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

[SaharaTeam 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 être contesté que le débat sur les lieux
>  de  découvertes des
> météorites est légitime et présente un intérêt 
>  scientifique. La même
> légitimité doit être reconnue pour les  discussions
> sur  le transport et les
> opérations  commerciales relatives à ces  météorites"
> 
> 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
>  
>