did a study >on getting oil out of Central Asia. The options were: > >1. Go through Russia to the Black Sea - Once of the "Stans", I forget >which one, did that, and the Russians were diverting a lot of the oil. > >2. Go through China - Technically impossible. > >3. Go through Afghanistan to Karachi - Bingo. Now it was time to arm >bin Laden and the other Mujahadeen against the Soviets who were then >occupying Afghanistan, and "liberate" the people. That is when the >terrorist camps were born, and US special forces trained many of >those who would graduate from them. > >Problem is, after the Soviets pulled out, the Afghanis became >uncooperative. America and her allies then pulled all aid. bin >Laden and his henchmen then became enraged at the US and, with the >help of all those American weapons and expertise that Reagan, Bush, >and others gave them, the terrorist camps were turned against US >interests. > >Interestingly, the alleged carrot and stick the US offered last year, >and described in the interview, namely a carpet of gold or a carpet >of bombs, happened before 9-11. Were the greed and threats of Bush >and his cronies the factor that pushed bin Laden over the edge to >bomb the WTC? The evidence is starting to look pretty damn >incriminating. > >--- In NewPacifica@y..., Mitchel Cohen <mitchelcohen@m...> wrote: > > AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN > > Explosive New Book Published in France Alleges that U.S. Was in > > Negotiations to Do a Deal with Taliban > > Aired January 8, 2002 - 07:34 ET > > > > THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM >AND MAY > > BE UPDATED. > > > > PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check in with ambassador-in- >residence, > > Richard Butler, this morning. An explosive new book published in >France > > alleges that the United States was in negotiations to do a deal >with the > > Taliban for an oil pipeline in Afghanistan. Joining us right now is >Richard > > Butler to shed some light on this new book. He is the former chief >U.N. > > weapons inspector. He is now on the Council on Foreign Relations >and our > > own ambassador-in- residence -- good morning. > > > > RICHARD BUTLER, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Good morning, Paula. > > > > ZAHN: Boy, if any of these charges are true... > > > > BUTLER: If... > > > > ZAHN: ... this... BUTLER: Yes. > > > > ZAHN: ... is really big news. > > > > BUTLER: I agree. > > > > ZAHN: Start off with what your understanding is of what is in this >book -- > > the most explosive charge. > > > > BUTLER: The most explosive charge, Paula, is that the Bush >administration > > -- the present one, just shortly after assuming office slowed down >FBI > > investigations of al Qaeda and terrorism in Afghanistan in order to >do a > > deal with the Taliban on oil -- an oil pipeline across Afghanistan. > > > > ZAHN: And this book points out that the FBI's deputy director, John > > O'Neill, actually resigned because he felt the U.S. administration >was > > obstructing... > > > > BUTLER: A proper... > > > > ZAHN: ... the prosecution of terrorism. > > > > BUTLER: Yes, yes, a proper intelligence investigation of terrorism. >Now, > > you said if, and I affirmed that in responding to you. We have to be > > careful here. These are allegations. They're worth airing and >talking > > about, because of their gravity. We don't know if they are correct. >But I > > believe they should be investigated, because Central Asian oil, as >we were > > discussing yesterday, is potentially so important. And all prior >attempts > > to have a pipeline had to be done through Russia. It had to be >negotiated > > with Russia. Now, if there is to be a pipeline through Afghanistan, > > obviating the need to deal with Russia, it would also cost less >than half > > of what a pipeline through Russia would cost. So financially and > > politically, there's a big prize to be had. A pipeline through >Afghanistan > > down to the Pakistan coast would bring out that Central Asian oil >easier > > and more cheaply. > > > > ZAHN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as you spoke about this yesterday, we almost > > immediately got a call from "The New York Times." > > > > BUTLER: Right. > > > > ZAHN: They want you to write an op-ed piece on this over the >weekend. > > > > BUTLER: Right, and which I will do. > > > > ZAHN: But let's come back to this whole issue of what John O'Neill, >this > > FBI agent... > > > > BUTLER: Right. > > > > ZAHN: ... apparently told the authors of this book. He is alleging >that -- > > what -- the U.S. government was trying to protect U.S. oil >interests? And > > at the same time, shut off the investigation of terrorism to allow >for that > > to happen? > > > > BUTLER: That's the allegation that instead of prosecuting properly >an > > investigation of terrorism, which has its home in Afghanistan as we >now > > know, or one of its main homes, that was shut down or slowed down >in order > > to pursue oil interests with the Taliban. The people who we have >now bombed > > out of existence, and this not many months ago. The book says that >the > > negotiators said to the Taliban, you have a choice. You have a >carpet of > > gold, meaning an oil deal, or a carpet of bombs. That's what the >book > > alleges. > > > > ZAHN: Well, I know you're going to be doing your own independent >homework > > on this... > > > > BUTLER: Yes. > > > > ZAHN: ... to see if you can confirm any of this. Let's move on to >the whole > > issue of Iraq. The deputy defense secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, at one >time > > was considered one of those voices within the administration... > > > > BUTLER: Yes. > > > > ZAHN: ... that was pushing for moving beyond Afghanistan. He seemed >to back > > off a little from that yesterday. > > > > BUTLER: Yes. > > > > ZAHN: What do you read through the tea leaves here? > > > > BUTLER: A very interesting report that the administration will >focus on the > > Philippines, Yemen, Somalia as places where there are al Qaeda >cells. But > > the word Iraq wasn't used by the man who was the chief hawk -- used >as a, > > you know, as a future target. So what I interpret from that is >this: That > > very likely our allies have been saying to us, this is too hard. >This is > > really serious. Be careful. Saddam is essentially contained at the >moment. > > Don't start, you know, a bigger problem either in the Arab world or >in the > > coalition by going after him. And Wolfowitz, it seems, has probably > > accepted that. > > > > ZAHN: A quick thought on the Israelis intercepting this latest armed > > shipment? What that means? You've got to do it in about 15 seconds. > > > > BUTLER: It's extraordinarily serious, because it seems to have been >tied to > > Yasser Arafat himself. It needs to be further investigated, but you >know, > > Paula, the potentiality that this could once again prove an >impediment to > > resume peace negotiations is really quite serious. > > > > ZAHN: Thank you as usual for covering so much territory. Richard >Butler, > > see you same time, same place tomorrow morning. > > > > BUTLER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). > > > > ZAHN: We appreciate your insights. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS >TRANSCRIPT, > > PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM >LOCATED AT > > www.fdch.com. > > > >New Pacifica Working Group >http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica >'Save Our Stations!' > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >NewPacifica-unsubscribe@egroups.com > > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Tiny Wireless Camera under $80! Order Now! FREE VCR Commander! Click Here - Only 1 Day Left! http://us.click.yahoo.com/WoOlbB/7.PDAA/ySSFAA/xYTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> New Pacifica Working Group http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica 'Save Our Stations!' To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: NewPacifica-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/