Re: [meteorite-list] NWA meteorites - money for terrorism?

[Michel Franco]

Dear list,   An interesting topic.   Some serious facts. I had the big opportunity to stay in the Amguid area, Algeria twice in the last 2 years.  Having beeg invited by the University of Algiers,  to help some field prospection with the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris, around 2 impacts carters ( Amguid and Tin Bider, ) I had the pleasure to be introduced to the local Police Forces in Amguid. We had a military escort during our first trip. It creates relations and friendship as we shared a mechoui and more. It happened also that we where exactly in Amguid in 2003 when the group of 30 tourists where caught, and that we had the pleasure again to meet our friends from the previous year military escort that were just coming back from a first survey to localize the kidnappers, in an aera bewteen Amguid and Illizi, about 500  km in the East of the Acfer reg, more that 1000 klm from the Tanezrouft area. We do not see here any meteorite link between that kidnapper group, who was known by our local helps and also by the military forces. ( the GSPC true ) During that same expeditions we also had the opportunity top see 2 ciarettes smugglers caravan of Toyotas 6 vehicles on the first time and 14 the second time. There is a big money. We also had the chance to find a lost 55 gallons drum on our way to the Tin Bider crater, having to follow the same track as the smuggers for half a hundred miles. On another hand we have developped a network of prospectors somewhere in the Sahara, who also cross borders to prospect.  Their land was cut into new countries after the french decolinization. They have relative on each side of many borders and they use to visit them quite often, do not forget that they are basically nomads. They are paid for their job by me, on a no cure no pay basis. ( But they find many meteorites.. I know how much I spend on travels and how much I give them. I  do not see any Million $ figure in my expenses.)  I would be intellectually inapt to invest millions of $ in buying tons of OC's and some goodies to my people. Anyone can buy them much cheaper in Morocco, according what I unserstand from my hunting mates that go there and buy their meteorites in Morocco. I do not understand the link bewteen NWa's , other Saharan meteorites and terrorsim. The arguments developped by the Pelissons brothers drastically lack of real clues. The GSPC group asked for a ransom and got it: there were the millions of $, in kidnapping not in meteorites. I do not see people playing at meteorites in the no-mans land between Algeria and Morocco, Sahara is so vast that one should be mad to prospect there: it is full of mines!  My people know many nomads crossing borders, are they all smugglers ? All african borders are porous. Camels, cars, trucks, dattes, hifi, computers,cigarettes, there are the major traffics. I started prospecting in Libya as the Pelissons did, and I have to admit that I smuggled the meteorites throught the Libyan border and then through the Tunisian border. As the Pelisson did.  (Roland, personnal communication.) Another story. My mates found a nice achondrite last year, a small fragment with crust 14 g, ( is is a polymict diogenite or something close, analyses are not finished. ) having seen the crust and the little thumbprints on it I suggested that they go back to the plalce and look again. They came back with a perfect complete individual of 50 g. These meteorites are legally imported in France throught customs. I run a registered meteorite business in France, I just ask the Pelisson if their SaharaTeam is a regsitered company. if no, I will say that they probably finance terrorism.   I am reading the numerous answers to this topic. Yes Bernhard is right, this can make  a lot of harm to the community.   I  go back to my cooking. Lobsters and Champagne tonite. I will tell you why in a while.   BTW I have some auctions at http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=kayunwar&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=50   My 2 teas   Michel FRANCO       ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 7:35 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] NWA meteorites - money for terrorism?             NWA meteorites - money for terrorism? http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Sahara/Nwa.html 1 - NWA meteorites are undocumented stones "bought" in Morocco. 2 - There is no potential prospecting field in Morocco to supply this market. 3 - More than 95% of the NWA meteorites come from Algeria, Libya and up to Egypt. 4 - The border between Morocco and Algeria has officially been closed since 1994. Islamic army groups cross the border.                         NWA meteorites = contraband meteorites Some serious facts: - 2 of the 11 international terrorist organizations which have been target of the Bush government since September 11th live in Algeria:     - GIA (Armed Islamic Group)     - GSPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) - 30 Europeen hostages have been rescued from Islamic groups by a military attack between the Acfer and the Tanezrouf meteorite strewnfields in 2003. - Well organized smuggling rings act through the militarized no man's land between the two countries. - NWA meteorite contraband is still financed by private investors who prefer to stay "anonymous". - The track of the millions of dollars involved in this traffic is lost on the Algerian border. More info : http://www.saharamet.com/ Richard & Roland Pelisson