[NYTr] Meddling of US Amb Slammed in Paraguay:; Cason's Last Post was in Cuba Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:49:52 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit [James Cason is the theatrical "diplomat" whose previous assignment was at the US Interests Section in Havana, where he engaged in widely reported, and well-documented, destabilization attempts. Several amusing articles follow the first, one noting that Paraguay was a country of refuge for many Nazi war criminals, and the other on the 2006 purchase of 9,000 acres in Paraguay. Given the upcoming election in Paraguay, however, (ex-priest and anti-oligarch Lugo is leading in the polls) that might have been yet another Bush miscalculation. -NY Transfer] Granma Daily - Dec 14, 2007 http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art28.html Meddling of US Ambassador Criticized in Paraguay ASUNCION, December 13.b An influential senator of the governing Colorado Party of Paraguay called the US ambassador in Asuncion a second rate official and demanded he apologize for comments made that constitute meddling in the countrybs affairs. Senator Juan Carlos Galaverna reacted to Ambassador James Casonbs statement that Paraguayan politicians should explain their government programs instead of trying to avert attention by criticizing the press. Galavernabs remark comes during the campaign for internal elections in the governing party to take place on Sunday. The senator is a close collaborator of President Nicanor Duarte Frutos. "Paraguay is a sovereign country, which [ambassador James Cason] wants to counsel, as if he were a presidential advisor," said Galaverna, a three-term senator. The Colorado Party will elect its presidential candidate on Sunday for the general elections to be held in April 2008. The candidates are former Education Minister Blanca Ovelar and former Vice President Luis Castiglioni. According to Reuters, Galaverna said that Cason "has no right to intervene" and demanded "he apologize for his audacity." "They send us a second rate ambassador that wants to tell our president what to do. He should shut up," he said. *** Prensa Latina (Havana) and others compiled by Scoop News - Oct 20, 2006 http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0610/S00308.htm BUSH REPORTED TO HAVE PURCHASED 99,000 ACRES IN PARAGUAY "Why might the president and his family need a 98,840-acre ranch in Paraguay protected by a semi-secret U.S. military base manned by American troops who have been exempted from war-crimes prosecution by the Paraguayan government?" -Wonkette PRENSA LATINA - The land grab project of US President George W. Bush in Chaco, Paraguay, has generated considerable discomfort both politically and environmentally. The news circulating the continent about plans to buy 98,840 acres of land in Chaco, Paraguay, near the Triple Frontier (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay) is the talk of the town in these countries. Although official sources have not confirmed the information that is already public, the land is reportedly located in Paso de Patria, near Bolivian gas reserves and the Guarani indigenous water region, within the Triple Border. . . Concern increased last week with the arrival of Bush" daughter, Jenna, and a source from the Physical Planning Department saying that most of the Chaco region belongs to private companies. Luis D'Elia, ArgentinaB4s undersecretary for Land for Social Habitat, says the matter raises regional concern because it threatens local natural resources. *** STEVE O - It has been reported that George W. Bush has recently purchased a 98,842 acre farm in Northern Paraguay. What on earth does the President of the United States need a 98,000+ acre farm in Northern Paraguay for? On the surface it looks all very innocent, but let's add the very quiet trip that Jenna Bush made to the country earlier this month in which she met Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and his family at their official residence. She also met with U.S. Ambassador James Cason. Could it be that our little drunken Jenna is all grown up and playing diplomacy? This all still seems very innocent on the surface, but now let's add the five hundred U.S. troops that arrived in Paraguay with planes, weapons and ammunition in July 2005, shortly after the Paraguayan Senate granted U.S. troops immunity from national and International Criminal Court jurisdiction. Neighboring countries and human rights organizations are concerned the massive air base at Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay is potential real estate for the U.S. military. Does Bush plan on being charged with something in the future? Does Bush foresee a collapse of the United States and feels a strong need to have a place to cut and run to, or does Bush just need a nice secret little place other than Gitmo where he can send people he doesn't like? Source: http://www.teambio.org/2006/10/bush-family-98842-acres-and-a-mule/ *** BRING IT ON - Jenna Bush paid a secret diplomatic visit to Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and U.S. Ambassador James Cason. There were no press conferences, no public sightings and no official confirmation of her 10-day trip which apparently ended this week. . . And Jenna's down there having secret meetings with the president and America's ambassador to Paraguay, James Cason. Bush posted Cason in Havana in 2002, but last year moved him to Paraguay. Cason apparently gets around. A former "political adviser" to the U.S. Atlantic Command and ATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, Cason has been stationed in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama b& basically everywhere the U.S. has run secret and not-so-secret wars over the past 30 years. Here's a fun question for Tony Snow: Why might the president and his family need a 98,840-acre ranch in Paraguay protected by a semi-secret U.S. military base manned by American troops who have been exempted from war-crimes prosecution by the Paraguayan government? WONKETTE - Here's a little background on the base itself, which Rumsfeld secretly visited in late 2005: U.S. Special Forces began arriving this past summer at Paraguay's Mariscal Estigarribia air base, a sprawling complex built in 1982 during the reign of dictator Alfredo Stroessner. Argentinean journalists who got a peek at the place say the airfield can handle B-52 bombers and Galaxy C-5 cargo planes. It also has a huge radar system, vast hangers, and can house up to 16,000 troops. The air base is larger than the international airport at the capital city, Asuncion. Source: http://www.wonkette.com/politics/george-w.-bush/we-hate-to-bring-up-the-nazis-but-they-fled-to-south-america-too-208549.php * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================