Publication: Cape Argus
Issued:
Date: 2006-07-21
Reporter:
Reporter:
|
Pahad Chides DA over Arms Questions |
Minister
in the Presidency Essop Pahad *1 has chided the DA's Eddie Trent for not accepting
President Thabo Mbeki's good faith *2 and accused the
opposition MP of being a publicity seeker *3
regardless of the facts about the arms deal.
However, Trent says Pahad's
defence of the president raises more questions than
answers, and he plans to continue his quest to find out whether there is
reason to be concerned.
At issue is whether
Mbeki met representatives of French arms company Thomson CSF, now known as
Thales, when he was deputy president in December 1998, and whether this resulted
in the company becoming a preferred bidder
*4.
Its local subsidiary Thint has been charged with corruption,
together with former deputy president Jacob Zuma, and it will be in court at the
end of the month.
Mbeki's alleged meeting with company executives in
Paris has been the subject of a year-long campaign by Trent, which has included
several written and oral questions in parliament, as well a speech during the
presidency's recent budget debate.
Responding in writing to Trent's
speech - which Mbeki had ignored in his oral reply to
the debate - Pahad said: "We have no intention of engaging further with you on
this matter as it is evident that your prime interest is the media attention you
seek to attract despite all evidence to the
contrary." *5
Pahad repeated that Mbeki had no
recollection or record of such a meeting. *6
Mbeki has previously
told the Cape Argus that he could "honestly not recall" such a
meeting.
"The DA will take this matter further with the presidency ... We
will also continue to submit parliamentary questions and drive this matter in
parliament," Trent said.
With acknowledgement to Cape Argus.
*1 Essop Pahad was himself having
secret meetings with Alain Thetard of Thomson-CSF prior to the award of the
corvette combat suite contract in early 1999.
*2 How can there be good faith when
the Office of the Presidency has previously conceded that the meeting or
meetings in fact took place?
*3 Opposition
parties always seek some publicity our of situations where there opponents are
clearly not telling the truth and even more clearly have something serious to
hide.
But in the case it's more a matter of seeking out the truth than
seeking out publicity.
*4 Not just "becoming a
preferred bidder", but quoting Pierre Moynot, director of Thomson-CSF SA and ADS
in another of there famous encrypted faxes :
- "Mbeki being ready to guarantee Thomson-CSF the contract for the combat
suite and sensors".
*5 Pahad, the Master of
the Illogical, despite all evidence to the contrary of what he is saying, there
are numerous written records in both encrypted and unencrypted form that showed
that the meeting of 17 December 1998 took
place.
*6 How come if Mbeki has no recollection
or record of such a meeting, then I have copies of numerous such
records.
In fact, for proof thereof, digital versions of just two such
records are appended to this article.
These records constitute court
quality evidence. The originals are sitting in a place somewhere safe. Copies
abound.
THOMSON-CSF
INTERNATIONAL
173. bd
Houssmann
75415 Paris Cedex 08
France
Telex THOM
616780 F
Fax (+33) 01 53 77 83
00
Tel (+33) 01 53 77 80 00
His Excellency Mr Thabo
Mbeki
Vice (sic) President
South
Africa
DINT/AFR/ 336/98 CF
Paris, December 18th
1998
Your Excellency,
Mr
Jean-Paul Perrier of Thomson-CSF lnternatlonal, Mr Michel Denis, Executive Vice
President and myself have been very much honoured by the audience you granted to us during your last stay in
Paris and we deeply appreciated your advice related to the present situation in South
Africa; no doubt that it
will help us to increase our visibility and therefore
help the development of our operations in your
country. We understood through a further discussion
with Her Excellency Mrs B. Massekela (sic) that we could possibly meet with you in South Africa beginning of
1999 to enter into further
details as far as the implementation of the Black
Empowerment policy of our JV African Defence
Systems (ADS) is concerned (*).
We will
very much appreciate such an opportunity and keep in contact with Her Excellency
Mrs Massekela (sic) if
such a meeting can be organised.
Sincerely Yours.
[signature]
B. de Bollardiere
Senior Vice
President
Enclosed a resume of THOMSON-CSF strategy in Republic of
South Africa.
(*) We are discussing at the moment with Futuristic
Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd (General Moloi)
THOMSON-CSF
INTERNATIONAL
173. bd
Houssmann
75415 Paris Cedex 08
France
Telex THOM
616780 F
Fax (+33) 01 53 77 83
00
Tel (+33) 01 53 77 80 00
Her Excellency
Mrs Barabara Massekela (sic)
Ambassador of South
Africa
59 Qual d'Orsay
75007 PARIS
DINT/AFR/ 335/98
CF
Paris, December 18th
1998
Dear Madam
Ambassador
Following the audience that you were kind enough to grant me
of 17 December, please find attached a letter to the Deputy President of your
country, Mr Thabo Mbeki. This letter follows the
meeting that he was kind enough to grant Messrs
Jean-Paul Perrier, Michel Denis and myself, for the
organisation of which we are extremely grateful to you.
As you suggested to
me during our meeting, it is with much gratitude that
we accept your offer to hand over this
letter to Mr Thabo Mbeki; we are thus planning to
visit South African in January or early February 1999
to get his reaction, if this is possible, and we hope
at that time to be able to discuss the subject of Black Empowerment in our ADS
JV with him.
We should like to thank you again for the assistance that you have given us in
our approach to the South African market, and I should like to take the opportunity of sending you my best
wishes for the year to come in your new functions. I remain,
etc.
[signature]
B. de Bollardiere
Senior Vice
President
Busted?