Press Release, Tuesday September 18 2007, Pat Finucane Centre:
Belfast mother appeals to Iraqi Government
Following the decision of the Iraqi government to expel private security
company Blackwater*from the country Belfast mother Jean Mc Bride has
appealed to the Iraqis to 'also show the door' to British company Aegis
Defence Services. The CEO of Aegis is former Scots Guards officer and
mercenary Tim Spicer. Soldiers under Spicer's command murdered 18 year old
Peter Mc Bride in Belfast in 1992 yet Spicer refused to accept that his
soldiers did wrong in shooting an unarmed teenager in the back in broad
daylight.
Spicer's private security/mercenary company Aegis has been embroiled in
controversary since winning a major security contract in Iraq. In 2005 an ex
employee posted a video on the internet which showed an Aegis security team
opening fire at random on civilian vehicles in Baghdad.
Speaking today Mrs Mc Bride said,
"The Iraqis have revoked Blackwater's license to work in Iraq after it
emerged that employees opened fire and killed civilians. I would urge the
Iraqi Government to also show the door to Aegis and revoke its license. Its
employees have been filmed shooting at civilians and neither the company nor
the Pentagon bothered to carry out a proper investigation. The CEO of Aegis,
Tim Spicer, is on public record as saying that the soldiers who were
convicted in a court of law of shooting my son should not even have been
charged. I have said repeatedly that Tim Spicer is not fit to be in charge
of armed men in a conflict situation. I have now written to Dr. Salah
Al-Shaikhly, the Iraqi Ambassador to Britain and Ireland to make this point
and I would appeal to those who have supported my family to date including
Gerry Adams MP, Mark Durkan MP and the Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern
TD to raise this with the Iraqi Ambassador."
Mrs Mc Bride has also welcomed the announcement that the US Congress is to
hold hearings into the use of private security/mercenary companies in Iraq.
Earlier this week Henry Waxman, the Democratic chairman of the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee said, "The controversy over
Blackwater is an unfortunate demonstration of the perils of excessive
reliance on private security contractors". He said his committee would hold
hearings on the issue. A number of prominent lawmakers in the US including
Barack Obama have called for an inquiry into Aegis following representations
on behalf of Mrs Mc Bride.
For info contact the Pat Finucane Centre at 02871 268846
see www.patfinucanecentre.org for extensive background on Aegis and the
Peter Mc Bride case.
Blackwater was ordered to leave Iraq following an
incident earlier this week when, according to Iraq's interior ministry,
"eight civilians were killed and 13 wounded when Blackwater contractors
opened fire on civilians in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Mansour
in western Baghdad after mortar rounds landed near their convoy." The US has
promised an investigation however most commentators would be sceptical of
any 'investigation'. Similar allegations into the conduct of Aegis employees
were brought to the attention of the US Consul in Belfast, Howard Dean
Pitman and the US Special Envoy to Ireland, Mitchel Reiss in meetings with
Jean Mc Bride. Neither diplomat honoured commitments made to Jean Mc Bride
at the time.
Lobby for US Senate/Congressional Hearings into the Aegis contract. In 2004,
Spicer's new mercenary firm Aegis won a major security in Iraq. What role
did two former British officers working for the Coalition Provisonal
Authority, Brigadier General Anthony Hunter-Choat and Brigadier General
James Ellery, play in the award of the contract to Aegis?
Ellery went on to head the Baghdad office of Aegis, which was later heavily
criticised by US Government auditors who found the company could not prove
that its armed employees received proper weapons training or that it had
vetted Iraqi employees.
Further Information on the Peter Mc Bride Campaign and on Spicer and Aegis in German language on our website:
>>>> Kampagne Gerechtigkeit im Fall Peter Mc Bride
<<<<
>>>> Menschenrechte - nicht der Rede wert
<<<<
