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To: Hawkmoon who wrote (49600)	2/24/2000 11:55:00 PM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116764

<<Bring it on. >> While I agree FULLY, the new age economy mantra is "open trade is best for us". I've been talking against this open trade Vs free trade for 5 years! Where were you? We really need to stop the blood loss of the trade deficit also, but you & I spoke of this before. How could this have been the best ting in the world for us a couple of years ago, and bad now? That's what our leaders are telling us - right? Did you see my prior post(this thread) about the European items on back order? There was also another, a trade war is coming.

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (49600)	2/25/2000 6:36:00 AM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116764

loads of noise for a "non-issue".: (I don't doubt your knowledge in the issue, BUT) British Lawmaker Suggests Agenda Behind US Spying Row By Patrick Goodenough CNS London Bureau Chief 24 February, 2000 London (CNSNews.com) - A leading British conservative lawmaker in the European Parliament voiced concerns on Thursday that the row over allegations of American-British commercial espionage may be tied to an agenda intent on severing the strategic relationship between the two allies. Timothy Kirkhope, the Conservative Party chief whip in the European Parliament, told CNSNews.com that, while he had no proof, there were suspicions of a hidden motive. "It's just the flavor of the thing that makes it seem possible. It would be convenient for some people with certain agendas to try and drive a wedge in what is a very important relationship [between the US and Britain]." A committee of the European Parliament debated a report in Strasbourg this week on a National Security Agency (NSA)-run system that allegedly systematically intercepts private telephone, fax, telex, email and other communications. Called "Echelon", the network was set up during the Cold War and also involves the security agencies of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The report alleges that the NSA had passed on confidential information obtained through the network to American firms competing for international contracts against European rivals. "There are people with [European] federalist or integrationist plans whom I think would like to weaken, if they can, the strong alliance between ourselves and the Americans," Kirkhope said. "I think there are reasons to believe there is some domestic policy in France that would be advantaged if such a thing could be achieved," he added, noting the leading role of the French in protesting against the alleged spying. Kirkhope suggested that proposals for a European defense capability independent of NATO may form part of a similar strategy. "I've concerns about the defense relationship. The North American component [of NATO] is vital for the security of the western world." He was speaking after the US and Britain broke a lengthy silence on Wednesday to deny abusing a global network of listening stations for economic espionage. State Department spokesman James Rubin said that "although we never comment on actual or alleged intelligence activities, we have taken note that the European Union is looking at a report which deals with this topic. "Although we cannot comment on the substance of the report, I can say that the National Security Agency is not authorized to provide intelligence information to private firms. That agency acts in strict accordance with American law," Rubin added. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also questioned on the Echelon project during a visit to Brussels, and he denied "betraying [European] allies" by permitting spying on the EU from listening posts in England. "These things are governed by extremely strict rules," he said. The New Zealand government on Wednesday also insisted it was not party to commercial espionage. Neither the US nor the British governments have confirmed the existence of Echelon, but declassified documents published on the Internet by George Washington University earlier this month revealed some of the operation. Duncan Campbell, an investigative researcher who authored the report studied by European lawmakers, urged the EU to take precautions against the unwanted interception of communications. Among the first government to do so was France, whose justice minister, Elisabeth Guigou, said on Wednesday that French businesses should be especially vigilant in the light of claims Echelon had been "diverted to the ends of economic espionage and keeping a watch on the competition." "Communications must never carry vital information, especially when the link is made via a satellite," she added. Guigou said the French government last year allowed private companies and individuals to encode their communications to safeguard them against interception. Campbell said billions of messages were routinely intercepted each hour. "We are not talking about a trivial thing here ... we cannot stop them, they will continue," he told the committee. He claimed Microsoft, IBM, and a "large American microchip maker" were providing features in their products that allowed the interception of information. In his report, Campbell wrote that a previously little heard-of organization called the International Law Enforcement Telecommunications Seminar has "without parliamentary public discussion or awareness, put in place contentious plans to require manufacturers and operators of new communications systems to build in monitoring capacity for use by national security or law enforcement organizations." European Commission president Romano Prodi has asked his staff to follow up the allegations. "It is a serious and thorough report and we have to look at it," said Prodi's spokesman, Ricardo Levi. Several European national parliaments have called for national inquiries into the Echelon claims, and French lawyers are considering bringing lawsuits on behalf of companies that may have been disadvantaged by the alleged spying. conservativenews.org\Global\archive\GLO20000224e.html