FRANCE: a few comments on "world events" from Paris

Our Paris Correspondent writes: "It is interesting getting the French perspective on "world events" from my office here in Paris. I note that CNN states today that "millions of Afghans have fled to refugee camps in Pakistan, where they are seeking relief from famine, drought, and the Taliban's harsh rule." From the French point of view, these Afghans are fleeing the U.S. bombing of their country. Yesterday the French news pointed out that Bin Laden had been at the American Hospital in Dubai as recently as July 11, when he was visited by a CIA agent,. He i s a very sick man (renal disorders necessitating dialysis). In fact he had a bunch of dialysis machinery and equipment sent to him in Afghanistan! Saw nothing of this on CNN. As you'll recall, I have an architectural firm called Poetic License, and Salem Bin Laden (the eldest brother, now deceased) was a client of ours. It was fun for a while being flown around in the private jets, until we ended up spending most of our time waiting, or being stranded on weird islands or remote cities for the "sheik" to show up. Two Bin Laden sisters were students of mine at Parsons School of Design in Paris. They were lovely, intelligent, and good students. The current head of the Bin Laden family (reigning eldest brother), now based in Switzerland, pointed out during an interview on the French news this past week that his terrorist brother had some twenty (20) wives! The "Herald Tribune" here in Paris recently reported that all the Bin Laden siblings and extended family had been safely escorted out of the U.S. back to Saudi Arabia. Upon taking my ailing mother to the American Hospital in Paris a few weeks ago, I discovered that one of her hospital mates was a Bin Laden brother who had requested his name be taken off the register. Thinking our friends at the "Regional Security Office" might want to talk to this gentleman, I phoned my contact there with the info and it took them four days to act.

One thing for sure, from my knowledge of the family as mentioned above, is that Bin Laden will be in regular contact with his mother in Saudi, and a sure way to get these people out of their caves is to support and help the Taliban women who are fleeing to the refugee camps (according to the French press) and constitute a brilliant source of information. Islam involves a war of the sexes that few seem to acknowledge yet. Overtly and abundantly aiding these women, like the Northern Alliance, would be more effective, and far more ethical, than the haphazard bombing we are now engaged in".

Ronald Hilton - 11/1/01