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Today, we take a look at the close ties between the Port of Houston and the family of Colonel Ghadafi, the embattled leader of Libya.
Gas prices are pushing through the $4 a gallon limit; however some pundits are predicting $5 gas by the end of the year. One reason for rising gas prices is the concern over the safety of oil supplies from the Middle East, which includes the war torn Libya. As President Obama gave the order for a no-fly zone to be implemented, and in conjunction with coalition allies, launched a strong series of plane and missile strikes against key targets in rebel-held areas of Libya, it has comes as a shock to learn that the Port of Houston has been forging extremely strong ties with the ruling Ghadafi clan.
Khamis Ghadafi Photo Session with Port of Houston Officials
Roll back the clock to January 2011, and the Port of Houston was playing host to a very important person’ Khamis Ghadafi, the Libyan ruler’s son. A photo session was held with Port of Houston chairman, Jim Edmonds, and the man which the US administration is calling a ‘bloodthirsty special forces commander…[who] used mercenaries to massacre civilians” in Libya.
The close ties between the Ghadafi clan and the Port of Houston stem from a proposed contract for the construction of five port facilities in Libya. The Port of Houston was involved in negotiations for over two years, which also included offers to share technology and information on security practices.
Remember this is Libya – a terrorist state which has been responsible for numerous atrocities carried out on American citizens, including the Lockerbie bombing of a Pan Am 747 which crashed in Scotland.
So far, the Houston taxpayer has forked out over $60,000 in airfares alone, to woo the Libyan leadership, which includes a $12,000 plane ticket.
The January visit by Khamis was prematurely ended because of the increasing unrest in Libya, which has spilled over into outright civil war. The no-fly zone has now been implemented and Ghadafi’s military forces are being pushed back by the rebels who have held and retaken key installations and cities in the country.
The first issue is that all the taxpayer money expended has been lost. No contracts will be honored or entered into whatever the outcome of the civil war in Libya, and even if Ghadafi remains in power he is not likely to hand over cash to any US entity after the US military has bombed the country. The second question is though diplomatic tensions have eased between the two countries, just what was going on with the Port of Houston getting into bed with a bunch of terrorist killers?
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