[meteorite-list] SaharaMet : Point of view on NWA meteorites

From: SaharaTeam_at_aol.com <SaharaTeam_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Dec 5 03:52:05 2004
Message-ID: <146.39d8aa5f.2ee4262e_at_aol.com>

We have put this web page explaining the situation of NWA meteorites for a
good reason :
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Sahara/Nwa.html

1) the situation of terrorism is dramatic in Algeria and there is an open
link with contraband. See these recent posts of Mike on the mailing with the
title :"Re: [meteorite-list] news from Algeria" and "[meteorite-list] Algeria" :

> Yep, things are getting a little scary out in Islamland.
> Why anyone would go to Algeria I dont know. The Army of God terrorist
group
> is still hacking people up there on a daily basis.

> Michel, are you suggesting that massacres do not happen in Algeria? Tens
of
> thousands are dead over the decade.
> I can pull up hundreds of articles on the bombings, entire villages
murdered
> etc.
> Mike

2) meteorites bought in Morocco are coming from Algeria, Libya and up to
Egypt for their majority. It's the case of NWA 482 and 2046 of Mike for example.
And for his recent trip, when we see that he has been driven right on the
Algeria border to find the original seller... for us this seller seems coming
from Algeria (nomads with their flocks don't live in a minefield... in the
other case, after one week, there will be no more flock in live).

3) the potential for meteorite prospecting in Morocco is very limited and
the border with Algeria is officially closed since 1994. For protecting Morocco
from army groups coming from Algeria there's a double wall of earth created
by bulldozer and mined : one million mines !!!. It's a military place where
it's forbidden to go. It's what Mike has described in his recent trip with the
title :
[meteorite-list] Morocco new fall news

> .....That is
> when the Moroccans told me that this was a military-only, prohibited zone,
> and that we were not allowed there! I of course got a little concerned
> (especially when we saw several mine-fields. We were driving cross-country
> at night with no lights, only by full moonlight, (not a safe thing in an
old
> war zone where mine-fields are still around).
> The next morning we arrived at the tent of the nomad who found the
> pallasite. He led us there, over the berm and military fighting
emplacements
> to the site, Algeria was only about 2 kilometers away.......Mike"

So read our web page, you will see that it contains lots of things that
dealers have still noticed. But it's sure that for us meteorites are also a world
patrimony which could be protected under the UNESCO laws :
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2001/pdf/5150.pdf

Just for comparison : 20 kg of Martian meteorites have been discovered in
hot desert by systematic prospectors who share full documentation, photos, GPS
localization... and only 3 kg have been discovered by NWA approach.
Coordinates are important to find paired specimen, a world patrimony is lost.

Richard and Roland Pelisson



--- SaharaTeam_at_aol.com wrote:

> Let us explain the French problem with B. Fectay/C.
> Bidaut
>
> Bruno Fectay and Carine Bidaut have sued us in March
> 2004 for libel. It is
> "only" a civil action between B. Fectay/C. Bidaut
> and us to claim for
> damages.
> Now we are also claiming for damages against them.
>
> It will take several months to the justice before to
> return a verdict.
> As you can imagine, nothing is illegally done in
> front of the court :
> private emails are not admissible.
> And "nobody" can be summoned to appear in a civil
> action.
>
> All the remarks and all the publicity which have
> been given to this affair
> are the consequences of this civil action.
>
> Regarding our web page on NWA meteorites, the French
> court decided in our
> favor:
> "Il ne peut ?tre contest? que le d?bat sur les lieux
> de d?couvertes des
> m?t?orites est l?gitime et pr?sente un int?r?t
> scientifique. La m?me
> l?gitimit? doit ?tre reconnue pour les discussions
> sur le transport et les
> op?rations commerciales relatives ? ces m?t?orites"
>
> We hope that everybody can return to his passion.
> And we wish that those
> interested by the subject will wait for the official
> decision.
> And if Bruno Fectay has something to express why
> does he needs to write
> through N. Classen and not with his own email ?
>
>
> For those who want to know more about us and our
> work on Saharan
> strewnfields, you can browse our web pages:
> http://www.SaharaMet.com
>
> And our 2003 expedition on Mauritanian craters:
>
http://www.saharamet.com/expedition/2003/craters.html
>
> Best regards,
> Richard and Roland Pelisson
>
>
Received on Sun 05 Dec 2004 03:51:58 AM PST