CONTACT: CLIFF KINCAID, 301-855-2679
Washington, D.C.: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has put a "classified" stamp on critical documents in the Pan Am 103 bombing case that reportedly outline a secret diplomatic deal with Libyan terror chief Moammar Gadhafi, the accused mastermind of the bombing. The documents may prove that the State Department has violated its own stated policy of not negotiating with terrorists and that Gadhafi has been given immunity from prosecution.Journalist Cliff Kincaid revealed that the State Department, responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, announced that it has decided that relevant documents were "classified" under a presidential executive order and will not be released because they concern "national defense or foreign relations." Kincaid's public policy group, America's Survival, had specifically requested two U.N. documents, signed or authorized by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which were sent to Gadhafi as part of the scheme under which he turned over two low-level intelligence agents to take the rap. The documents were reportedly approved by top U.S. officials, including Albright.
The controversial documents are said to promise Gadhafi that the trial is not intended to "undermine" his regime and that his Libyan agents will be given special protection and care by the U.N. if they are convicted. The documents have been termed "obstruction of justice" by former FBI official Oliver "Buck" Revell, who, like many others, has seen stories about their existence and partial contents. The phrase about not undermining the Libyan regime is widely viewed as a promise not to hold Gadhafi or his government responsible for the bombing.
The "classified" stamp on the documents is a phony, Kincaid pointed out, because the documents were not classified in the past and, in fact, selected parts of them have been cited in the past. Kincaid said the failure to release them as complete documents, so the public and the press can understand the nature of this deal, indicates that the State Department and the U.N. have something to hide. Kincaid added, "Secretary of State Albright has inflicted more pain and suffering on the Pan Am families by keeping the truth from them. Albright has made a sleazy deal with one of the world's top terrorists, and she doesn't want the world, the American people, the press, or the families of the victims to know."
FOIA request and State Department response.
America’s Survival, P.O. Box 146, Owings, MD 20736 www.usasurvival.org |