Britain dragged into coup plot as rumours swirl over London meeting

[CHIMO]

One of Sir Mark Thatcher's key business partners has turned 'state witness' and is alleged to have given dramatic new evidence to South African police investigating Thatcher's role in the alleged coup to overthrow the President of Equatorial Guinea.
The revelation comes as speculation mounts over what British and US officials knew about the alleged plot and when. Insiders claim that officials in both countries were aware of a planned attempt to topple the leader of the oil-rich west African state, although both governments have denied this claim.

The allegation that British officials knew about the potential illegal coup comes amid claims from British and Spanish intelligence agencies that French spies helped to scupper the plot.

The Observer has learnt that in February this year there was a meeting at the London headquarters of the Royal Institute of International Affairs on the future of Equatorial Guinea. It is known that there was at least one government official present as well as representatives of the oil industry. According to sources present, there were active discussions about rumours of coup plots there.


http://politics.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,9174,1293232,00.html

[dArKeR]

1. All roads lead to Texas?

[Mokito]

2. If they're covered with turds...yes.

Insiders claim that officials in both countries were aware of a planned attempt to topple the leader of the :nuke: oil-rich :nuke: west African state...

Look no further, that says enough.

[Old and In the Way]

6. Having Oil is a curse for any 3rd world country's citizens.

Guaranteed that you will be liberated from it by our democracy loving pResident.

[Aidoneus]

3. British messing around in places they don't belong?

No shit.. :eyes:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. Not just them -- us too...

we are currently proping up Chad's murderous dictator uner the pretense of fighting Islamic insurgents, and American generals have been spotted in other western African nations - nations that just happen to also have oil.

Our fingerprints will be found on this somewhere down the line too.

[DulceDecorum]

4. Mon Dieu!

No wonder they'all don't like the French.
Looks like a couple merkins got singed.....

[CHIMO]

5. Might Lead One To Wonder

If the intelligence agencies have decided to operate together? As opposed to having the politicians decide what is intelligence.

[acmavm]

7. From the sounds of this fiasco, I don't think there was a whole lot of

intelligence involved in any form by anybody.

[daleo]

8. A nice bit of Thatcher related karma here, too

Margaret Thatcher was one of the world's biggest apologists for apartheid (along with Reagan) in the 1980's. Now her son has been arrested by South African police, representing an ANC government. Maybe Sir Mark will eventually see the inside of the cell that Mandela had to live in for all those years.

[legin]

10. A nice, easy to read article (long, 9 pages) in the Times today

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2761-1237030,00.html

Some nice color to the story, like Mark Thatcher's other nick-name at school was 'scatcher', something to do with an acne problem.

:evilgrin:

[legin]

11. And also

Mann is from the british Watney's brewing family, so they didn't do this totally for the money, more for the fun of it and for the qudos and to define themselves.