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The Iraq War: In the beginning was the lie “codename, “Curveball”

April 9, 2018 By administrator

On April 9, 2003, US soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Fifteen years later we know that this war cost hundreds of thousands of lives, plunged the Middle East into chaos — and was based on lies.The statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad, and on millions of TV screens around the world, less than three weeks after the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq. Those pictures from April 9, 2003, are etched on our collective memory. Yet even 15 years later, many questions remain unanswered. We still don’t know, for example, exactly how many Iraqis died as a result of the war and in the chaos that followed.

Most sources estimate the number of dead at anything from 150,000 to half a million. Some reliable investigations have concluded that the number was actually far higher. As early as 2006, the respected medical journal The Lancet calculated that there had been more than 650,000 “additional deaths.” As well as from direct violence, this figure also takes into account the consequences of the bombed-out infrastructure and the collapse of the health system.

What we do know for sure is that the rationale for going to war was based on lies. There is a second picture associated with the Iraq War that is also ingrained in our collective memory: US Secretary of State Colin Powell giving his speech to the UN Security Council on February 5, 2003. Six weeks before the war began, Powell spent 76 minutes influencing international public opinion in favor of war. The core of his speech was that Saddam Hussein possessed biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction, that his regime was supporting international terrorism, and that it aimed to build nuclear weapons.

‘Mobile chemical weapons laboratory’

The presentation culminated in a claim, backed up by detailed illustrations, that in order to evade strict controls by UN weapons inspectors Iraq had converted a fleet of trucks into mobile chemical and biological weapons labs. We remember Powell’s speech primarily because all of these claims turned out to be false. In 2005 Powell himself described the speech as a lasting “blot” on his career.

Ray McGovern is a security services veteran. He worked for the CIA for 27 years, and held senior positions within it. In 2003, he and some colleagues from the CIA and other intelligence services founded the organization Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), which critically examines US policy. McGovern told DW, “The intelligence was not mistaken; it was fraudulent — and they knew it.” And a significant part of Powell’s presentation was based on intelligence provided by Germany.

Codename ‘Curveball’

In 1999 the Iraqi chemist Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi came to Germany as a refugee. Alerted to his presence, Germany’s foreign intelligence service (the BND) interrogated him. They were hoping for information about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. Al-Janabi — referred to by his codename, “Curveball” — realized that the more information he provided, the more his status improved. He was given a German passport, money and his own apartment.

This continued until the BND tracked down al-Janabi’s former boss, who picked apart his web of lies. The German intelligence services then informed their American partners of this development. Nonetheless, there was renewed interest in “Curveball” after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Citing former BND head August Hanning, the daily newspaper Die Welt reported in August 2011 that the Americans had demanded a binding commitment from the Germans in 2001 assuring that Curveball’s statements were correct. Hanning refused to provide it, writing instead to the head of the CIA, George Tenet, “attempts to verify the information have been unsuccessful” and that it “must therefore be considered unconfirmed.”

Despite other, more explicit warnings about the veracity of Curveball’s testimony, it became the centerpiece of Powell’s war propaganda. Ray McGovern is certain: “They didn’t care whether Curveball knew what he was talking about. What they had was something they could put on the record, that they could give to these very imaginative and very professional graphics people working for the CIA, and they in turn could render drawings of these nonexistent mobile chemical weapons labs, which of course they did and which Colin Powell featured during his speech.”

Britain has doubts – but nothing comes of it

The US’s allies in Britain were brought into line early on. In May 2005 The Sunday Times of London reported the contents of what had been, until then, a strictly confidential memo. The subject: a meeting with the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair on July 23, 2002, to discuss Iraq. Those present included new Foreign Minister Jack Straw, Defense Minister Geoff Hoon, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, and the head of the foreign intelligence agency MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, referred to, according to tradition, as “C”, in what became known as the “Downing Street Memo.”

Dearlove later spoke of a meeting in Washington just beforehand with the head of the CIA, George Tenet: “Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.” Foreign Minister Straw rightfully objected that “the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbors, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran.”

And Attorney General Goldsmith is on record as saying that “the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action.” None of these reservations, however, stopped Blair from going to war in the interests of the “special relationship” between the US and the UK.

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/the-iraq-war-in-the-beginning-was-the-lie/a-43301338

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Companies, Iraq war, oil

Major French companies show interest in Armenian market, Ambassador says

July 13, 2017 By administrator

Major French companies show interest in Armenian market, Ambassador says“The trade-economic relations between Armenia and France are at a low level. The commodity turnover in the two directions amounts to 50 million euros,” Jean-François Charpentier, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia, said at a news conference on Thursday, reports Panorama.am.

In his words, this is also conditioned by the fact that the Armenian economic market is not well known in Western Europe. “Currently the things tend to change, however a clearly marked desire to immediacy get integrated in that market is not yet observed. The positive dynamics is that major French enterprises already show interest towards the Armenian market. This is also linked with the fact that the Armenian market also entails another potential opportunity to get in touch with the Iranian market. Armenia’s membership to the EAEU can also promise possible prospects,” Mr. Charpentier noted.

The Ambassador underscored that regardless the low commercial and economic turnover, France has quite a significant presence in the Armenian economic field.

Jean-François Charpentier noted that the situation can be considered more satisfactory in terms of investments, since there are French companies operating in Armenia.

Asked whether the improvement measures taken by the Armenian Government inspires trust to the French investors to make investments in Armenia, the French diplomat noted that the Government’s trust actions are among the factors that condition the outlined interest of French enterprises towards Armenia.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ambassador, Armenian, Companies, interest, Major French, market

15 Armenian Startup Teams and Companies Win IMG and STEP Competitions

May 8, 2017 By administrator

On May 5, the winners of the application process for Innovation Matching Grants (IMG) and Science and Technology Entrepreneurship program (STEP) grant schemes were announced – as a result of 2-day pitching events where the 38 shortlisted startup teams and companies participated and pitched their innovative ideas and projects.

The “Innovation Matching Grant” (IMG) and “Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Programme” (STEP) competitions were announced by the “Support to SME Development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project, co-funded by the EU and implemented by GIZ. SMEDA is part of the EU4Business and EU4Innovation initiatives of the European Union. The grant schemes are implemented in cooperation with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF). Both, IMG and STEP aim at promoting entrepreneurship and advancing innovative technology-based ideas in Armenia and to help startup teams, innovators, scientists, engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs to move their products to the market, create new ventures, and promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Armenia.

Ten winners were announced for the IMG competition. These winners will be now further accompanied by international experts in preparing their project to receive funding from 30,000 – 50,000 EUR to transform their ground-breaking ideas into real products.

For the STEP competition five winners were announced, who will equally be accompanied to prepare their projects in order to receive funding of up to EUR 15,000 to engage actively into the realization of their scientific and technology oriented project.

Before the final stage of competitions coaching and mentorship was provided to the applicant teams and companies by international and local experts active in entrepreneurship development and investments. This support will be ongoing for the winners in the form of mentorship, networking with potential investors, assisting with commercialization strategies and analyses of innovative products, etc.

Mrs. Eva Naeher, SMEDA team leader mentioned that around 90 applicants had applied to both competitions and tremendous work had been carried out with them by SMEDA and EIF with guidance, mentorship and then in selection and evaluation stages that resulted in successful collaboration with a vision for future expansion of competitions.

Mr. Bagrat Yengibaryan, EIF director, mentioned that EIF has adopted the function of creating startups and has already supported more than 250 teams and startups in Armenia. Now, with the aim of supporting beginners in the fields of engineering, clean and high technologies, EIF in cooperation with SMEDA will implement Innovation Matching Grants competition and Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) during 2017-2019.

Mr. Peer Priewich, SMEDA technical advisor recalled all the stages of both competitions starting from the info sessions, guidance, boot camps and preparing the startups for the pitching. “Special thanks to the jury for their careful attention to 38 pitches during these last two days and valuable advice to the startups” he concluded.

As to the advice by the jury it was mentioned that Armenian startups need to improve and practice their pitching skills in general. The ideas and projects presented to a jury or an investor should be technically viable, project teams should be “coachable” and constructive and open to advice.

One of the judges Mr. Christian Schellenberger from Berlinern Strategen GmbH, added: “There were some super inspiring great products, and amazing presentations – and they won. Those who did not win have also benefited from the process, as they learnt, improved their skills and gained valuable connections, which should enable them to better and more efficiently engage in future competitions”.

The winning stratups of IMG competition are:

  • Volterman Smart Wallet
  • Chessfimee
  • Embry
  • WiseLogger
  • Skycryptor
  • Xcloud
  • ShellGuard
  • OnYourWay
  • Pixomatic
  • FPGA Key Value Database for IoT

The winning startups of STEP competition are:

  • Financial Tech
  • CNC Machine line
  • One – Click key
  • Custom I/O modules for NI my RIO and ElvisRIO platforms
  • CDM for Education, Based on New Generation Optical Element

Source: http://hetq.am/eng/news/78543/15-armenian-startup-teams-and-companies-win-img-and-step-competitions.html

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armenian, Companies, startup, STEP, Win IMG

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