The President of Seychelles’ has denied various reports that suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden has any investments in his country, and added that U.S. troops were coming to the island as tourists rather than for military purposes.
France-Albert Rene was asked about reports that members of the Al Qaeda network had escaped to Seychelles from Afghanistan and that U.S. forces were in pursuit of them.
"Such reports about (Osama) bin Laden investments in my country are not correct and there are no Al Qaeda members. If this happens, we will definitely know because we are a small country and the government is in full control of all its outlets," he told reporters at the Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-Up (ZCCF), according to Gulf News.
With regards to the American presence in the Indian Ocean country, Rene claimed that, "As for the presence of U.S. troops, we and the Americans are friends and they come to my country only for tourism."
In a separate matter, Rene slammed Israel and its Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for resorting to extreme use of force to resolve the problem with the Palestinians.
He stated that Israel was attempting to, "destroy the Palestinian dream of setting up an independent state and such an approach will never bring peace."
"The security they promised to bring to their people does not exist ... and it is shameful for an Israeli leader to corner another President in such a place," he added, referring to Ariel Sharon's decision to impose a siege on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Regarding relations between his country and the United Arab Emirates, Rene spoke about economic development in the UAE and said Seychelles wanted to expand relations with the Emirates in all areas.
In addition, he praised the policies of UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his financial support of Seychelles through the Abu Dhabi Development Fund.
"The UAE seems to understand Seychelles' problems more than the big powers do," he added. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
