EU vice-president to claim US site spies on European business

[Jei]

To: Electronic Warfare <ewar at topica.com>,
Subject: IUFO NEWS:  FWD [forteana] Echelon in Yorkshire

< http://yorkshirepost.co.uk/scripts/editorial2.cgi?cid=4&aid=434459 >

EU vice-president to claim US site spies on European business

VICE-PRESIDENT of the European Parliament, Gerhardt Schmid, is expected to
argue that the Echelon system used at the United States base at Menwith
Hill, near Harrogate, is used for industrial espionage when he speaks in the
town next week.

Dr Schmid compiled the European Parliament's report on Echelon, which is
believed to intercept millions of telephone calls, faxes, e-mails and other
electronic communications and pass confidential information to the US
National Security Agency.

The German Socialist Euro MP has accepted an invitation from the Menwith
Hill Forum ­ which monitors activities at the 560-acre intelligence site ­
to speak at the Friends Meeting House in Queen Parade, Harrogate, on
Thursday at 7.30pm.

The signals intelligence station already has a key role in Echelon, but its
importance will grow when hundreds of staff are transferred to Menwith Hill
from Bad Abling ­ the National Security Agency's third largest monitoring
station, which is in the Bavarian Alps.

Although the US Government has denied the existence of Echelon, it is known
to be shared with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain. UK Government
sources justify it as a means of gathering information on terrorist
organisations and international drug cartels.

But Dr Schmid is expected to argue that Echelon is also used by the United
States Government to gather sensitive economic data from European countries,
which is allegedly being passed on to benefit industrial rivals across the
Atlantic. One example is said to be a £1bn contract lost by Airbus Industrie
to Boeing and McDonnel Douglas.

Dr Schmid, who will tell the Forum that the uncontrolled use of Echelon is
potentially detrimental to European economies and puts at risk thousands of
jobs, will also explain what the European Parliament is doing to try to
protect citizens' rights.

The Forum's chairman, John Eveleigh said: "This public meeting continues our
aim to inform local people of the activities and genuine concerns we have
around the Menwith Hill surveillance station. I urge anyone interested in
finding out more about Echelon to attend." 





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