A Somali business group on Thursday denied claims by US President George W. Bush that it was part of a global network financing terrorism and said it was cooperating with US authorities.
"Barakaat is not part of any terrorist group. Our files will be handed over to any financial institution that wants to see them," Abbas Abdi Ali, an official with the Barakaat group of companies, told journalists in the Somali capital.
On Wednesday, Bush named Barakaat as a "financier of terror" that helped fund the activities of the al-Qaeda network, and said its offices in the United States were being shut down.
"We are cooperating with the FBI in Mogadishu over the transfer of money. Our services will not be available until we prove our innocence," Abbas Abdi Ali told journalists.
Barakaat's offices in the north and south of the Somali capital were closed Thursday.
Most of the group's Internet websites were inaccessable Thursday, except that for the Somali Refreshment Company, which is part of the Barakaat group.
Thursday's denial is not the first issued by Barakaat.
On October 2, the group released a statement rejecting allegations of links to terrorism printed in a British newspaper.
"The truth is Barakaat is a private shareholding company and it is 100 percent owned by over 600 Somalis living inside and outside of Somalia, and it has no affiliation with any political or religious organisations operating either inside or outside of Somalia," the statement said.
Unconfirmed reports had suggested there are links between Barakaat and al-Ittihad al-Islamiya, a hardline Islamic organisation based in Somalia accused by the US of having links to international terrorism.
Barakaat's "sole objective is to safeguard the interest of its stakeholders be it shareholders, customers, employees or suppliers.
"Barakaat condemns those who carried out the barbaric terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on September 11 and any other terrorist activities," the October statement said -- MOGADISHU, (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
