APCO DENIES MALAYSIAN ANWAR'S ISRAELI CLAIM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — International communications consultancy APCO Worldwide reiterated that it neither worked with the Israeli government nor helped to create the 1 Malaysia concept as claimed by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The allegations repeated against APCO Worldwide in the Malaysian Parliament are false. APCO Worldwide is not working for the government of Israel. We did not devise the 1 Malaysia concept,” it said in a statement issued to Bernama here.

• However, Anwar, speaking in Parliament yesterday, dropped another bombshell when he persisted said that APCO’s link with the Malaysian government began well before 1 Malaysia.
• Anwar also zeroed in on Asero Worldwide, an APCO associate, that specialises in homeland security and is headed by Israeli security experts.
• APCO’s denial that it ever did any work for the Israeli government has proven untrue as a Straits Times report revealed that filings with the US Justice Department show otherwise.
• The international public relations firm “entered into an agreement in 1992 to provide services for the Jewish state.
• In written queries about the State Department filing, APCO said it worked with another associate company on a project for the Israel government at the time.
• APCO’s deputy managing director B. Jay Cooper said, “The work, which was primarily in the media area, involved acquiring US government money for Russian immigrants’ housing in Israel.
• Cooper went on to explain that APCO “was then owned by Grey Global Group.”
• “In 2004, APCO did a management buy-out and cut all ownership ties with the Grey Global Group,” he said. “APCO Worldwide, with new ownership, is today’s company.”
• Anwar had suggested that One Israel was conceived by APCO. The link, while tenuous, could weaken Malay support for Malaysianh PM, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

Source: The Malaysian Insider