NP Echelon

[Doug Millison]

Echelon committee suspicions grow

The Echelon Committee was set up by the European Parliament to
investigate allegations that the US global telecommunications system
Echelon is being used as a spying system for industrial espionage. 

The Echelon committee delegation travelled to Washington last week with
the objective of allowing the US to respond to the numerous allegations
made about the Echelon system.

However, five different US institutions cancelled the meetings at the
very last minute. They all sent faxes nearly at the same time with very
similar wordings, which gave the committee an impression they just did
not want to meet. 

''The fact that they cancelled the meetings has increased our degree of
suspician,'' said Carlos Coelho, chairman of the European Parliament
Temporary Committee on Echelon, at a press conference in Strasbourg,
Wednesday.  

Source: http://www.europeanobserver.com - EU Observer

from: EJC Media News Digest of 17 May 2001
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