Liam Fox, Adam Werritty, Lord Bell, Bell Pottinger And Sri Lanka

[akootha]

Liam Fox, Adam Werritty, Lord Bell, Bell Pottinger And Sri Lanka

Let’s summarise what we know so far .

Bell Pottinger is the PR firm that has taken, among its clientele , the wife of Syria’s President Assad, the Pinochet dictatorship, the Lukashenko dictatorship, and the Bahraini government. Bell Pottinger is overseen by Lord Bell, who was previously an advisor to Margaret Thatcher.

Sri Lanka paid Bell Pottinger £3,000,000 for PR. Bell Pottinger sub-contracted PR work lobbying for Sri Lanka in America, to Qorvis Communications. As Sunday Times Sri Lanka reported last year:

The conduct of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy nowadays is more expensive. Not only are the diplomats posted abroad for this purpose having to be paid for. There are other newcomers too.That is in the form of public relations companies.

One such company, Patton Boggs, made its debut in the United States. Some of its staff not only sat through conferences at the Sri Lanka Embassy in the US, but did most of the public relations, lobbying and legal work. Of course, the company collected a neat packet in dollars.

There is now an addition in Britain. They have hired Bell Pottinger. It went to work this week marketing President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s address to the nation at Thursday’s Independence Day ceremonies in Kandy. The company will now collect a packet in Pounds Sterling.

Werrity travelled alongside Liam Fox around the world, accompanying him to Sri Lanka. Werrittyattended meetings for lobbyists for the Sri Lankan government. These lobbyists were trying to block the UN investigating accusations of war crimes, in the aftermath of the war with the Tamils.

Liam Fox travelled to Sri Lanka with Adam Werritty in order to discuss politics with senior Sri Lankan officials . One Sri Lankan official – likely the Foreign minister GL Peiris – claims to have recruited Werritty as a lobbyist for the Sri Lankan government . Werritty was portrayed by Liam Fox as a UK government official, when he was not.

The FT reports today, that there are seeming links between Bell Pottinger personnel, and the fund established to fund Mr Werritty’s trips abroad:

A trust set up by Liam Fox to help Sri Lanka’s development appears to have achieved nothing other than to pay for the MP’s trips to the country, one of his allies has told the Financial Times.

The defence secretary on Monday told the Commons he had worked with people in “business, banking and politics” to create the trust as a “mechanism” to allow reconstruction funding through the private sector.

“This was called the Sri Lanka Development Trust, which seeks to promote post-conflict reconciliation and development in Sri Lanka,” he said. “The aim was to use a proportion of profits made to fund development projects in Tamil communities. Neither myself, Mr Werritty nor others sought to receive any share of the profits.”

According to Lord Bell, an ally of the MP, the trust consists of two funds, the “Sri Lanka Infrastructure Development Fund” and the “Sri Lanka Charitable Fund”.

Last year a memorandum of understanding was struck between the Sri Lankan government and the two funds to carry out future work together.

Yet neither fund is up and running, according to Lord Bell, whose lobbying firm Bell Pottinger represented the Sri Lankan government until last December.

He said the two funds were linked to the Sri Lanka Development Trust, which is not registered as a charity or a company in the UK. It remains unclear who works for it, how it is funded or what it does.

“I’m not aware that any activity exists yet or that anybody has invested any money in it,” said Lord Bell. There have been discussions with the Sri Lankan government and the governor of the central bank in the country, he added.

Yet the trust paid for at least three return trips between London and Colombo – worth about £7,500 – for Dr Fox while he was in opposition in 2008 and 2009.

Emma Reynolds, a Labour MP, said it was “odd” that the Sri Lanka Development Trust “doesn’t seem to be doing any development in Sri Lanka”: “Dr Fox needs to explain exactly what this trust is, who is behind it, where its money comes from and where the money goes.”

The trust’s current address is an office in Edinburgh but it was previously located at 40 George Street in London’s West End. This is also the headquarters of an investigative company, G3 – or Good Governance Group – which offers services such as “business intelligence”.

G3 is chaired by Chester Crocker, a former US politician under Ronald Reagan, who sits on the US board of Bell Pottinger Communications. He refused to comment. But an ally of Mr Crocker said he had no involvement with Sri Lanka and had never heard of the trust.

Lord Bell said the infrastructure fund was designed to invest in roads and other infrastructure projects in northern Sri Lanka. The second fund would direct money into “things of a charitable nature”. Neither fund is registered with the UK Charity Commission.

Mr Fox’s aide said he could not answer questions about the trust or funds – nor suggest an alternative spokesman. “You need to ask them,” he said. “I don’t speak for them.”

Lord Bell did not know how the Sri Lanka Development Trust paid for Dr Fox’s flights without other visible activities. “I do not know an answer to your question. I can understand why you are asking,” he said.

A few points:

• Lord Bell seems to know a fair amount about the Sri Lanka Development Trust and its charitable purposes
  
• Lord Bell has already admitted to Bell Pottinger being in meetings with Werritty, and Sri Lankan officials
  
• The address of the Sri Lankan Development Fund goes back to the company of one of Bell Pottinger’s US advisers
  

The Telegraph reported last year:

You won’t find the names listed under the “clients” section on the company’s website but it’s been widely reported that Bell Pottinger has worked for the oil company Trafigura and the Sri Lankan and Iranian governments. There’s an axis of earnings for you.

Still, it seems the company is coming in from the cold. Bell Pottinger’s chairman, Peter “never knowingly under-lunched” Bingle, has just signed the company up to the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA).

As well as his presence in Sri Lanka, Adam Werritty has also set up meetings with pro-Iranian lobbyists for Liam Fox.

Bell Pottinger Public Affairs chairman Peter Bingle has, in the past few days, written two fawning articles about the charisma, ethics and personality of Liam Fox, and the apparent press campaign against him, labelling Liam Fox “the Amazing Dr Fox”.

Now blogger Guido Fawkes reports:

Flying in from China to face the growing music, Michael Hintze, the donor in the spotlight regarding Liam Fox’s shadow operation, is said to have hired Lord Bell to spin for him this morning. Hintze, the chairman of the hedge fund CQS, gave Adam Werritty a desk in his Grosvenor Place office and is one of his key benefactors.

Fawkes continues:

It looks like they are keeping it cosy. Richard Alston the Non-Executive Director of Bells’s Chime Communications (which owns Bell Pottinger,) also sits on the international advisory board of CQS. Bell Pottinger also represent the Sri Lankan government and have worked closely with Liam Fox in the past.

Intriguing!

Joseph W

http://www.eelamview...-and-sri-lanka/

[akootha]

Fox 'sought funds' from UK Tamils

The Former British Defence Secretary Liam Fox who was forced to resign is accused of seeking help from diaspora leaders to get funds from wealthy Tamil businessmen.

Dr Roger Srivasan told BBC Sinhala service that he met Dr Fox few times accompanying an opposition parliamentarian visiting London during 2007-2009.

Dr Srivasan, the former president of the UK branch of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP), has accompanied Dr Jayalath Jayawardene, MP, to meetings with Dr Fox in which his friend Adam Werritty was also present.

Both the UNP and the Conservative Party are members of International Democrat Union.

"We met Dr Fox to raise the serious issues concerning the Sri Lanka's human rights situation during the height of the war," Dr Srivasan told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.

Their last meeting was held in 2009 before the Sri Lankan government declared its victory over Tamil Tigers. Dr Fox was the shadow defence secretary at the time.

Werrity as 'advisor'

"Adam was present throughout our meetings with Liam Fox and he was also taking part in the discussions we had. He was introduced to me as the advisor to Dr Fox."

Both of them were very interested in forming a business venture rather than listening to their concerns about rights violations in Sri Lanka, according to Dr Srivasan's recollection of the meetings.

"Dr Fox asked me to introduce him to various Sri Lankan wealthy Tamil businessmen who are in the UK whom I know very well," says Dr Srivasan, a leader of the Sri Lanka's Tamil diaspora in UK.

Their plan seemed to be to form a business venture in Sri Lanka together with Tamil entrepreneurs in UK, he says."Dr Fox encouraged me to forge a relationship with Adam who would liaise with him on these issues."

'A lot of money'

The former head of the UNP's UK branch says he was appalled to witness the response by a leader of the then main opposition in UK to the human rights issues in Sri Lanka.

"At one point Dr Fox told me that there is a lot of money to be made through these joint ventures." Dr Srivasan said that Dr Fox seemed to be 'totally uninterested' in raising concerns about human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Defence Secretary, Liam Fox has disclosed to the House of Commons that within the period of six months since 2009, a sum of £7378 was donated by the Sri Lanka Development Trust and High Commission for Sri Lanka in the UK for his travel and accommodation in Sri Lanka.

The responsibilities of Sri Lanka Development Trust set up by himself was later handed over when appointed as the defence secretary, Dr. Fox declared in the Westminster parliament.

Dr Fox has said, according to Dr Srivasan, that "he would love to have a beautiful place overlooking the beach," in an apparent remark on buying private property in Sri Lanka.

There was no immediate response from Dr Fox's parliamentary office.

The Sri Lankan government has, meanwhile, expressed shock and dismay over the resignation of Liam Fox.

“Now that Dr Fox had quit, it would be pertinent to inquire into the relationship between UK politicians and LTTE operatives,” a government spokesperson is quoted by The Sunday Island.

The UNP, meanwhile, has demanded an immediate inquiry into the role of the Central Bank governor in setting up Sri Lanka Development Trust.

Dr Harsha de Silva, MP, told BBC Sandeshaya that it is important the government investigate Ajith Nivaard Cabral’s involvement in the NGO.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/10/111017_roger_fox_jayalath.shtml

[akootha]

Fox/Werritty Sri Lankan jollies come under fresh scrutiny

Disgraced former defence secretary Liam Fox and his sidekick Adam Werritty’s gallivanting round Sri Lanka came under fresh scrutiny last night.

Yesterday’s Newsnight investigated Fox’s Sri Lankan trips and links to the SL leadership, talking to Sri Lankan exiles about Fox’s closeness to President Rajapaksa, who has many human rights questions hanging over his head, relating to the civil war in the island nation.

Reporter Richard Watson revealed:

“I’ve found there’s been a lot of fear, even in London, about speaking openly about this story, such is the power of the President of Sri Lanka, who many say has a poor record in human rights and freedom of speech.”

Posing the question:

“Given that record,

what was Dr Fox and Adam Werritty doing developing a relationship with that man?”

Last

February

on Left Foot Forward, long before the present furore, we posed key questions for Fox over his closeness to the Colombo regime; here they are again:

• Why did Liam Fox go to Sri Lanka three times to meet its president last year,

while William Hague did not go once?

In what official capacity did he make his August and November visits?

• Why did he attend Rajapaksa’s national party convention? Can he ensure this did not undermine ongoing multilateral efforts at defending human rights, at a critical time for Sri Lanka?

•

Why has he been pointedly discreet about these visits

- putting out a press release for his visit to Afghanistan last year, but

not one

in three trips to Sri Lanka?

•

It emerged last week that Liam Fox has been accepting

large donations

from defence firms;

can he ensure that this does not interfere with his official responsibilities as shadow secretary of state for defence, and as a representative of the UK government, when he makes repeated visits to government officials in war-torn countries?

We further reported, in March last year:

Liam Fox’s paid-for trips to Sri Lanka, which were

revealed

by Left Foot Forward last month,

are mentioned today in a

BBC investigation

into MPs’ overseas trips paid for by foreign governments.

The BBC, however, has overlooked an incident raised on our original story. In November 2009, Liam Fox spoke in favour of the Sri Lankan government in a Commons debate

without mentioning he was in Sri Lanka the week before to attend the president’s party convention

.

As Left Foot Forward said at the time, the incident occured amid rising allegations of war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan army, and talks in Brussels of suspending a privileged trade agreement between Sri Lanka and the EU over human rights issues – which was indeed suspended last month.

All the focus today is on Sir Gus O’Donnell’s report into Fox’s conduct, which is expected to conclude he broke the Ministerial Code – yet this is far from the end of the scandal.

Key questions remain, about Fox’s overseas visits – to Sri Lanka, as posed above, and elsewhere; the funding of Werritty; the funding of Fox’s office; the exact role of Werritty; what David Cameron knew (indeed, what he did or didn’t want to know, failing as he did to ask the right questions and grasp the seriousness of the affair); what Chris Grayling,

George Osborne, William Hague and Michael Gove knew of Werritty’s Atlantic Bridge-linked activities…

For one thing, however, we can thank Mr Werritty – the opaqueness of Big Lobbying has been blown wide open, and looks finally like being regulated, dragged screaming into the sunlight.

See also:

•

Look Left – Cameron bids Fox ‘thank you and goodbye’

–

Shamik Das, October 14th 2011

•

Grayling dragged into Fox/Werritty scandal – are Osborne, Gove and Hague next?

–

Shamik Das, October 10th 2011

•

Weak Cameron will struggle to fire Fox

–

Daniel Elton, October 10th 2011

•

Fox’s Sri Lankan jolly under scrutiny

–

Elliott Fox, March 23rd 2010

•

Questions Fox must answer over close links to Sri Lankan “dictator”

–

Elliott Fox, February 18th 2010

http://www.leftfootf...-investigation/

[akootha]

Fox’s biggest crime was selling arms to Sri Lanka

The real Adam Werritty–Liam Fox scandal is that the Coalition Government, like Labour before it, have been promoting arms sales to a Sri Lankan government which, according to reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN, has had its military commit war crimes (“Fox put security at risk”, The Herald, October 19).

These include telling Tamil civilians to go to supposedly safe areas, then shelling them with heavy artillery; shelling hospitals and massacring about 7000 Tamil prisoners of war and civilians including children and aid workers.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-letters/fox-s-biggest-crime-was-selling-arms-to-sri-lanka-1.1130148

[akootha]

Sri Lankan jackals on run as fox trapped

By Jay Tharan

One of the shocking news in British political history rocked most in the political circle last month. It was, about Dr.Liam Fox , is not normal event in British political history. The news was just a tip of the ice berg as understood by a Tory insider. Dr.Liam's long term relationship with Sri Lanka and Libya and various rogue states which run by regimes, is been doubted of long time while he was warned by Prime Minister David Cameroon and Foreign Minister William Hague in the past in many cases. Still he continued to keep his close tie with Sri Lankan regime who is been widely alleged for war crimes in the final stage of war against minority Tamils.

Dr.Fox found to have taken his friend Adam Werritty with different intentions, who does not have any official post in the Government ministry. But Dr.Fox was keen to take him on Sri Lankan visits in the pasts. The visits never stopped even after British Tamil community repeatedly campaigned questioning Liam Fox's relationship and intention to unite with War criminals. Last month a British Human Rights group called “Act Now “ staged a protest at Dr.Fox's home town urging locals to oppose his wrong act of uniting with war criminals of Sri Lanka.

Even after all those pressure Dr.Fox believed have an 'severe interest ' in keeping close relationship with Sri Lankan war crimes alleged president Mahintha Rajapakse. He was risking his whole political career for a small state like this , which would make a good guess about the considerations from such small state.He established a charity organisation called Sri Lanka trust which many believe as cover organisation which Srilankan government channelled all the fundings for Dr.Fox's election campaign in return to his work to cover Srilankan regime from war crimes in West world. The interest has driven Dr.Fox to keep on visiting Srilanka and support the ant war crimes propaganda.

Srilankan local paper also revealed that Dr.Fox and Werittty also found in a night club in Colombo where both have been drunk and found hugging local women. Most of the politicians who visit Srilanka are been supplied with women in order to entertain them. Also it is believed that Srilankan spies used to record 'important' clips during their time with those women to keep a tight grip on them. So it was a Srilankan jackal’s trap where most of the politicians who visit the country fall in and those video clips will be treated as ‘black mails’ to those leaders in the later case.

Srilanka which famous for gems ,now ruled by war criminals who are ready pay any price for world leaders who can save them from international inquiry. Dr.Fox's resignation has sparked to find more about few more Srilankan allied politicians in UK. When supporting Srilankan war criminals is a wrong act , there will be huge consideration from Srilanka for these politicians to continue their voice in West, in support of Srilanka. Such consideration would drive few politicians not to follow ethical practise , but knowing its wrong ,still continue to support Srilankan war criminals. We see such politicians in house of Lords and European Parliament who know what they support is evil Srilanka. It would be the best time to investigate these politicians as well to find out the truth behind their acts of covering war crimes.

With the fall of fox , Srilankan jackals have lost another shield where they are already facing challenge from US, Canada and latest from Australia to begin international war crimes inquiry. One fox is now out of den while there are plenty of dens in UK which needs to dig down in order to find how money or gems are paid in order to keep the Srilankan war criminals safe. The leaders who have fallen in the Jackal’s trap will realise women and gems from Sri Lanka will not keep them victorious for long time because the true war crimes with evidence are widely available to world. We can see all genuine leaders and countries are moving to close the Srilankan regime and put them in trial soon. Time to find the bottom of ice berg !

- " We Will not stop until Justice is served for Tamils in Ceylon under Srilankan oppression"