SUMMARY IN ENGLISH
CONTRA # 5 1996
The "main feature" - who killed Olof Palme
No other issue of Contra - ever - has received as much attention as
this. The reason is the five page article by Bertil Wedin on his investigations
of the murder of former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Mr Wedin wrote
this article in August. In late September he himself was accused of being
the murderer by a jailed South African police! Naturally Swedish media turned
their interest to Contra and the largest selling Swedish daily - Aftonbladet
- actually bought 40 per cent of the article by Bertil Wedin and published
it in advance of Contra, on October 3 1996. The article covered the entire
front page and a full four pages of the tabloid and another three pages
of background features on Wedin. (The fee paid by Aftonbladet corresponds
to 20 per cent of the annual sales of Contra magazine).
The very same day as Aftonbladet published the article the printers of Contra
called and said that the unions refused to print Contra - because of the
article by Wedin. When Contra asked to talk with a union representative,
it turned out that it actually was the management of the printers that refused
to print Contra. Contra had to turn to an alternative printer - and unfortunately
the quality of that printing is not what we would see as acceptable. Contra
also was delayed for two weeks.
What's in the controversial article by Bertil Wedin? He explains how he
investigated the murder of Olof Palme, found substantial evidence and was
refused to hand it over to the relevant Swedish authorities. Several of
the named persons confirm that they have been contacted by Wedin and refused
to receive his information. Mr Wedin thinks that he has key information
available, but also reports that no one in the official inquiry in the case
has been interested in talking to him - or even receive the written evidence.
After the extensive publicity in Swedish media the editor of Contra was
received at the National Police Headquarters and was allowed to hand over
an eleven page letter from Mr Wedin on his efforts to give the Swedish police
information on the Palme murder. The result was immediate, finally, after
nine years, the police decided to question Mr Wedin on his information on
the case. Unfortunately this will take some time as the Swedish government
has not recognized the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus where Mr Wedin
is a resident, and thus is not allowed to perform official duties on the
soil of TRNC.
On the election campaign in the United States
Bill Clinton vs Bob Dole. Unfortunately Mr Clinton will win the election,
but the selection of Jack Kemp as a veep candidate is a boost of the Dole
campaign.
The murder of Yitzhak Rabin
The members of the Israeli Labour party has a lot to explain regarding
the background of the murder of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The European Council
The chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs in the 39 nation European
Council, Swedish MP Birger Hagård, discusses the tasks of the European
Council and its Committee on Legal Affiars.
Interview with former Polish President Lech Walesa
Contra correspondent Leslie Öqvist visited former Polish president
Lech Walesa in Gdansk this past summer. Mr Walesa said that he was happy
not to be president any more, as he had more freedom both for expression
and family life. But in spite of that he is very active in fighting his
successor, post-communist Alexander Kwasniewski.
