By Mary Mostert, Analyst, Banner of Liberty (www.bannerofliberty.com)
October 4, 2001
President George W. Bush declared to the entire world on September 19 that:
"anybody who harbors terrorists needs to fear the United States and the rest of the free world. Anybody who houses a terrorist, encourages terrorism will be held accountable. And we are gathering all evidence on this particular crime and other crimes against freedom-loving people.
"And I would strongly urge any nation in the world to reject terrorism, expel terrorists."
Did he mean what he said? It certainly appears that nations of the world are doing just that. And, if it is to succeed, the anti-terrorism war will inevitably create a real war on illicit drugs, which finance much of the terrorism we see.
On Monday in India's Kashmir province, at least 31 people were killed and 75 wounded when suspected Muslim militants set off a car bomb outside the state legislature, then rushed into the building and opened fire.Equating the car bomb attack on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly with the September 11 terror strikes in the US, India's Union Home Minister L K Advani on Wednesday asked Pakistan to hand over Jaish-e-Mohammad (J-e-M) organization chief Maulana Masood Azhar to India to stand trial if Islamabad was earnest in fighting terrorism.
"Pakistan has dissociated itself from the terrorist strike on the assembly saying they have nothing to do with J-e-M. But Pakistan government cannot deny that Maulana Azar Masood, the leader and founder of J-e-M, is in Pakistan."
In Novi Sad, Serbia, Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic, said that the Serbian government has "irrefutable proof" that terrorists of Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the terrorist attacks on the US, "are currently operating in Kosovo and Macedonia."
Ibrahim Rugova, the moderate ethnic Albanian leader of Kosovo, which is under the control of NATO and UN forces, recently said in Rome that the" KLA in Kosovo and NLA in Macedonia were still mobilizing bin Laden's terrorists, which is yet further proof that bin Laden is operating in Kosovo and Macedonia."
Batic went on to say, "Bin Laden is the mentor of Hashim Thaqi and Ramus Haradinaj, who are behind the most bestial atrocities in Kosovo. This should be a clear signal for the Hague Tribunal", Batic said, adding that he saw no difference between the crimes committed in New York and Washington and those committed in Klecka and Glodjane."
It might be a good idea for America to listen to what this virtually unknown Serbian Justice Minister is saying. It is BECAUSE we have systematically ignored criminal behavior when it is connected with illicit drugs that we are now facing a worldwide, well financed and trained terrorist network. Also, we have in the very recent past been closely aligned with Osama bin Laden ourselves, when we chose to punish the Serbs for trying to stop Albanian terrorism in Kosovo.
In 1985, a Wall Street Journal article entitled "Giuliani and Kosovo-Alb. Drug Mafia in NYC," written by Anthony M. DeStefano, told a story about "The informant who visited the office of U.S. Attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani" with a "chilling story to tell:" It had to do with a low level bit of terrorism, which perhaps gave the future Mayor a little basic training in dealing with the issue in the courageous manner he has in the past three weeks.
The story involved:
"A defendant in a drug racketeering case that Mr. Giuliani was prosecuting was offering $400.000 to anyone who would kill a certain assistant U.S. attorney and a federal drug enforcement agent.(Note: For complete story go to the Serbian Orthodox Church website for the Diocese of Raska and Prizren in shattered Kosovo) - http://www.decani.yunet.com/kla3.html#a01For 45 minutes Mr. Giuliani and his chief assistant, William Tendy, listened to and evaluated the tale. Five other informants later corroborated it. The threatened lawmen-assistant prosecutor Alan M. Cohen and narcotics agent Jack Delmore-were given 24-hour-a-day protection by federal marshals.
The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNDCP) estimated in 1997 that there were about 200 million people (4% of the world population) who were regular drug abusers. At that point in time it was about a $400 billion operation, and represented about 8% of the total international trade. By the end of 2000, the illicit drug trade was estimated at $500-$600 billion.
Yet, during all that time President Bill Clinton was sending messages to Congress certifying that the drug producing countries "have cooperated fully with the United States, or have taken adequate steps on their own, to achieve full compliance with the goals and objectives of the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances: In fact, the number of hectares (a hectare is approximately 2.5 acres) in coca production, for cocaine, in Columbia when Clinton was inaugurated in 1993 was 37,100. When he left office, having declared Columbia in compliance, and cooperating in the war on drugs, Columbia had 136,200 hectares of coca production.
When the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan in 1995, there were 53,759 hectares in opium poppies. By 1999 that had almost doubled, to 90,583 hectares at which point the Taliban announced they were banning the production of opium poppies and received some great worldwide publicity to that effect. We even saw TV footage of Taliban soldiers destroying growing stands of opium poppies.
What they did, it seems, was to cut production of opium poppies from 90,583 hectares in 1999 to 82,171 in 2000 in order to jack up the price of their #1 export product. Afghanistan and Myanmar (formerly Burma), almost control the world opium market, producing 90% of the opium used for heroin production.
While we have the attention and the support of most of the nations around the world who have become concerned about terrorism, now is the time to strike a death blow to the major source of the funds used for the terrorism. Eliminating the opium poppies at their source would, of course, create a huge and instant epidemic of heroin withdrawal pain. However, it only lasts about 48 hours and, according to the experts, is not as difficult as alcohol withdrawal pains.
If President Bush is really serious about defunding Osama bin Laden and his worldwide terrorist organizations, we are going to have to eliminate the drug trade that buys his weapons and pays his killers.
To comment: mmostert@bannerofliberty.com