Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2006-08-17 Reporter: Wendy Jasson da Costa Reporter:

Pahad Recalls that He Met French Arms Maker After All

 

Publication 

Cape Argus

Date

2006-08-17

Reporter

 Wendy Jasson da Costa

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

The arms deal saga has taken a new turn, with Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad admitting that he met Alain Thetard, the representative of the French Arms company Thomson CSF, now called Thales.

This is the first acknowledgment by a member of the presidency that there was a meeting with representatives of the French arms company.

At a book launch in parliament on Tuesday night, the Cape Times questioned Pahad on whether he or President Thabo Mbeki, who was the deputy president at the time, had met representatives of the French firm.

At first Pahad insisted that he had already responded to the allegations and that neither he nor the president had recollection of such meetings.

Later he said, "not in France", and when asked whether this meant he met with them elsewhere, Pahad said he could not remember.

Yesterday, after attempts by the Cape Times to get more clarity, Pahad issued a general statement saying that he had checked with his office and that he had, in fact, met Thetard on February 23, 1999. He did not provide further details.

According to an electronic copy of what appears to be Alain Thetard's diary, which is in the possession of the Cape Times, the meeting between Pahad and Thetard could have taken place at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

The time 11.30 is encircled and 'Essop Pahad. Union Building' is scrawled in the space next to it. At the top of the page the number 23 *1 is printed in bold.

Earlier this year Pahad chided the DA's Eddie Trent for not accepting Mbeki's good faith and accused him of seeking publicity regardless of the true facts about the arms deal.

Trent has relentlessly sought answers in parliament about whether Mbeki met the French when he was still deputy president in December 1998 and whether this resulted in the company becoming the preferred bidder.

Yesterday Trent welcomed Pahad's admission, saying: "The pressure is starting to build and people are now realising that they have to tell the truth or be caught out."

With acknowledgements to Wendy Jasson da Costa and Cape Argus.


*1       And on the bottom is a Reference to 8. Week (Semaine, Woche). And on the top is a reference to Tu (Di, Ma).

There are about four weeks in a month and so this probably happened in the second month of the year, i.e. February.

For those with electronic diaries one can ascertained that the 23 February was in 1999 and was on a Tuesday ((Tu).

QED.


But Pahad did not need to check yesterday with his office before making the admission; he has been trying to avoid the inevitable for at least a few weeks now.

It is also incredible that he and his boss can neither remember the meetings nor what was discussed. This was high noon time at the Arms Deal corral. The bucks were big and the temperatures in three figures (Farenheit).

Ek se : jy en jy praat bollie.