CAPE TOWN Gaddafi, Mugabe in terror probe Francoise Gallet Posted Wed, 10 Oct 2001

Western Intelligence organisations are said to be keeping a close eye on Cape-based anti-drug group Pagad amid allegations that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is funding the organisation, according to reports in Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst (IAA).

Gaddafi’s recent visit and pledge of funding to Zimbabwe seems to have sparked this consternation. The article appearing in IAA quotes a South African intelligence source as saying that Gaddafi had meetings with senior Pagad members in Harare.

The article also claims that South Africa’s intelligence services are particularly interested in Gaddafi’s promise of US$360-million in oil and $1-million contribution to President Mugabe’s ruling party Zanu-PF to fight next year’s election.

Speaking to iafrica.com on the article, editor of Islamic Affairs at the Jane’s Information Group, Stephen Ulph, said it seems Gaddafi, who’s Pan-Arab image has taken a dent, is trying to build up an image in Africa and in return for “funding”, Mugabe will give Gaddafi “space”. In late August Gaddafi bought several safe houses in Harare.

Quoting London’s Sunday Times, the article alleges that the houses are likely to be used “'for death squads supplied by the Libyan dictator as part of his plan to assist the man he sees as his embattled comrade in arms, President Robert Mugabe.'”

But intelligence ministry spokesperson Thembi-Nkosi Lehloesa told iafrica.com that local intelligence is not investigating a link between Gaddafi and Pagad. He denied reports appearing in Die Burger alleging local intelligence services were assisting the Americans in such an investigation.

In reference to the IAA article, Lehloesa told iafrica.com that he does not know who the IAA could be quoting as they have no record of such findings.

However, as South Africa has a relationship with Libya, Lehloesa stated that if Pagad were receiving funding from the country, the matter would be discussed with them.

He did, however, confirm that South Africa was offering intelligence support to their American counterparts, following an undertaking by Cabinet to do so on September 19. The undertaking followed the devastating terror strikes in New York and Washington in which more than 5 000 perished.

However, IAA asserts that South Africa’s intelligence services have already tried to establish to what extent Gaddafi is involved in funding Pagad and are also probing who paid for the 400 Pagad-linked volunteers to join the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) in the Middle East.

During his Harare visit, Gaddafi called on an Indian Muslim Group to declare a jihad and throw the whites out of the country. IAA report that Gaddafi also said that if they did not do so, he would be forced to bring in “strong-arm elements from Pagad, with which he told them he had close links”.

The IAA also reports that Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has confirmed that he is aware of the Libyan/Pagad presence in his country. But when speaking to iafrica.com, the MDC was not yet prepared to comment.

IAA meanwhile quotes another source saying that in a bid to overcome travel problems between South African and Zimbabwe, special instructions have been passed onto immigration officials at both the Harare Airport and the border post at Beit Bridge to allow unrestricted access to Pagad members. This step was reportedly taken on the instructions of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation because Pagad members are likely to have criminal records.

When presented with these allegations, Pagad spokesperson Abeedah Roberts said the organisation had "no comment".

Last week British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden and Mugabe were in the same league, reports the Zimbabwe Standard.

http://www.iafrica.com/pls/procs/iac.page?p_t1=2&p_t2=1&p_t3=0&p_t4=0&p_dynamic=YP&p_content_id=820366&p_site_id=2

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 12, 2001