British Prince Andrew’s ties to dictators

This video is called Bankers bonuses are small, said Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

Not just in the Netherlands there are royal ties to dictators …

Not just in the British royal family other than Prince Andrew …

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Prince’s ties to despots under fire

Monday 07 March 2011

by Paddy McGuffin, Home Affairs Reporter

Campaigners called today for the immediate dismissal of the Duke of York as Britain’s trade envoy today over his inappropriate conduct and close links with despotic regimes.

His position as the country’s official trade lobbyist hung in the balance this evening following a number of highly embarrassing revelations about his conduct.

Prince Andrew has been Britain’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment since 2001.

During a business lunch in Kyrgyzstan last year, the Duke attacked the Serious Fraud Office for its investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption by BAE in its dealings with Saudi Arabia.

And fresh doubts were raised this weekend over his ties to US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said that, as a volunteer, the Duke was “not somebody who is appointed and sacked.”

But Labour’s former Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant said it was time for him to go.

“I think we should be dispensing with his services. I think the charge list now against him is so long that he is a bit of an embarrassment.”

Mr Cable’s claim was also disputed by anti-monarchist campaign group Republic.

The group’s spokesman Graham Smith said: “Of course Andrew can be sacked from his role, he simply needs to be sent a note to that effect from the Prime Minister.

“If this were anyone else at all they would be out of a job. Andrew has brought UKTI and the British government into disrepute.”

The prince has also faced allegations over his dealings with totalitarian regimes including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Libya.

He met Colonel Gadaffi‘s son Saif on two occasions in 2007.

He also entertained the son-in-law of ousted Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at Buckingham Palace.

Britain has sold millions of pounds worth of arms to both countries in the last few years.

Campaign Against Arms Trade spokeswoman Kaye Stearman said: “As UKTI special trade representive Prince Andrew acts as cheerleader-in-chief for the UK arms industry.

“His main task seems to be smooze royalty and dictators of resource-rich states to pave the way for UKTI Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) to sell weapons.”

THE Greek prime minister Yiorghos Papandreou met with his government’s Defence and Foreign Ministers last Thursday to discuss Libya following talks last Wednesday in Athens with the US State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Europe and Asia Philip Gordon: here.

While millions in the world are celebrating the popular uprisings in North Africa, Europe is watching with skepticism and fear. The fall of the African dictators will deprive Europe of valuable allies in the fight against irregular migration. The political vacuum and the social and economic instability that follows will create a new wave of desperate migrants daring the high seas to reach the coats of Europe. This will deepen the immigration crisis Europe has been trying hard to manage in recent years. Europe is responding with an increased use of force. A new humanitarian crisis is looming: here.

These are secular popular revolts – yet everyone is blaming religion. Our writer, who was in Cairo as the revolution took hold in Egypt, reports from Bahrain on why Islam has little to do with what is going on: here.

Prince Andrew continues to take a close interest in Azerbaijan (telegraph.co.uk)
The Prince, The Brutal Dictator and a Friendship He Just Won’t Give up (azerbaijanfree.com)
Prince Andrew meets Azerbaijan’s billionaire dictator Ilham Aliyev despite losing trade envoy role (dailymail.co.uk)
Headcam view of Prince Andrew abseiling down the Shard (telegraph.co.uk)
Prince Andrew Daredevil Pic As He Abseils Down Shard Building in London (mrpoplife.typepad.com)
Is Airmiles Andy still pals with billionaire dictator? Prince meets ambassador to corrupt regime despite losing trade envoy role (dailymail.co.uk)

16 thoughts on “British Prince Andrew’s ties to dictators”

PRINCE ANDREW MEETS BIN LADEN FAMILY

Prince Andrew has met with members of Bin Laden’s family

Wednesday September 21,2011

By Richard Palmer, Royal Correspondent

PRINCE Andrew has met the family of slain Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden on a £40,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Saudi Arabia.

Two months after officially stepping down from his role as UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, Andrew is back fronting a trade mission despite controversy over his links with shady businessmen and a convicted paedophile.

The Duke of York is on a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia aimed at opening doors for British exporters in the kingdom. Last month Andrew, 51, a frequent visitor to the Arabian peninsula, was photographed frolicking in the sea and kissing a woman who looked at least 20 years his junior while enjoying a Mediterranean holiday on a superyacht owned by Saudi billionaire Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel.

UK Trade and Investment, the Government body that helps British exporters, has refused to say which companies stand to benefit from the trade trip, which Andrew has undertaken with Lord Stephen Green, Britain’s trade and investment minister.

Britain sends up to 75 per cent of its arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which earlier this year stamped down on pro-democracy activists eager to spread the Arab Spring revolutions to the kingdom. The Saudi military also went to the aid of the beleaguered King of Bahrain and brutally repressed pro-democracy protesters in the country, reportedly using UK-manufactured armoured vehicles.

Buckingham Palace and UKTI both insisted that the Prince was not taking part in any meetings involving arms deals but did not rule out the possibility that others on the trip could be discussing exporting weapons to the kingdom.
The palace and UKTI were at loggerheads over who was paying for the trip. A spokeswoman for UKTI insisted that the trade body was not paying for any of the Prince’s visit. She said, as far as she knew, Andrew was paying for it out of his own pocket.

However, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said the cost of Andrew’s return flight in an executive jet from Farnborough to Saudi Arabia would be met by taxpayers via the Department of Transport’s royal travel grant-in-aid to the palace. “His in-country costs (ie hotel bills and expenses) will be picked up by UKTI,” he added.

The palace refused to disclose Andrew’s itinerary, citing security reasons, but his offical meetings have been recorded in the Court Circular.

It shows that Andrew enjoyed lunch in Jeddah on Tuesday at the offices of Saudi Binladen Group, the firm created by Osama Bin Laden’s father Mohammed, who spread his wealth among more than 50 of his children including the Al Qaeda leader.

Since the early 1990s, however, the firm has sought to distance itself from Osama Bin Laden. It fought off legal attempts by survivors, relatives and insurers to make it financially liable for the devastation caused by the September 11 attacks after persuading US courts that it had deprived Osama of his two per cent stake in the firm as early as 1993.

Andrew stepped down from his trade envoy role amid controversy over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy America who helped his ex-wife the Duchess of York to pay off her spiralling debts, and other figures, including deposed Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif.

However, aides insisted that he, like other members of the Royal Family, would continue to support British businesses at home and abroad.

UKTI said the Saudi trip was partly a re-hash of a trade mission postponed in March amid security concerns after widespread political unrest in the region. A spokeswoman added: “The Duke of York is attending part of the trade mission to the Middle East. He continues to work closely with UKTI to promote international trade and investment and British businesses continue to benefit from his support.

“The Duke and Lord Green are undertaking a joint visit. This enables them to meet with a larger number of contacts than would otherwise be the case, in a country that is one of our major trading partners.

“The Duke is undertaking some visits which were in planning stages when he announced that he was stepping down from the role. The Royal Visits Committee has agreed that he should honour these commitments.”

Later, UKTI claimed it had been confused about the funding for the trip and admitted that taxpayers were footing the bill for Andrew.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/272803/Prince-Andrew-meets-Bin-Laden-family-

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