WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Insider notes from United Press International for Oct. 26
U.S. relations with the European Union, already badly frayed by the Iraq war, have taken an even nastier turn over rival potential "dual use" technologies. Earlier this month U.S. representatives at a space conference in London warned that the Pentagon could attack the EU's planned Galileo network of 30 global positioning satellites, due for deployment in 2008 if it were hijacked by a hostile power such as China. Galileo is the EU and European Space Agency's bid to enter the burgeoning GPS market, which could create 150,000 additional jobs. China in September became a partner in the program. In a leaked U.S. Air Force document written two months ago, the Air Force's Undersecretary Peter Teets wrote, "What will we do 10 years from now when American lives are put at risk because an adversary chooses to leverage the global positioning system of perhaps the Galileo constellation to attack American forces with precision?" The threats were delivered at the conference after European delegates reputedly said they would not turn off or jam signals from their satellites even during a war with the United States. A senior European delegate present at the conference speaking on condition of anonymity said, "They made it clear that they would attempt what they called reversible action, but, if necessary, they would use irreversible action." The Bush administration has repeatedly expressed concerns about Galileo, especially as the program also includes Israel and Russia, fearing that Galileo could compromise U.S. and NATO GPS-based military operations as well as interfering with the Pentagon's own classified M-Code GPS system.
According to former Secretary of the Navy and 9-11 commission member John Lehman, the Pentagon knows exactly where Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan but can't reach him. Lehman's remarks reinforce recent comments by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who placed bin Laden in western Pakistan. Speaking at California's San Bernadino College Lehman commented that bin Laden is in South Waziristan in the mountains of Baluchistan noting, "There is an American presence in the area, but we can't just send in troops. If we did, we could have another Vietnam, and the United States cannot afford that right now."
"This is not like Afghanistan, where there was no compliance, and we had to go in," he added.
Lehman said bin Laden is funded by foreign countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, and high-ranking ministers inside Saudi Arabia, commenting, "He is not a wealthy man. We ran that information into the ground, and discovered he only receives about $$@$!1 million a year from his family's fortune. The rest of what he gets comes from radical sympathizers." Ending on an upbeat noted Lehman concluded, "We'll get (bin Laden) eventually, just not now."
The hundreds of Indian travelers seeking spiritual reassurance at shrines located inside Indian airports will have a tougher time seeking divine intercession as the security agencies responsible for guarding the airfields consider them potential security threats. The Intelligence Bureau had cautioned the Airports Authority of India, responsible for managing civilian airports, to heighten security as people visit religious shrines on airport territory. According to Indian intelligence, three airports with religious shrines, located in high security zones, are being particularly vulnerable to possible terrorist attacks. The airports are Kolkata, which contains a mosque, Amritsar airport, which has a Sikh gurdwara, and Delhi, which has a Sufi shrine. Security concerns rocketed on Wednesday when security was breached at the Delhi airport. Two security officers drove a scooter onto a runway as a Royal Jordanian Airlines aircraft with over 200 passengers was preparing to taxi along it. The incident involved Central Industrial Security Force constable Kusum Lata and Special Protection Group commando Ashok Bhat, on their way to the airport's Sufi shrine.
As increasing leaks from the Bush administration indicate that this year's "October surprise" may well be an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, Israeli planners are trying to cope with the potential fallout for Iran's large Jewish community, estimated at 20,000-30,000, the largest in the Middle East outside Israel. The community has shrunk from its high of about 80,000 before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but the hardy remnants are officially recognized by the constitution, even having a representative in Parliament. The mounting fear is that they could become hostages in the event of a major military showdown between the two countries. Iranian officials are promising that if Israel attacks, Iran's response will be "devastating."
