Pentagon Awards Contract Worth Up To $300 Million To Amateurs.
e diel, mars 30, 2008
Verdict: Why America Hates Washington Mar. 27, 2008
Efraim Diveroli talks with Kosta Trebicka
A telephone conversation between 22 year old Efraim Diveroli, President of Miami based AEY, Inc. and Mr. Kosta Trebicka, an Albanian businessman in regards to ammunition purchases for US and Afghan troops. AEY Inc. became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan's army and police forces in 2003 and provided ammunition that was more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging. The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating why the the Pentagon gave the inexperienced 22 year old a $300 million contract to provide ammunition to Afghanistan.
US gave $300m arms contract to 22-year-old with criminal record
The Pentagon entrusted a 22-year-old previously arrested for domestic violence and having a forged driving licence to be the main supplier of ammunition to Afghan forces at the height of the battle against the Taliban, it was reported yesterday.
...
AEY also supplied weapons to US agencies, and rifles to Iraqi forces.
Okay, this deal needs a full investigation. How did this kid, with criminal record and fake driver;s license, wind up with the contracts to supply arms to the Army, the Iraqis, and Us Government agencies like DEA and FBI? (MR)
Supplier Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans
The younger Diveroli's munitions experience appeared to be limited to a short-lived job in Los Angeles for Botach Tactical, a military and police supply company owned by his uncle, Bar-Kochba Botach.
Botach Tactical's website is HERE
Interesting logo.
ZIONISM IS THE CAUSE OF RISING ISLAMOPHOBIA
"Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves." Former Israeli Prime Minister Menechem Begin
VIDEO - Elephant Paints Self Portrait
Another reminder that humans are not as far removed from the other animals as they sometimes like to imagine they are. (MR)
Weird Al Gore, 'environmentalist'
Since the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the incidence of cancer in Serbia, which received the brunt of the bombing, has at least doubled. Thousands of tons of bombs and missiles carrying depleted uranium were dropped on the country. The radioactive dust was inhaled not just by those nearby, but others unfortunate enough to be downwind. In addition, at least some of the deadly residue has seeped down to contaminate the water table in certain regions of Serbia.
Kosovo, whose Albanian population was supposed to be "saved" by the bombing, has become a DU dump. No one has the exact figures of the incidents of cancer among the majority Albanian population now. The United Nations, which is in charge of the civil administration of the province, is either not releasing figures, not conducting the necessary studies or not revealing what it knows. However, a number of NATO soldiers, especially from Italy, have gone home ill, some terminally.
Nearby, in Bosnia, during 1994-95, U.S. planes dropped DU ordnance on or near several population centers. In one of them, Hadzici near Sarajevo, cancer reached epidemic proportions by the late 1990s.
The thousands of overflights made by U.S. and other NATO planes on their bombing sorties heavily damaged the ozone layer above the Balkans. The thunder heard during storms for several weeks after the 78-day bombing was unnaturally loud, the lightening spectacular. On the other hand, the sun baked with a special vengeance that summer. The difference in its intensity was palpable; sunburn occurred in a matter of minutes.
All the above environmental havoc happened during the watch of Al Gore, the freshly anointed Nobel Peace Prize winner, while he served as vice president of the United States. No words of protest were heard coming from him at that time.
Efraim Diversoli... why not state that he is a Jew?
If he was a Muslim, you would not find one mainstream report that neglected to shove that fact down your throat. Is this self-censorship in the press? And do I have to troll the blogs to find the kind of info about Government-funded Jewish crime paid for by our tax dollars???
e premte, mars 28, 2008
Arms dealer's dad wanted 'nice' doctor son
- Story Highlights
- 22-year-old arms dealer faces congressional inquiry
- Company supplied ammunition made in China decades ago
- Company's contract called for bullets made in Hungary
- Grandfather says dealer, 22, had "gift" for weaponry
FACTBOX-Balkan candidates offer NATO leaner military muscle
The Kalashnikov assault rifle remains the weapon of choice. Albania had so many it donated some to Iraq.
E Verteta4_U: Albania has such a good army that they can afford to donate kalashnikovs to Iraq !
PM Berisha did not think to even sell the kalashnikovs and take the money and use it to fix all the bad roads albania has.
NATO to Invite New Members to Join Military Alliance
Analysts say two countries will be invited to join: Albania and Croatia.
Albanian troops find 25th body at site of massive arms dump blast
TIRANA, Albania: Albanian officials are raising to 25 the death toll from a massive explosion at an ammunition dump March 15.
Albania's airport signs €22 million loan with EBRD to extend terminal
TIRANA, Albania: Officials at Albania's Tirana Airport say they have signed a €22 million (US$34.7 million) loan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to extend the passenger terminal.
Why Ron Paul Scares the GOP
There used to be an organization for people who believed in a truly limited government — limited taxes, limited spending, limited interference in individual lives and limited intervention in foreign affairs. That organization was known as the Republican Party. But the only one of those beliefs that still motivates the G.O.P. establishment is limited taxes. In 2008, people who still hold all of them joined the Ron Paul Revolution.
22 year old crook sells 300 million of faulty ammo to US millitary
With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan's army and police forces.
Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials. Much of the ammunition comes from the aging stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including stockpiles that the State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete, and have spent millions of dollars to have destroyed.
In purchasing munitions, the contractor has also worked with middlemen and a shell company on a federal list of entities suspected of illegal arms trafficking.
Moreover, tens of millions of the rifle and machine-gun cartridges were manufactured in China, making their procurement a possible violation of American law. The company's president, Efraim E. Diveroli, was also secretly recorded in a conversation that suggested corruption in his company's purchase of more than 100 million aging rounds in Albania, according to audio files of the conversation.
"Nothing but the best for our boys!" -- Official White Horse Souse (MR)
U.S. suspends supplier of arms to Afghanistan
# Story Highlights
# AEY Inc. is under investigation for reportedly dealing in Chinese ammunition
# According to government contract, company cannot buy munitions from the Chinese
# Army memo: Government awarded AEY contracts worth in excess of $200 million
# Army Documents reveal ammunition arrived in Afghanistan corroded, poorly packed
Incompetence Alert: Pentagon gives inexperienced 22 year-old $300 million contract
So to recap: During the free-cash-giveaway that is defense contracting, the Pentagon awards $300 million to the company of a clueless 22 year old, resulting in our soldiers having to use substandard weaponry.
Confusion persists over death toll in Albanian munitions blast
Tirana - Two weeks after the huge blast at a munitions depot levelled the village Gerdec on outskirts of the Albanian capital Tirana, authorities could still not say how many people were killed, reports said Thursday. So far 24 casualties were confirmed in Gerdec, but the fate of some 120 people who were supposed to have been in the facility when it exploded on March 15 remains unclear.
e enjte, mars 27, 2008
Tirana explodes: Albanian families pick up pieces of their shattered lives
Albanian families are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives after the explosion of the military depot in Gërdec village, 12 km from the capital city Tirana, that left thousands of people homeless, traumatized and hurt on 15 March.
Albania Leaders In Arms Trafficking Row
The row erupted after the New York Times accused Albanian officials of murky deals with United States-based AEY. The company, had its contract with the U.S. military revoked this week amid claims by the paper it was supplying decades-old ammunition to the Afghan army.
Supplier under scrutiny on aging arms for Afghans
Efraim Diveroli, was also secretly recorded in a conversation that suggested corruption in his company's purchase of more than 100 million aging rounds in Albania, according to an audio file of the conversation.
Joining Nato would lift prospects
These are momentous days for Albania. Two separate events - Kosovo's declaration of independence and the likelihood of receiving an invitation to join the Nato alliance - offer one of Europe's poorest countries an unprecedented chance of improving its long-term prospects.
After Nato the next challenge will be EU membership
The recent explosions at an ammunition depot near Tirana, serve as a reminder that Albania remains well behind much of the rest of Europe in the enforcement of health and safety standards.
e mërkurë, mars 26, 2008
Wife of Republican presidential candidate visits Kosovo
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Cindy McCain, the wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, is visiting Kosovo.
e martë, mars 25, 2008
Albania sitting on communist-era powder keg
"How could women and children work without training, practically like slaves, dismantling ammunition without a single security measure several kilometres from Tirana?"
America Must Work to End Anti-Gay Abuses Worldwide
After Korab Zuka founded a gay-rights group in Kosovo in 2005, he received threatening phone calls and emails and had his car vandalized.
"We are going to make you hold your intestines," Zuka, 22, recalls being warned. "We will (rape) your mother ... and we are going to cut your head off.'"
The police were indifferent to his cries for protection.
E Verteta4_: :)
NATO bombs still plague Kosovo Serbs
Thousands of Kosovo Serbs are still listed as missing – nine years after NATO began bombing the former Yugoslavia. The relatives of some of the victims are still searching for bodies. Russia Today met with some of them, and heard of their desperate search to find the remains of missing loved ones.
E Verteta4_U: Notice how they forgot to mention the Kosovo Albanians who are still missing too.
Floods Cause Disruption In Kosovo
Pristina _ Heavy rain and snow on Monday has created widespread flooding in Kosovo, leading to disruption across the territory.
Macedonia-Kosovo Border Meeting On Hold
Skopje_ Governments of Macedonia and Kosovo called off a planned meeting of a joint committee tasked with demarcation of the border, set for Tuesday.
Will Kosovo be turned over to the Pentagon?
- Predictions made by experts before Kosovo's illegal declaration of independence are coming true - the territory seized from Serbia is turning into a big military base of the United States and NATO.
Kosovo prime minister rejects Serbian proposal to partition Kosovo along ethnic lines
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Kosovo's prime minister on Tuesday rejected a Serbian government proposal to partition Kosovo between its minority Serbs and dominant ethnic Albanians, saying Belgrade must accept that all of the territory is independent.
Serbia asks UN for partitioning of Kosovo
Serbia has formally proposed partitioning Kosovo along ethnic lines for the first time, asking the United Nations to ensure that Belgrade can control key institutions and functions in areas of the newly independent country where Serbs form a majority.
Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think
* "As we have seen in the [Gallup] data, resentment against the West comes from what Muslims perceive as the West's hatred and denigration of Islam; the Western belief that Arabs and Muslim are inferior; and their [Muslims'] fear of Western intervention, domination, or occupation" (141).
* "As our [Gallup's] data has demonstrated, the primary cause of broad-based anger and anti-Americanism is not a clash of civilizations but the perceived effect of U.S. foreign policy in the Muslim world" (156).
* "[The Gallup data shows that] contrary to what the 'They Hate Our Freedom' thesis might predict, Muslims do not recommend or insist upon changes to Western culture or social norms as the path to better [Western-Muslim] relations. ... Rather they call on the West to show greater respect for Islam, and they emphasize policy-related issues [U.S. interventionism; unqualified support for Israel; and protection for authoritarian Arab regimes]" (159).
"They hate us because we are free." -- Official White Horse Souse
THE VATICAN MUST SHOW GOOD WILL TOWARDS MUSLIMS
The highly-publicized conversion to Catholicism of a naturalized Italian citizen of Egyptian origin this week once again illustrates the uneasy relations between Islam and western Christianity.
The problem, of course, doesn't lie in the conversion itself. People after all should be free to choose their faith and way of life without coercion. The Quran itself declares that "let there be no compulsion in religion."
But the problem lies in the vindictive atmosphere surrounding the conversion ceremony, including the anti-Islamic allusions and insinuations.
e hënë, mars 24, 2008
VIDEO: Jim Rogers Calls For Abolishing The Federal Reseve
Jim Rogers a well respected financial analyst openly calls for the abolishment of the Federal Reserve on CNBC.
Serbia wants Kosovo partitioned
Nine years after Nato began bombing Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown on Kosovo Albanians, Belgrade has proposed partitioning the newly- independent nation along ethnic lines.
Obama Surges in New Poll. It's Hard to Argue his Inevitability
After a long, difficult week in Democratic politics, it would appear that Sen. Barack Obama's momentum is back on track following his universally lauded speech on race and his endorsement by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. According to Gallup's daily tracking poll, Obama regained his lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton by 48% to 45%over the weekend. The week before, after the Rev. Wright scandal broke but before Obama's speech, Clinton pulled ahead with a 49%-42% lead...her first lead in about 7 weeks. The week before, Obama led 50%-44%. What a roller-coaster.
Mirënjohje e përhershme SHBA-ve, BE-së dhe vendeve që ndihmuan çlirimin dhe pavarësimin e Kosovës
Sot, në 9 vjetorin e sulmeve të aleatëve kundër Serbisë, që pasuan me largimin e forcave serbe, hyrjen e trupave të NATO-s dhe kthimin e mbi 800 mijë shqiptarëve në Kosovë, të dëbuar më parë me dhunë nga ushtria serbe, liderët e vendit tonë nderojnë kujtimin për të gjithë ata që u flijuan dhe falënderojnë SHBA, NATO-n dhe aleatët për lirinë dhe shtetin e Kosovës
Sejdiu: Përvjetori i bombardimeve shënohet në Kosovën e pavarur
EU opens talks on a free visa regime with Albania
Albania is the fourth country in the Western Balkans to launch a dialogue on visa liberalisation, following Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Albania has begun talks with the European Commission (EC) on liberalising the visa regime with EU member states, as part of a general initiative by the bloc to ease restrictions for Western Balkan countries.
Kosovo Tuberculosis Figures Down
Pristina _ On the International Day against Tuberculosis, Kosovo's health authorities say the number of people being treated for the disease has fallen significantly.
Macedonia & Kosovo Set For Border Talks
Skopje _ A joint Macedonia-Kosovo committee is to meet Tuesday in Skopje to discuss the long delayed marking of their mutual border, the government told media on Monday.
Macedonia & Kosovo Set For Border Talks
Skopje _ A joint Macedonia-Kosovo committee is to meet Tuesday in Skopje to discuss the long delayed marking of their mutual border, the government told media on Monday.
Serbia proposes dividing Kosovo along ethnic lines
BELGRADE, Serbia: Nine years after NATO began bombing Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown in Kosovo, Belgrade has proposed partitioning the newly independent nation along ethnic lines.
e shtunë, mars 22, 2008
New 9/11 Truth Film Preview
Why isn't Israeli involvement mentioned in any of the other films out there? Well its time to start bringing this topic to light. This is the first 10 minute clip of the new film being made by www.prothink.org
The Easiest Targets - Part 1
Part 1 - Five women -- Palestinian, American, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish -- tell stories of humiliation and harassment by Israeli border guards and airport security officials.
Cheney’s “peace” trip to Middle East prepares new wars
US Vice President Dick Cheney, during a trip to the Middle East aimed at consolidating Washington's position in its ongoing wars of aggression and preparing new ones, gave vent Wednesday to his utter contempt for the will of the American people.
Veton Surroi on Kosovo
The Kosovar statesman and publisher explains why the EU is a hostage to the new country's transitional period. ( AUDIO)
e premte, mars 21, 2008
PARENTS IN GAZA BURY THEIR DEAD SON … FIND HIM ALIVE 2 WEEKS LATER
The family had been mourning for 16-year-old Ahmed Abu Salamah. What was left of what was thought to be his body had been buried. After two weeks of mourning, they found Ahmed alive in the intensive care unit at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital.
But a boy had been buried. And, a family had spent two weeks outside the intensive care unit, believing the boy inside was theirs. It was their boy who had died.
Bankers Banks On Albania
 | |
Kosovo PM admitted attrocities, prosecutor
UN personnel feared for their lives in Kosovo while some of the judges presiding over the Hague Tribunal for former Yugoslavia were in fear from Kosovo Albanians that have committed atrocities against Serbs and that is why very few cases of Kosovo Albanian war criminals have been prosecuted, writes Carla Del Ponte, former Chief Prosecutor of the UN Tribunal, in her new book.
e enjte, mars 20, 2008
Serbia PM Slams Kosovo Military Aid
Belgrade _ Serbia’s caretaker prime minister described a decision by the United States' President to send military aid to Kosovo as 'utterly wrong' and aimed at creating a NATO puppet state in the region.
Bush OKs supplying arms to Kosovo
President George W. Bush authorized Wednesday supplying Kosovo with weapons, signaling the establishment of government-to-government relations after recognizing its independence, the White House said.
Posted Mar 20, 2008 08:07 AM PSTCategory: CURRENT EVENTS
Why is it okay for Kosovo to be independent, but not Palestine?
RIGHT ON TIME! BIN LADIN "THREATENS" WHOLE OF EUROPE...
RIGHT ON TIME! BIN LADIN "THREATENS" WHOLE OF EUROPE...
RIGHT ON TIME! BIN LADIN "THREATENS" WHOLE OF EUROPE......
Posted Mar 20, 2008 08:24 AM PSTCategory: COVER-UP/DECEPTIONS
Gerdec: The price Albania paid to supply the Afghan Army
Gary Q. Kokalari
Subj: AEY/Meico/Evdin/Afghanistan Date: 3/9/2008 11:56:54 P.M. Eastern
Daylight Time From: _GQKokalari_ (mailto:GQKokalari) To: _irama@_
(mailto:irama@l) CC: _darre@doj_ (mailto:darre@doj) , _Cristina@state_
(mailto:Cristina@state) , _michaelr@doj_ (mailto:michaelr@doj) , _mich@cia_ (mailto:mich@cia) ,
_Ries@state_ (mailto:Ries@state) , _hil@state_ (mailto:hil@state) ,
_sollaku@_ (mailto:sollaku@m) _ThomasF@fbi_ (mailto:ThomasF@fbi) BCC:
(mailto:Cindy.Coppola@ic.fbi.gov)
CONFIDENTIAL
March 9, 2008
The Hon. Ina Rama
Prosecutor General
Republic of Albania
Tirana, Albania
Your Honor:
Below please find my October 10, 2007 letter to then Prosecutor General Theodori Sollaku describing what I believe constituted a criminal conspiracy of senior Albanian government officials engaged in the sale of ammunition from military stockpiles. An Albanian translation of this letter (see below) was emailed to Sollaku on October 22, 2007; however, he was unable to conduct an investigation due to the fact he was relieved of his duties by President Bamir Topi.
Because you now serve as Albania’s Chief Prosecutor, I am asking you to open an investigation of this matter.
Please be advised that I have submitted this information to various U.S.
government agencies and several members of Congress. As a result, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) opened a case and dispatched agents to Tirana to commence an investigation which included an interview with Kosta Trebicka. You should be aware that by selling/exporting Chinese manufactured ammunition to supply a U.S. government contract, Albanian government officials may have violated U.S. weapon sales regulations and possibly those of NATO. For this and other reasons, such as allegations that senior Albanian government officials have profited from this deal, it is my understanding that DOD may deem this a criminal investigation.
What brought this issue to my attention was my communication with Kosta Trebicka who alerted me to the fact that Meico, the export arm of Albania’s Ministry of Defense (MOD), forced AEY, an American company seeking to fulfill a $300 million procurement contract on behalf of the U.S. government, to purchase ammunition from Albanian stockpiles at a substantial price mark-up through Evdin, a Cyprus-based company controlled by a Swiss businessman. Meico’s demand that its ammunition sales to AEY be directed through a third party company led Trebicka, who worked as a sub-contractor on this deal, to believe this was being done to provide a mechanism by which corrupt Albanian officials could extract kick-backs. Knowing of Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu’s unexplained accumulation of wealth and his affiliation with known criminals, it was natural for me to suspect there could be substance to Trebicka’s allegations.
You should also be aware that recently, a journalist for a well known
foreign newspaper interviewed Fatmir Mediu at his office in Tirana where he questioned Mediu about NATO and other issues. Mediu was shocked when the journalist began asking questions about Albania’s illegal shipment of Chinese ammunition to Afghanistan. The journalist was accompanied by a local video photographer who he hired to record the interview, so any recorded data that was produced should be considered property of the journalist and his newspaper.
During the interview, when Mediu was first confronted about the Chinese ammunition sales, he denied the entire affair; however, I am told that after Mediu was presented with irrefutable evidence of Meico’s role in the transaction that Mediu subsequently may have made incriminating statements. The day after his interview with Mediu, the journalist left Albania expecting the video photographer to forward the recordings of his interview with Mediu; however, on the day of the journalist’s departure, Mediu sent his goons to the video photographer’s studio and without legal cause, Mediu’s thugs forced themselves into the photographer’s studio and confiscated his camera and computer equipment (there were witnesses to this event). This was nothing less than an obstruction of justice, an illegal trespass and an attempt to suppress free speech, all in the name of the Albanian government. Together, these criminal acts constitute a blatant assault on Albania’s constitution.
Knowing their illegal arms deal was in jeopardy of being exposed, Sali
Berisha and Fatmir Mediu orchestrated a charade to “donate” ammunition to Afghanistan and Iraq. This appears to be little more than a highly transparent attempt to divert attention from efforts to defraud the Albanian and American governments while simultaneously trying to curry favor with the Bush administration. But one of the most heinous aspects of this grand deception is that proceeds from these munitions sales - potentially worth tens of millions of dollars if negotiated through appropriate U.S./NATO structures - could be used
to build Albanian schools or supply desperately needed medical equipment for Albanian hospitals. Instead, Berisha and Mediu may have conspired to use these Albanian military stockpiles to buy their way out of trouble that could threaten their political lives, and this maneuver should be viewed as another in the string of crimes perpetrated by corrupt officials of the Berisha government.
In my possession is a copy of an email from Kosta Trebicka that provides an outline of the events related to this matter. I also have copies of emails between Trebicka and AEY President Diveroli and there is a copy of a May 9 email from Meico Director Pinari to AEY about an ammunition pickup at Rinas Airport that is also copied to Evdin and Trebicka, thereby establishing a link to
Evdin. Also available are copies of supporting documents I received from Trebicka including a contract between AEY and Xhoi (Trebicka’s company), a USG purchase order to AEY and a transcript of what Trebicka represents is a telephone conversation between Diveroli and him. I have sound files of the Diveroli-Trebicka conversation, and I can confirm that it is Trebicka’s voice on the recording; however, I cannot verify Diveroli’s voice, but this can be easily resolved. Among the statements alleged to have been made by Diveroli during this conversation: “Pinari is either a mafia guy or working for the mafia”;
“Pinari needs a guy like Henry (the President of Evdin) in the middle to
take care of him and his buddies (Berisha and Mediu)”; “this deal kept going higher to the prime minister (Berisha) and his son.” Should you express an interest in reviewing this information with the intention of determining if there is a case for indictment, the information can be forwarded to you upon request.
I am requesting your cooperation in notifying me within two days of your receipt of this message of your intentions to pursue an investigation of this matter. If during this time period I do not hear from you with either an affirmative or negative response, or if you do not, at a minimum, indicate to me that you need more time to review the matter and/or if you do not request additional information, I will assume it is because you decided to ignore this case entirely and will proceed accordingly.
When you accepted the position of Prosecutor General you stated that you would remain independent in your deliberations. Now is the time to show the people of Albania you stand behind your words by taking action against those who have committed crimes regardless of their position or party affiliation.
Respectfully,
Gary Q. Kokalari
Subj: AEY/Meico/Evdin/Afghanistan Date: 3/9/2008 11:56:54 P.M. Eastern
Daylight Time From: _GQKokalari_ (mailto:GQKokalari) To: _irama@_
(mailto:irama@l) CC: _darre@doj_ (mailto:darre@doj) , _Cristina@state_
(mailto:Cristina@state) , _michaelr@doj_ (mailto:michaelr@doj) , _mich@cia_ (mailto:mich@cia) ,
_Ries@state_ (mailto:Ries@state) , _hil@state_ (mailto:hil@state) ,
_sollaku@_ (mailto:sollaku@m) _ThomasF@fbi_ (mailto:ThomasF@fbi) BCC:
(mailto:Cindy.Coppola@ic.fbi.gov)
CONFIDENTIAL
March 9, 2008
The Hon. Ina Rama
Prosecutor General
Republic of Albania
Tirana, Albania
Your Honor:
Below please find my October 10, 2007 letter to then Prosecutor General Theodori Sollaku describing what I believe constituted a criminal conspiracy of senior Albanian government officials engaged in the sale of ammunition from military stockpiles. An Albanian translation of this letter (see below) was emailed to Sollaku on October 22, 2007; however, he was unable to conduct an investigation due to the fact he was relieved of his duties by President Bamir Topi.
Because you now serve as Albania’s Chief Prosecutor, I am asking you to open an investigation of this matter.
Please be advised that I have submitted this information to various U.S.
government agencies and several members of Congress. As a result, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) opened a case and dispatched agents to Tirana to commence an investigation which included an interview with Kosta Trebicka. You should be aware that by selling/exporting Chinese manufactured ammunition to supply a U.S. government contract, Albanian government officials may have violated U.S. weapon sales regulations and possibly those of NATO. For this and other reasons, such as allegations that senior Albanian government officials have profited from this deal, it is my understanding that DOD may deem this a criminal investigation.
What brought this issue to my attention was my communication with Kosta Trebicka who alerted me to the fact that Meico, the export arm of Albania’s Ministry of Defense (MOD), forced AEY, an American company seeking to fulfill a $300 million procurement contract on behalf of the U.S. government, to purchase ammunition from Albanian stockpiles at a substantial price mark-up through Evdin, a Cyprus-based company controlled by a Swiss businessman. Meico’s demand that its ammunition sales to AEY be directed through a third party company led Trebicka, who worked as a sub-contractor on this deal, to believe this was being done to provide a mechanism by which corrupt Albanian officials could extract kick-backs. Knowing of Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu’s unexplained accumulation of wealth and his affiliation with known criminals, it was natural for me to suspect there could be substance to Trebicka’s allegations.
You should also be aware that recently, a journalist for a well known
foreign newspaper interviewed Fatmir Mediu at his office in Tirana where he questioned Mediu about NATO and other issues. Mediu was shocked when the journalist began asking questions about Albania’s illegal shipment of Chinese ammunition to Afghanistan. The journalist was accompanied by a local video photographer who he hired to record the interview, so any recorded data that was produced should be considered property of the journalist and his newspaper.
During the interview, when Mediu was first confronted about the Chinese ammunition sales, he denied the entire affair; however, I am told that after Mediu was presented with irrefutable evidence of Meico’s role in the transaction that Mediu subsequently may have made incriminating statements. The day after his interview with Mediu, the journalist left Albania expecting the video photographer to forward the recordings of his interview with Mediu; however, on the day of the journalist’s departure, Mediu sent his goons to the video photographer’s studio and without legal cause, Mediu’s thugs forced themselves into the photographer’s studio and confiscated his camera and computer equipment (there were witnesses to this event). This was nothing less than an obstruction of justice, an illegal trespass and an attempt to suppress free speech, all in the name of the Albanian government. Together, these criminal acts constitute a blatant assault on Albania’s constitution.
Knowing their illegal arms deal was in jeopardy of being exposed, Sali
Berisha and Fatmir Mediu orchestrated a charade to “donate” ammunition to Afghanistan and Iraq. This appears to be little more than a highly transparent attempt to divert attention from efforts to defraud the Albanian and American governments while simultaneously trying to curry favor with the Bush administration. But one of the most heinous aspects of this grand deception is that proceeds from these munitions sales - potentially worth tens of millions of dollars if negotiated through appropriate U.S./NATO structures - could be used
to build Albanian schools or supply desperately needed medical equipment for Albanian hospitals. Instead, Berisha and Mediu may have conspired to use these Albanian military stockpiles to buy their way out of trouble that could threaten their political lives, and this maneuver should be viewed as another in the string of crimes perpetrated by corrupt officials of the Berisha government.
In my possession is a copy of an email from Kosta Trebicka that provides an outline of the events related to this matter. I also have copies of emails between Trebicka and AEY President Diveroli and there is a copy of a May 9 email from Meico Director Pinari to AEY about an ammunition pickup at Rinas Airport that is also copied to Evdin and Trebicka, thereby establishing a link to
Evdin. Also available are copies of supporting documents I received from Trebicka including a contract between AEY and Xhoi (Trebicka’s company), a USG purchase order to AEY and a transcript of what Trebicka represents is a telephone conversation between Diveroli and him. I have sound files of the Diveroli-Trebicka conversation, and I can confirm that it is Trebicka’s voice on the recording; however, I cannot verify Diveroli’s voice, but this can be easily resolved. Among the statements alleged to have been made by Diveroli during this conversation: “Pinari is either a mafia guy or working for the mafia”;
“Pinari needs a guy like Henry (the President of Evdin) in the middle to
take care of him and his buddies (Berisha and Mediu)”; “this deal kept going higher to the prime minister (Berisha) and his son.” Should you express an interest in reviewing this information with the intention of determining if there is a case for indictment, the information can be forwarded to you upon request.
I am requesting your cooperation in notifying me within two days of your receipt of this message of your intentions to pursue an investigation of this matter. If during this time period I do not hear from you with either an affirmative or negative response, or if you do not, at a minimum, indicate to me that you need more time to review the matter and/or if you do not request additional information, I will assume it is because you decided to ignore this case entirely and will proceed accordingly.
When you accepted the position of Prosecutor General you stated that you would remain independent in your deliberations. Now is the time to show the people of Albania you stand behind your words by taking action against those who have committed crimes regardless of their position or party affiliation.
Respectfully,
Gary Q. Kokalari
The Israel of the Balkans
“All we want is to reduce the Albanian population to a manageable level.” – Zoran Andjelkovic, former Serbian governor of Kosovo
Albania, Kosova, Macedonia: the Triple Alliance for Balkan Stability
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
e mërkurë, mars 19, 2008
VIDEO - Cheney On Two-Thirds Of The American Public Opposing The Iraq War: 'So?'
"They don't like it, they can go quail hunting with me!" (mr)
Bush’s Dirty Secret: Bribing Iraq Insurgents Not to Fight
The real purpose of the "surge" was to hide another deception. The Bush regime is paying Sunni insurgents $800,000 a day not to attack US forces. That's right, 80,000 members of an "Awakening group," the "Sons of Iraq," a newly formed "US-allied security force" consisting of Sunni insurgents, are being paid $10 a day each not to attack US troops.
Albania Media Criticised Over Blast Coverage
Tirana _ Albania's Prime Minister has lashed out at local media accusing them of manipulating coverage of Saturday's blasts at a munitions depot that left 17 people dead and more than 280 injured.
Berisha won't resign, but accepts Mediu's resignation
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha accepted the resignation by Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, but rejected the opposition call for his own resignation, Makfax correspondent said.
e martë, mars 18, 2008
'I was sold for 2,000 euros'
When Anna was just 12, she ran away from her home in Albania after befriending an older man.
Kosovo: Two People, One Country
Kosovo, the world’s newest nation has finally earned its place on the world’s map. Relatively unknown to most of the world, Kosovo is a former
While under the rule of
On the other hand, Kosovo Albanian’s speak Albanian. Although spoken in an area dominated by Slavic languages, Albanian happens to be one of the oldest Indo-European languages still spoken today. The Albanian language has no known relatives, but is thought to have descended from the ancient Illyrian language. Also spoken in
Kosovo’s Albanian and Serb population come from two very distinct cultures. Again, while under communism, Albanian culture was under oppression and the Yugoslavian culture was encouraged and practiced. It was not until the 1990’s; with the rise of nationalism did the differences between Albanians and Serbs begin to cause turmoil. Kosovo is home to two world religions, Sunni Islam and Christian Orthodox.
Kosovo Albanians are predominately Sunni Muslims by faith while Serbs are Christian Orthodox. Throughout Kosovo one can see the landscape dotted by many Ottoman styled mosques and Russian styled monasteries. However, many of these places of worship go unfilled. The decades of communism which frowned upon organized religion had paid its price on the people of Kosovo. Although not devout, the Albanians and Serbs hold their religion as a symbol of the identity.
Kosovo’s Albanians and Serbs are both very nationalistic people. With Albanians remaining loyal to their kin in neighboring
Kosovo has been a multi-ethnic land for centuries. However, while under communism, the Albanians of Kosovo were oppressed in many ways. Their language, culture, and history consistently took the back seat to Serbian language, culture and history. Even though they made up over 90 percent of the population, Albanians were continued to be treated as second class citizens in their own state. Serbs, who make up less than the remaining 10 percent where given all privileges in Kosovo. In an attempt to keep the peace in the historically volatile region, any type of nationalism among Albanians was immediately disintegrated by Serb authorities. While Albanians and Serbs do have many differences, their love for Kosovo should unify them as a people. To see such a beautiful country plagued by years of bloodshed and injustice is truly tragic. Kosovo has the potential to become a prospering nation as long as it continues to make progress in cross cultural understanding. A bit of advice for Kosovo, just as president Abraham Lincoln once said, “united we stand, divided we fall.”
By Kujtim Zenelaj
ICG: More States Must Recognise Kosovo
Pristina _ More countries must recognise Kosovo's independence to counter Belgrade's attempts to control Serb-dominated areas of the territory, an international think-tank argued Tuesday.
UN & NATO: Kosovo Riots Orchestrated
Pristina _ The United Nations and NATO missions in Kosovo claimed Tuesday that Monday’s clashes in northern Mitrovica were orchestrated and warned local Serbs against a repeat of the violence.
Kosovo: To recognise or not to recognise?
The declaration of independence by Kosovo has provoked a worldwide debate about the merits of recognising it as a state.
Solana expresses condolences to Albania over explosion
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana sent a message of condolences Monday to Albanian President Bamir Topi following explosions at a munitions depot.
Japan recognises Kosovo independence from Serbia
TOKYO: Japan recognised Kosovo's independence on Tuesday, a month after the majority Albanian region declared secession from Serbia with the backing of the United States and most European Union states.
e hënë, mars 17, 2008
Russia to monitor Kosovo while heading UN
NEW YORK -- Vitaly Churkin says that Russia will “keep an eye on the Kosovo situation” while heading the UN Security Council.
FACTBOX: NATO's Kosovo peace force
NATO troops came under fire during Serb riots in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo on Monday, in the worst violence in the territory since the Albanian majority declared independence last month.
Peacekeepers Battle Serbs in Kosovo
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Serb demonstrators attacked international peacekeepers with rocks, grenades and Molotov cocktails Monday, setting off the worst violence in Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia last month.
e shtunë, mars 15, 2008
Albania Blast Kills 5, Injures 243
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive explosion at an Albanian army ammunition dump on Saturday killed at least five people and injured 243, including many children, authorities said.
Albania rocked by huge explosions
At least five people have been killed and more than 240 injured in a series of huge explosions at an arms dump near the Albanian capital, Tirana.
e premte, mars 14, 2008
Kosovo makes its first major international outing at Islamic summit; stresses secularism
Less than a month after declaring itself independent of Serbia, Kosovo is lobbying the Islamic world for recognition, making its first major international outing at a summit of Muslim states.
Olympic movement won’t recognise Kosovo
Kosovo may have declared independence, but it seems they won't be appearing in the Olympic Games any time soon.
Kosovo's International Hurdles Debated
Pristina _ Establishing a foreign ministry, sending representatives abroad and developing diplomatic relations with countries that have not recognised the new state are just some of the challenges facing Kosovo, speakers at a debate in Pristina said on Thursday.
Kosovo "Brain-Gain" Campaign
Pristina _ The Government of Kosovo launched a national "brain-gain" campaign on Thursday aimed at persuading members of the Diaspora, and professionals from other countries, to take part in the country's development.
Head of EULEX Arrives in Kosovo
Pristina _ The EU Police and Justice Mission, EULEX, will shortly begin monitoring the rule of law in Kosovo, the mission's chief said upon his arrival in Pristina on Thursday.
Kosovo launches contest for national anthem
Forget the Eurovision song contest, Kosovo is looking for a national anthem. Parliament has announced a competition and the Pristina press is full of the story. What is required, say lawmakers, is a tune that is "unique and original", between 30 seconds and a minute long, to be submitted in the next 20 days. The lucky winner gets a 10,000 euro prize.
e mërkurë, mars 12, 2008
Southwest Grounds 41 Planes
Southwest Airlines says it grounded 41 planes last night in the wake of its recent admission that it had missed required inspections of some planes for structural cracks
Posted Mar 12, 2008 03:57 PM PST
Category: ECONOMY
John McCain's "Spiritual Guide" Calls For Destruction Of Islam
Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.
e martë, mars 11, 2008
Report: EU To Create 'Balkan Army'
Split _ The European Union is considering creating a defence force comprised of soldiers from across the Western Balkans, a Croatian daily reported over the weekend.
Macedonia 'Waiting' Over Kosovo Border
Skopje _ Macedonia is still awaiting a response from Kosovo's authorities on demarcating their border, government spokesman Ivica Bocevski told media Tuesday.
Kosovo independence is a no-win issue for the Tory government: analysts
OTTAWA — Recognition of Kosovo's self-declared independence is a troubling issue for the Canadian government and some analysts suggest it might be best to leave the question unanswered for a while.
How Israeli Troops Invade Homes in Gaza, Brutalize, Smash and Steal
SAFA ABU SEIF, 12, was fatally wounded as she stood in an upstairs room of her home in the Gaza City district of Jabaliya 10 days ago.
Posted Mar 11, 2008 10:03 AM PSTShe was one of 27 children identified by United Nations staff among the 107 Palestinians who were killed in five days last week. Another 25 dead, including five women, were identified as unarmed non-combatants. The status of 13 more dead victims could not be determined. At least three of the children were reportedly shot in their homes by Israeli small arms or sniper fire.
Category: ISRAEL
The IDF indulges in this kind of behavior all the time: they just hate like hell getting caught at it.(MR)
Kosovo's declaration of independence is illegal
So was the one Thomas Jefferson and the boys wrote up.
Kosovo: once again a political pawn
Pristina's declaration of independence has allowed it to become a bargaining chip in overlapping political games
KFOR to stage war game in north
ZUBIN POTOK -- KFOR tactical unit North will tomorrow stage maneuvers in the region of Lake Gazivode, in northern Kosovo.
EU Urges Electoral Reforms In Albania
Brussels _ Albania must reform its electoral laws so it can move forward with European integration, the European Union said Tuesday.
e hënë, mars 10, 2008
100 Dollar Bill Worth Nothing In 2 Years: Economist on CNN
100 Dollar Bill Worth Nothing In 2 Years: Economist on CNN...
Turkey lobbying for stronger Muslim support for Kosovo
Turkey has been exerting significant efforts at a senior-level gathering of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) being held in Dakar, Senegal, to have a strongly worded statement lending support to Kosovo’s declaration of independence issued.
Welcome to the Republic of Kosovo
A signboard that holds the inscription of the Republic of Kosovo and welcomes visitors in three languages has been placed for the first time at the border between Kosovo and Serbia.
UNMIK May Remain Longer in Kosovo
Brussels_ The European Union wants the UN force in Kosovo, UNMIK, to continue maintaining a presence in the border zone between Kosovo and Serbia, adding that the UN administration might have to remain longer in the country than was planned.
UN Security Council to hold new meeting on Kosovo
New York - The UN Security Council scheduled a meeting on Tuesday at the request of Serbia to discuss Kosovo's nearly month-old declaration of independence, which Belgrade said has aggravated the situation in the Balkans. Council president, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, said Monday the body had agreed to the request for the meeting by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who was to attend the session.
Kosovo's women suffer
PRISTINA, KOSOVO -- She purses her lips in a "tsk-tsk" when asked difficult questions. Questions about her life, about the husband who beats her, the father who denies her an inheritance and a place to live.
Taiwan and Kosovo; We like a strong euro
Taiwan and Kosovo
The Taiwanese government was one of the first to congratulate Kosovo on its recent declaration of independence. As a country that cherishes democracy and freedom, Taiwan is delighted that Kosovars will now enjoy the fruits of independence.
An American – university – in Kosovo
Pristina, Kosovo - A few years ago, Chris Hall was a state senator from midcoast Maine. He had quit a job as a steel and mining executive, deciding "never again" to do the weekly commute from Portland to New York. But a defeat in 2004 opened the door for Mr. Hall to become the first president of one of the more unusual colleges in Europe: the American University in Kosovo.
EU urges U.N. to step up Kosovo-Serbia security
The European Union urged the U.N. mission in Kosovo on Monday to step up security along the border with Serbia amid fears of a partition of Serb-dominated north Kosovo from the rest of the newly-created country.
The Independence of Kosovo is the vindication of a people
Besnik Sinani
The declaration of independence of Kosovo was a cause of collective celebration for Albanians and non Albanians alike who saw it as an act of justice and pursue of freedom. For many of us, however, it had also a personal significance, related to what Kosovo had meant to each of us as individuals. To me, it was a vindication of the Kosovars I had known since when in my earliest memories, Kosovo was perceived as a land of pain.
In his book Ra ky mort dhe u pame, Albanian novelist, Ismail Kadare, points at how the massive forced exodus of Kosovar Albanians from Kosovo was also the chance for Albanians to meet with each other in that day of tremendous human sorrow. Divided by borders and ideologies, Albanians on both sides of the border, had been denied a common shared existence as a people who share together their sense of belonging, identity, and a common historical imagination. The event of expulsion of Kosovars from their houses brought Albanians face to face with each other.
For me, however, that day arrived earlier, in the early 1990s, when three young Kosovar Albanians in their twenties, knocked at the door of our apartment in Tirana. In Kosovo, people had become suspicious of the number of Kosovar conscripts in the army of the Yugoslav Federation who would return home dead in sealed coffins. The families were occasionally told that they had died accidentally. Albanians decided to open the coffins only to see that their sons had been cold bloodedly murdered in the most despicable, inhumane manner. The three young Kosovars, who came that day in Tirana, had fled Kosovo upon receiving a conscription notice from the Army of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They had gone to Macedonia, from where had crossed the border in Dibra, and over there someone had given them my father’s address. Meeting with them and listening to their story, was my first human contact with the ongoing tragedy in Kosovo.
It is difficult now to put events in exact time frame, but sometime later, I remember meeting an acquaintance of the family in the streets of Tirana. By his side, there was a teenage girl whose abnormal behavior made everyone uncomfortable, till when we were told that the girl was actually from Kosovo. She was one of the many victims of the poisoning of Kosovar high school students from the regime of Milosevic, who suffered from brain damage.
As the first pictures from the massacres in Decan and elsewhere in Kosovo, at the beginning of the conflict, were smuggled out side the country, the world was becoming slowly aware of the crimes being perpetrated inside Kosovo. I remember when some of those pictures were exhibited at the National Museum in Tirana. Everyone I met at the exhibition had it written in their faces a sense of horror and disbelief. I can point exactly at the newsstand in Queens, New York, when I picked a copy of the New York Times which had in its front page, pictures of massacred Kosovars, among them a child and a pregnant woman. I remember feeling this mix of nausea and desire to cry.
At the time of the bombing campaign against Serb troops by NATO airplanes, a friend of mine called me from Fort Dix, New Jersey, the military base turned into a refugee camp for those who had fled the war in Kosovo. I remember the story of a man whose bus on the way to Macedonia had been stopped by cetniks, people who identified themselves as Bosnian Serbs, and who in their distorted mind told their victims that they had come to Kosovo to continue the killing of Muslims as in Bosnia. They forced their victims to start digging their own graves. They had survived only because the cetnicks had been urgently called to report for some other ‘assignment.’ I remember an old man with a kidney condition who had asked his son to leave him behind, but whose son had carried him for two weeks in his shoulders, hiding in forests. Two times the old man had attempted to kill himself with a knife because the absence of a doctor and a catheter was causing him unsupportable pain. And every time, members of the family were able to prevent him.
To me these experiences were part of a process of demystification. I had grown up hearing about the brave, warrior like Kosovars, with long mustaches, rifle in their hand, fighting with a red flag by their side. As many other nations, we had fed a heroic image that occupied our knowledge of the Albanians beyond the border, that excluded any notion of common people, with daily concerns and aspirations. The people that I met reflected greatness and flaws like every other people in the world. And that is why they deserved to demand the rights aspired to by all the people in the world.
As we follow the debates prior and after the declaration of independence, it is important that Albanians and those who believe in their right for self-determination make their case in support for independence in terms of international law, and historical arguments. As Professor Noel Malcolm wrote recently, even the Serbs, when they occupied the Albanian vilayet of Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire, considered it a colony. Therefore, we can justly proclaim that the liberation of Kosovo was an act of de-colonization. However, beyond any theoretical legal articulation, or historical argumentation about battles and wars, kings and knights long gone by, we celebrate the independence of Kosovo in the name of the people of Kosovo, those who died and those who live, and in the name of their God-given right to live in dignity as free people. In echo of the memory of the horrors that countless Kosovars suffered, we should determinately state: never again.
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