> SRNA: Interview: The ISSI director: Evidence of ties between
> Izetbegovic and Osama Bin Laden (by Sonja Lakic)
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/77387#3
EVIDENCE OF TIES BETWEEN IZETBEGOVIC AND OSAMA BIN LADEN
Commenting on information that there are al-Qaida training camps in the
north of Albania, Copley emphasized that those camps were at one time
supported by the USA.
"The USA and the Albanian Government worked very closely on this. These
camps still exist. We know that a large group crossed from Albania into
Kosovo a few months ago for terrorist operations. If the Albanian
government says that it doesn't know anything about it, that means that
it doesn't know what is happening on its own territory."
SRNA News Agency, Bijeljina
October 2, 2003
Interviewer: Sonja Lakic
BELGRADE - Gregory Copley, the director of the International Strategic
Studies Institute in Washington, claimed in an interview with SRNA that
he has evidence of ties between Alija Izetbegovic and al-Qaida, as well
as that a group of terrorists, trained in camps in the north of
Albania, was transferred to Kosovo and Metohija a few months ago, and
that one of the goals is to make Raska a state within a state.
He explained that the magazine "Defense & Foreign Affairs" and the
Global Information System, under the auspices of the International
Strategic Studies Institute, are just in the process of publishing
documentation pointing out the ties between radical Islamists in key
positions in the Bosnia-Herzegovina government with known or suspected
Islamists with terrorist connections.
"There is evidence of the involvement of Izetbegovic and connections
with the Islamic network al-Qaida. Izetbegovic personally met with
Osama bin Laden several times, and personally intervened to ensure that
bin Laden and all those who followed him receive Bosnia-Herzegovina
passports," claims Copley, adding:
"According to evidence, some of them directly or indirectly
participated in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It is completely
clear that people who hold positions such as Izetbegovic are attempting
to cover up all traces connecting them to something like this. We are
surprised ourselves that we were able to get documents directly
supporting it but we also have video tapes as well as other proof from
the time of the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina."
Copley confirmed that he also has a copy of instructions from the
former war-time president Alija Izetbegovic to Muslim ambassadors in
Bosnia-Herzegovina that they are issuing passports to everyone who
supports him.
When asked whether the administration of then-US president Bill Clinton
was aware of this, he emphasizes that this is "a big question but there
is very strong evidence that the cooperation, and even friendship, at
that time between Clinton and Izetbegovic resulted in the recent visit
of Clinton to Srebrenica and Bosnia-Herzegovina."
"We know that Clinton also visited Izetbegovic, who is claimed to be
ill and on his deathbed. And we also know that Izetbegovic's political
party paid 250,000 US dollars for his arrival in Bosnia and
participation in the uncovering of the monument in Srebrenica. The
question needs to be asked to what extent that monument was in fact
built out of political motivation instead of as a memorial to the
victims of the civil war in Srebrenica," said Copley.
When reminded that he at one time published the testimony of a "Der
Spiegel" journalist, who claims she met Osama bin Laden in
Izetbegovic's presidential office in Sarajevo during the time of war
operations, Copley answered that "most of the world's population,
including the population of the USA, focused its knowledge of the
situation on the Balkans through daily news coverage which confused it."
Explaining why the public ignores claims of ties between Izetbegovic
and bin Laden, Copley said that this population "is happy that that
conflict is now in the past."
"These events are increasingly being seen in a new light, although the
process is slow. For the majority of Americans, Muslims were no longer
the only victims and Serbs the only and exclusive guilty ones.
Increasingly all three participants in the civil war are being blamed
and sympathized," he said.
"The general opinion of people in the West was that all Muslims are
naive and all Serbs are guilty but this changes after September 11 and
people automatically understood that there are good guys and bad guys
on all sides. The citizens of Serbia and Republika Srpska were unable
to effectively protect themselves during war operations, first and
foremost, in the sphere of public opinion."
"The Islamist side, Izetbegovic and the Croatian side under Tudjman
together spent hundreds of millions of dollars for media and political
support. I would be very surprised to learn that the Serbs spend even a
million. In that sense the Serbs failed to understand that wars are not
won only on the battlefield but also through other, political means,"
he said.
Copley confirmed that he has "complete evidence" that diplomat Safet
Djatovic, who he claims organized "a summer jihad camp in Pennsylvania"
one month before the terrorist attack on September 11, played a key
role in logistical support for Muslim military operations in
Bosnia-Herzegovina in Winter 94-95.
"Catovic participated as the spokesman of certain, now we can say
so-called humanitarian organizations, which were directly involved in
the al-Qaida network. We know that he got his Bosnian passport in the
Bosnian Embassy in Vienna under suspicious circumstances. At this point
we suspect that his real name is Safet Djatovic because he received his
passport in Vienna at the same time that many other Islamic
fundamentalists received Bosnian passports," explained Copley.
When asked about Mrs. Emina Keco, who served as the ambassador in
Vienna throughout the war, at a time when many passports were issued,
Copley answered that "at this point I would not comment on the
participation of Mrs. Koce, especially in connection with her position
and what was happening."
"At this moment my organization as well as other organizations are
carefully following the situation," he said.
Commenting on information that there are al-Qaida training camps in the
north of Albania, Copley emphasized that those camps were at one time
supported by the USA.
"The USA and the Albanian Government worked very closely on this. These
camps still exist. We know that a large group crossed from Albania into
Kosovo a few months ago for terrorist operations. If the Albanian
government says that it doesn't know anything about it, that means that
it doesn't know what is happening on its own territory."
"The American government under Clinton knew of the existence of these
camps but there is still no information that the camps have been
dismantled but instead that people from Islamic countries are serving
as instructors there and that they are training Kosovo Albanians for
terrorist activities. Some of them are hiding behind the Kosovo
Protection Corps," warned Copley.
He said that "connections with these people, as well as with the drug
cartel, is more than apparent."
"It's actually the way that some terrorist organizations are financed.
Terrorism has a strong infrastructure and regardless of the fact that
Kosovo and Raska are a part of the territory of Serbia, terrorists can
absolutely do whatever they want. The Serbian government and police are
afraid to react because of the global black-and-white picture on human
rights violations created earlier."
"Rights violations is not the issue at all but the fact that in this
part of the region there has been a line for some time between
politicians, drug dealers and weapons traders," he explained.
On the basis of gathered evidence, Copley believes that the terrorists
"want to create a state within a state in Raska.".
"When you draw a line between Kosovo - Raska - the Gorazde corridor
Serbia is completely cut off from Montenegro. Regardless of the intent
of Montenegro to secede from Serbia this will be catastrophic for it
because it will be completely isolated. The long-term goals of
Izetbegovic's Democratic Action Party (SDA) is for all these
territories to be joined all the way to Albania, including Kosovo,"
claims Copley.
He emphasizes that there is a lot of material that could assist the
chief prosecutor in The Hague Carla del Ponte to issue indictments
against Albanian terrorists.
"The question is whether del Ponte wants to proceed on this. What is
tragic is that she did not issue and look at the indictments against
Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic. The Hague tribunal received
evidence regarding the crimes of Izetbegovic and Tudjman a long time
ago but there is still a blockade."
"And thus Tudjman is supposed to get a place in history just because he
died," said Copley at the end of his interview with "SRNA," asking the
question whether "the story of Izetbegovic's illness and being on his
deathbed is just a way of avoiding trial."
In conclusion Mr. Copley explained that similar research is being
conducted with the help of GIA and other institutions in all parts of
the world, including the Middle East and Africa.
"Sometimes our studies appeal to some but not to others but we strive
to be as objective as possible. We have bee faced with death threats
but we hope that by spreading the truth we are contributing to the
benefit of all humanity," concluded Copley.
> Izetbegovic and Osama Bin Laden (by Sonja Lakic)
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/77387#3
EVIDENCE OF TIES BETWEEN IZETBEGOVIC AND OSAMA BIN LADEN
Commenting on information that there are al-Qaida training camps in the
north of Albania, Copley emphasized that those camps were at one time
supported by the USA.
"The USA and the Albanian Government worked very closely on this. These
camps still exist. We know that a large group crossed from Albania into
Kosovo a few months ago for terrorist operations. If the Albanian
government says that it doesn't know anything about it, that means that
it doesn't know what is happening on its own territory."
SRNA News Agency, Bijeljina
October 2, 2003
Interviewer: Sonja Lakic
BELGRADE - Gregory Copley, the director of the International Strategic
Studies Institute in Washington, claimed in an interview with SRNA that
he has evidence of ties between Alija Izetbegovic and al-Qaida, as well
as that a group of terrorists, trained in camps in the north of
Albania, was transferred to Kosovo and Metohija a few months ago, and
that one of the goals is to make Raska a state within a state.
He explained that the magazine "Defense & Foreign Affairs" and the
Global Information System, under the auspices of the International
Strategic Studies Institute, are just in the process of publishing
documentation pointing out the ties between radical Islamists in key
positions in the Bosnia-Herzegovina government with known or suspected
Islamists with terrorist connections.
"There is evidence of the involvement of Izetbegovic and connections
with the Islamic network al-Qaida. Izetbegovic personally met with
Osama bin Laden several times, and personally intervened to ensure that
bin Laden and all those who followed him receive Bosnia-Herzegovina
passports," claims Copley, adding:
"According to evidence, some of them directly or indirectly
participated in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It is completely
clear that people who hold positions such as Izetbegovic are attempting
to cover up all traces connecting them to something like this. We are
surprised ourselves that we were able to get documents directly
supporting it but we also have video tapes as well as other proof from
the time of the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina."
Copley confirmed that he also has a copy of instructions from the
former war-time president Alija Izetbegovic to Muslim ambassadors in
Bosnia-Herzegovina that they are issuing passports to everyone who
supports him.
When asked whether the administration of then-US president Bill Clinton
was aware of this, he emphasizes that this is "a big question but there
is very strong evidence that the cooperation, and even friendship, at
that time between Clinton and Izetbegovic resulted in the recent visit
of Clinton to Srebrenica and Bosnia-Herzegovina."
"We know that Clinton also visited Izetbegovic, who is claimed to be
ill and on his deathbed. And we also know that Izetbegovic's political
party paid 250,000 US dollars for his arrival in Bosnia and
participation in the uncovering of the monument in Srebrenica. The
question needs to be asked to what extent that monument was in fact
built out of political motivation instead of as a memorial to the
victims of the civil war in Srebrenica," said Copley.
When reminded that he at one time published the testimony of a "Der
Spiegel" journalist, who claims she met Osama bin Laden in
Izetbegovic's presidential office in Sarajevo during the time of war
operations, Copley answered that "most of the world's population,
including the population of the USA, focused its knowledge of the
situation on the Balkans through daily news coverage which confused it."
Explaining why the public ignores claims of ties between Izetbegovic
and bin Laden, Copley said that this population "is happy that that
conflict is now in the past."
"These events are increasingly being seen in a new light, although the
process is slow. For the majority of Americans, Muslims were no longer
the only victims and Serbs the only and exclusive guilty ones.
Increasingly all three participants in the civil war are being blamed
and sympathized," he said.
"The general opinion of people in the West was that all Muslims are
naive and all Serbs are guilty but this changes after September 11 and
people automatically understood that there are good guys and bad guys
on all sides. The citizens of Serbia and Republika Srpska were unable
to effectively protect themselves during war operations, first and
foremost, in the sphere of public opinion."
"The Islamist side, Izetbegovic and the Croatian side under Tudjman
together spent hundreds of millions of dollars for media and political
support. I would be very surprised to learn that the Serbs spend even a
million. In that sense the Serbs failed to understand that wars are not
won only on the battlefield but also through other, political means,"
he said.
Copley confirmed that he has "complete evidence" that diplomat Safet
Djatovic, who he claims organized "a summer jihad camp in Pennsylvania"
one month before the terrorist attack on September 11, played a key
role in logistical support for Muslim military operations in
Bosnia-Herzegovina in Winter 94-95.
"Catovic participated as the spokesman of certain, now we can say
so-called humanitarian organizations, which were directly involved in
the al-Qaida network. We know that he got his Bosnian passport in the
Bosnian Embassy in Vienna under suspicious circumstances. At this point
we suspect that his real name is Safet Djatovic because he received his
passport in Vienna at the same time that many other Islamic
fundamentalists received Bosnian passports," explained Copley.
When asked about Mrs. Emina Keco, who served as the ambassador in
Vienna throughout the war, at a time when many passports were issued,
Copley answered that "at this point I would not comment on the
participation of Mrs. Koce, especially in connection with her position
and what was happening."
"At this moment my organization as well as other organizations are
carefully following the situation," he said.
Commenting on information that there are al-Qaida training camps in the
north of Albania, Copley emphasized that those camps were at one time
supported by the USA.
"The USA and the Albanian Government worked very closely on this. These
camps still exist. We know that a large group crossed from Albania into
Kosovo a few months ago for terrorist operations. If the Albanian
government says that it doesn't know anything about it, that means that
it doesn't know what is happening on its own territory."
"The American government under Clinton knew of the existence of these
camps but there is still no information that the camps have been
dismantled but instead that people from Islamic countries are serving
as instructors there and that they are training Kosovo Albanians for
terrorist activities. Some of them are hiding behind the Kosovo
Protection Corps," warned Copley.
He said that "connections with these people, as well as with the drug
cartel, is more than apparent."
"It's actually the way that some terrorist organizations are financed.
Terrorism has a strong infrastructure and regardless of the fact that
Kosovo and Raska are a part of the territory of Serbia, terrorists can
absolutely do whatever they want. The Serbian government and police are
afraid to react because of the global black-and-white picture on human
rights violations created earlier."
"Rights violations is not the issue at all but the fact that in this
part of the region there has been a line for some time between
politicians, drug dealers and weapons traders," he explained.
On the basis of gathered evidence, Copley believes that the terrorists
"want to create a state within a state in Raska.".
"When you draw a line between Kosovo - Raska - the Gorazde corridor
Serbia is completely cut off from Montenegro. Regardless of the intent
of Montenegro to secede from Serbia this will be catastrophic for it
because it will be completely isolated. The long-term goals of
Izetbegovic's Democratic Action Party (SDA) is for all these
territories to be joined all the way to Albania, including Kosovo,"
claims Copley.
He emphasizes that there is a lot of material that could assist the
chief prosecutor in The Hague Carla del Ponte to issue indictments
against Albanian terrorists.
"The question is whether del Ponte wants to proceed on this. What is
tragic is that she did not issue and look at the indictments against
Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic. The Hague tribunal received
evidence regarding the crimes of Izetbegovic and Tudjman a long time
ago but there is still a blockade."
"And thus Tudjman is supposed to get a place in history just because he
died," said Copley at the end of his interview with "SRNA," asking the
question whether "the story of Izetbegovic's illness and being on his
deathbed is just a way of avoiding trial."
In conclusion Mr. Copley explained that similar research is being
conducted with the help of GIA and other institutions in all parts of
the world, including the Middle East and Africa.
"Sometimes our studies appeal to some but not to others but we strive
to be as objective as possible. We have bee faced with death threats
but we hope that by spreading the truth we are contributing to the
benefit of all humanity," concluded Copley.