Britain knew of Equatorial Guinea coup plot in advance: report

Agence France Presse — English
November 27, 2004 Saturday 11:59 PM GMT

LONDON Nov 28 — Britain received a full outline of a plot to stage
a coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea at least two months before it was
nipped in the bud, the Observer newspaper reported Sunday.

Citing “confidential documents,” it said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
“was personally told of the plans at the end of January” but failed
to warn the government of the small, oil-rich west African state.

Five South Africans and six Armenians were jailed by a court in
Equatorial Guinea last Friday for plotting to overthrow President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the country’s iron-fisted ruler since 1979.

The complex coup bid was foiled last March when a team of mercenaries
was arrested in Zimbabwe, where a number of other participants —
including a British national, Simon Mann — have also been convicted
and sentenced.

In South Africa, Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former British prime
minister Margaret Thatcher, is awaiting trial for allegedly helping
to bankroll the plot. He was arrested in August, and denies the charge.

The Observer said Straw and his junior minister for Africa, Chris
Mullin, had been told of the coup plot on January 30.

It said two “highly detailed” reports had been sent, in December
2003 and January this year, from Johann Smith, a former commander in
the South African Defence Forces, to two senior British intelligence
officers.

The reports included dates, details of arms shipment and key players,
the newspaper said.

Copies of the reports, marked “strictly confidential,” were also
sent to “a senior colleague” of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,
it said.

It said the documents featured the names of many South African
mercenaries who have since been sentenced for their roles in the plot,
and that the January report stated that the coup would be attempted
“in mid-March 2004”.

The author of the January report added: “Knowing the individuals as
well as I do, this timeline is very realistic and will provide for
ample time to plan, mobilise, equip and deploy the force.”

In a statement to The Observer, the Foreign Office said: “We do not
comment on intelligence issues. But ministers and officials (in the
ministry) acted promptly on receipt of relevant information.”

Straw told parliament earlier this month that the Foreign Office had
received “confidential information” about a coup plot, but said that
they had added nothing significant to rumours circulating at the time.

The Sunday Times meanwhile reported that police in South Africa want
to question the new EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, over any
knowledge he might have had about the coup plot.

It said investigators were curious about allegations by a coup
suspect that he had twice approached Mandelson — who is close to
Prime Minister Tony Blair — to know how the British government might
feel about a coup.

“They do not regard Mandelson as a suspect, but they want to know
what he knows,” a South African government source was quoted as saying.

A spokesman for Mandelson said the trade commissioner, a two-time
cabinet minister under Blair, “categorically denies” speaking to
anybody about the coup plot.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress