Mali crisis closely connected with US policy toward Libya: Lawrence Freeman

In the background of this, France has imposed a media blackout on its operations in Mali after the French foreign minister stated that France intends to have a prolonged engagement of war in Mali on the pretext of rooting out terrorist elements; the same terrorist elements by the way that France was working alongside in the illegal war on Libya and the murder of Gaddafi in an alliance with Britain and the United States. Many observers have said that the Mali situation has stemmed from Libya. The United Nations says the violence could displace hundreds of thousands of Malians in the near future.

Press TV has interviewed Mr. Lawrence Freeman, Executive Intelligence Review, Africa desk from Baltimore about this issue. The following is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Looking at the comments of the French defense minister saying that the operation in Mali is seeking a total conquest of the country. It does go to show that France is not in Mali out of moral goodwill as it likes to show?

Freeman: The statements by the French government show that they’re really not thinking at all about the interests of Mali or any of the African nations.

This has now entered into what could have been expected - I certainly did - this is now going to be a long term war using A-symmetric warfare by the insurgents and the rebels and is not something that can be won.

It won’t be won and will lead to chaos that will disturb all the countries in the Sahara and West Africa and so the policy is much bigger than anyone has stated.

This is the Tony Blair British policy of regime change and chaos throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East and the French are foolishly carrying it out.

Press TV: Now that you’re saying that the French are not in Mali for such purposes as they would like to portray to the general public, why do you think France is in Mali? Is it the resources, the uranium or is there more to it?

Freeman: I think there is more to it.

If you go back to the overthrow of President Gaddafi and his murder on October 20th you see the seeds of this policy.

There was an illegal war carried out by President Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy and you’re seeing the results of it - that war helped bring about this new level of activity.

And then if you look at the events, 9/11 in 2012 with the assassination of the American Ambassador Christopher Stephens you see a continuation of that policy because in fact President Obama was working with the various al-Qaeda networks in Libya, so-called working with us, and these are the networks that killed our Ambassador, which are now also directly involved in northern Mali and Algeria.

So, the policies of President Obama and NATO are directly responsible for these attacks and therefore the French are not doing this to help Mali or any other country. The French are in fact stupidly continuing this British US policy.

Press TV: Many have drawn a connection between the uranium mining company AREVA, which is present in Niger, which is close to Mali and the expedition in Africa. Do you see multinational corporations having a hand in this as well?

Freeman: They probably do. Don’t forget when we look at the old British Empire and the old French Empire going all the way from East Africa and the French Empire, West Africa - these policies are still there. But you’re operating on a multi-level.

You have a group of elite financier cabal in the City of London and Wall Street and their financial system right now is on the verge of total collapse to hyper inflation. And they’re looking for control and they’re looking to control the countries of the Middle East; they’re looking to control North Africa; and the way they do that is by destabilization and wars and chaos, which they can control.

And the added feature of this is that these destabilizations in Syria and North Africa have the potential to lead to a much larger confrontation with Russia and China if they don’t go along with it.

So North Africa right now is going to go up in flames and we may be on the verge of war between the super powers because of this Obama Tony Blair NATO policy.

SC/JR