Dr. Ludwig de Braeckeleer

US official denies arms for hostages deal with Tehran

Part 96 – OCTOBER 6 1988 ''I would hope that and I believe that these efforts to release the hostages have nothing to do with this campaign. These families and these hostages have been through too much pain and too much agony and too much tragedy as it is.'' - Democratic nominee, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis Today, Oct. 6 1988, Ahmed Abassi, the younger brother of Hashem Abassi arrived to the German city of Neuss, near Dusseldorf. Ahmed Abassi resides in Sweden.

Pro-Iran Palestinian group announces hostage release

Part 94 – OCTOBER 4, 1988 ''Since the hostages' problem, with its political dimensions and deadlines, is being discussed by the big powers, this means that the hostage issue is nearing its end.'' - Grand Ayatollah Sheik Mohammed Fadlallah [1], Spiritual Leader of Hizbullah – Party of God Last Friday, Britain and Iran agreed to restore full relations. On Saturday, a goup known as the Islamic Holy War for the Liberation of Palestine promised in a statement to free one of their four captives.

Abu Talb visits Malta

Part 93 – OCTOBER 3, 1988 'Having considered the evidence concerning these matters and the submission of counsel we accept that there is a great deal of suspicion as to the acting of Abu Talb and his circle, but there is no evidence to indicate that they had either the means or the intention to destroy a civil aircraft in December 1988.' The Lockerbie Verdict, § 81 On October 3 1988, Abu Talb [1] left Sweden to go to Cyprus. Talb will stay on the Medditarean Island until October 18. He then left for Malta where he stayed until the 26th. Talb then returned to Sweden.

Operation Autumn Leaves

Part 92 – OCTOBER 2, 1988 Et chaque fois les feuilles mortes
Te rappellent à mon souvenir
Jour après jour
Les amours mortes
N'en finissent pas de mourir - La Chanson de Prevert Manfred Klink joined the Bundeskriminalamt [BKA] in 1973. The dedicated detective rose rapidly through the ranks of the organization. By 1988, he was the senior officer in the anti-terrorist department.

Is Washington afraid of Persia?

Part 91 – OCTOBER 1, 1988 Libya was a favorite choice as "rogue state" from the earliest days of the Reagan administration. Vulnerable and defenseless, it is a perfect punching bag when needed. - Noam Chomsky, Rogue States, April 1988 Today, Dalkamoni returns to Cyprus where he will stay until the 5th. The trusted lieutenant of Jibril usually visits the island every six months or so. Thus, it is rather suspicious that he returns to Cyprus just two weeks following his September 12 to 14 trip to the island.

September intelligence summary

Part 90 – SEPTEMBER 30, 1988 ''The crimes of your Ministry of Intelligence and those committed in your prisons are far worse than those of the Shah and Savak, and I speak of detailed knowledge.'' - Ayatollah Montazeri, Letter to Ayatollah Khomeini - Summer, 1988

Rafsanjani escapes assassination attempt

Part 86 – SEPTEMBER 26, 1988 'You do not fight in the name of Allah, but you fight to further your own interests. You do not fool me when you say that you have the interest of Islam at heart. You fight for power, and I know it. You always want more power. None among you is content with his own carpet, and each one among you seeks to stretch his legs on his neighbor's carpet.' - Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Rafsanjani may have found powerful allies in his struggle for political power in the persons of Ahmed Khomeini, the son of the Supreme leader, and Velayati, the Foreign Minister, but the powerful Parliament Speaker has also made a few very dangerous enemies.

Western Countries Endorse Rafsanjani Policies

Part 85 – SEPTEMBER 25, 1988 ''Iranian pragmatists are picking up where they left off at Irangate.'' - Anonymous Iranian Official, Sept. 25, 1988 Two months after accepting a cease-fire with Iraq, Tehran appears to be moving toward moderation in both domestic and foreign policies, de facto reversing a decade long of aggressive policies.

Iran begins Mine Clearing OP in the Gulf

Part 84 – SEPTEMBER 24, 1988 "The Court decides that the United States of America, by failing to make known the existence and location of the mines laid by it […] has acted in breach of its obligations under customary international law in this respect." - International Court of Justice, June 27, 1986 (1) Today, Iran's official press agency reported that the Iranian Navy has begun mine-clearing operations in the Persian Gulf.

US lawmaker accused of leaking secret data

Part 83 – SEPTEMBER 23, 1988 "We found that there is substantial credible evidence that the contras were engaged with some frequency in acts of terroristic violence directed at Nicaraguan civilians. These are individuals who have no connection with the war effort - persons with no economic, political or military significance. These individuals are deliberately targeted by the contras for acts of terror. - Professor Michael Glennon, Report to the International Human Rights Law Group Today, Jim Wright, the Speaker of the House, is accused by House Republicans of having revealed classified intelligence information.

The Maltese shopkeeper

Part 82 – SEPTEMBER 22 1988 "Gauci was not quite the full shilling. I think even his family would say (that he) was an apple short of a picnic. He was quite a tricky guy, I don't think he was deliberately lying but if you asked him the same question three times he would just get irritated and refuse to answer." - Former Lord Advocate Peter Fraser, Oct. 23, 2005 Edward Gauci owns a small store Mary's House, at 63 Tower Road, Sliema in Malta. His sons, Paul and Tony, run the business. On Sept. 22 1988, Paul ordered a few Babygros. The investigator of the bombing of Pan Am 103 discovered that the IED had been surrounded by clothes bought from the Gauci store. According to the US State Department, the clothes were bought on, or about, December 7, 1988.

CIA funding Nicaragua opposition and rebels

Part 81 – SEPTEMBER 21 1988 "The Central Intelligence Agency had deliberately provoked opposition activities in Nicaragua in hopes of prompting an overreaction by Nicaragua's Sandinista Government." - Jim Wright, the Speaker of the House, Sept. 21 1988 ''We had received clear testimony from C.I.A. people that they have deliberately done things to provoke an overreaction on the part of the Government in Nicaragua,'' Senator Jim Wright, a Texas Democrat, said today in response to a question at his daily news briefing.

Book Sheds light on Reagan

Part 80 – SEPTEMBER 20 1988 ''I don't care if I have to go to Leavenworth; I want the hostages out.'' - US President Ronald Reagan In his book ''Perilous Statecraft'', Mr. Ledeen, a former consultant to the National Security Council, writes that President Reagan was so eager to gain release of the American hostages that he once told senior aides he was willing to go to prison if necessary. Half joking, Reagan added that visiting hours were on Thursdays.

US Congress wonder about Secret Ops

Part 79 – SEPTEMBER 19, 1988 ''One day I promise you, in a paragraph only about that long, I am going to tell the truth about Iran-contra as I did when it first came to light.'' - US President Ronald Reagan American arms were sold to Iran and the profits were used to supply the Contras. The work of a special prosecutor and a Congressional investigating committee has left no doubt about this.

Bonn hails release of Rudolf Cordes

Part 75 – SEPTEMBER 15, 1988 "Abolghasem Mesbahi deserves full credit for the succesfull negotiations that led to the release of Rudolf Cordes.", Former Iran President Bani Sadr, Interview with the author, May 16, 2008 "The release of Rudolf Cordes, the last German hostage held in Lebanon, had been negotiated over several months with Iranian officials, and was finally obtained at a meeting Aug. 24 with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javad Larijani," Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher announced today.

Did US illegal weapons sale to Iraq cause Pan AM 103 bombing?

Part 78 – SEPTEMBER 18, 1988 "Throughout the Cold War, as now still, with only a handful of exceptions, there have been only two kinds of CIA secret operations: the ones that are widely known to have failed—usually because of almost unbelievably crude errors—and the ones that are not yet widely known to have failed." - Edward Luttwak [1]

Iraq rejects UN investigation of chemical weapons use

Part 77 – SEPTEMBER 17 1988 "Susan, if the United States government would let me, I could identify the men behind this attack [Pan Am 1003] today. I could do it right now. You want a police line up? I could go into any crowded restaurant of 200 people, and pick out these men. […] And you know what, Susan? You won't find this restaurant anywhere in Libya. No, you will only find this restaurant in Damascus." Dr. Richard Fuisz to Suzan Lindauer, September 1994 Iraq today formally rebuffed an attempt by the United Nations to send an inspection team to determine whether Iraqi forces used poison gas in recent offensives against Kurdish separatists.

Yasir Arafat addresses members of the European Parliament

Part 74 – SEPTEMBER 14, 1988 ''I think the majority of Europe is ready to accept a Palestinian state.'' - Barry Seal, Leader of a bloc of 32 representatives from the British Labor Party, European parliament, Sept. 14, 1988 Today, Yasir Arafat, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, addressed members of the European Parliament. Contrary to speculations, Arafat did not announce the formation of a Palestinian provisional government.

Turkey opposes an inquiry into Iraqi chemical weapons

Part 76 – SEPTEMBER 16, 1988 ''We trust our experts' research and we expect everyone to do so.'' Inal Batu, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman On Wednesday Sept. 8 1988, US State Department officials said that US intelligence agencies had confirmed Iraq's use of chemicals in its recent drive against Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.

West German Hostage released in West Beirut

Part 73– SEPTEMBER, 1988 'Any suggestion of a connection between Osthoff's and Hammadi's release is completely absurd.' - German Official According to Lebanese and West German Embassy officials, a West German hostage who had been held captive for 20 months was released in Moslem-controlled West Beirut on Monday. The man was handed over to Syrian officials, who sent him to Damascus.