DESPITE US SANCTIONS, AIR FRANCE SOLD BOEINGS 727 TO IRAN
PARIS 26TH Jan. (IPS) Both France and the United States closed deliberately their eyes to allow Air France to sell four Boeing 727 to an Iranian airline in 1994, in full contravention of US sanctions against the transfer or selling of sensitive materials to the Islamic Republic of Iran that Washington considers as a "rogue state, according to press reports and lawyers.
Knowing well that the technology filled planes could not be sold directly to Iran without the authorisation of Washington, the state-owned French airlines created a fictive company in the neighbouring Luxembourg named Luxeda, that bought the planes for 17.765.000 USD and sold them "instantaneously" to Aseman Airlines of Iran for 17.256.000 USD, with a loss of half a million Dollars that have disappeared in commission to unknown parties.
Asked by Iran Press Service to comment of the scandal, a spokeswoman for Air France had this to say: "This affair that dates back to 1994 was an operation that was made in the total transparency, made officially with the help of a great bank.
"Also, Air France applied strictly all procedures from the Markets Commission and therefore has no other comments to make".
The spokeswoman refused to be identified and did not named the "great bank" that helped the transaction but many believes it could not have been other than the troubled Credit Lyonnais.
According to both L'Express newsmagazine and Mr. Jean Paul Baduel, a lawyer who is tracing the missing half a millions Dollars for a party of Air France employees and shareholders, the illegal deal was made with the "perfect knowledge and total hypocrisy" of the French government.
Air Aseman belong to the sprawling Mostaz'afin (Deprived) Foundation, a conglomerate that is in charge of more than 600 firms, hotels, banks, insurance companies, cinemas, shipping and airlines etc throughout Iran that belonged to the Iranian who fled the country after the victory of the Islamic Republic of 1979.
Often dubbed as a "state into State", the Bonyad, an organisation that is controlled directly by the leader of the Islamic regime, the staunchly anti-western ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, works hand in hand with Iranian Intelligence Ministry and the Revolutionary Guards for carrying terrorist operations and provide vital financial assistance to several Islamist terrorist organisations.
The planes were used by the Iranian government during the Bosnian conflict to carry Iranian revolutionary guards, Korans and mollahs to Sarajevo, according to informed sources and confirmed by Mr. Baduel.
UN Forces in Bosnia, including Americans units, intercepted at least two shipments of arms, ammunition and revolutionary guards flown with the 727s, but the United States took no action against Iran or France.
Luxeda, the fictive company that was established in Luxembourg with an initial capital of 250.000 FF (40.000 US) was headed by a retired French General named Jacques Hablot who already heads several other firms, all belonging to Aerospatiale.
Luxedia ceased to exist after Air Aseman paid the last of the 14 installments.
"Show me a bank that helps a company worth 250.000 to undertake a 100 millions FF (17 millions US) deal and I will immediately change my job", Mr. Baduel told IPS in a telephone interview.
While the French Foreign Ministry had "no comment" to make, the US State Department, despite several attempts, was unable to provide any answer to the question if Washington had protested to France over the deal.
Aviation experts say the 727 are good planes if only noisy.
Informed American and French sources confirmed that the Boeing 727 could not be sold to Iran without US authorisation.
"When I asked the US State Department, they confirmed that the sale of the planes to Iran was under US embargo and therefore needed re-export licence", Mr. Baduel said.
According to aviation sources in Tehran, 3 of the 727 are flying while one of them was "canibalised" in order to provide spare parts for the other three.
The planes are maintained by a special French team that have no official existence at the Tehran airport, sources added.
In 1993, Air France sold three other ageing 727 to the Afghan Ariana airlines but the difference with the deal with Air Aseman is that at that time Kaboul was not under US embargo and the planes were sold directly from Air France to Ariana. ENDS PLANES 26100