Wikileaks Snippets

[N.O.R.F]

I spent most of the day reading loads of wire from various US Embassies. Some quite funny and some rather concerning. The realease has put the world a step closer to war but there isn't much to be surprised about.

 

The cable on Ghadafi is quite funny.

 

See The Guardian and NYT websites.

[N.O.R.F]

A wacky man

 

Date 2009-09-29 17:21:00

 

Source Embassy Tripoli

 

Classification SECRET//NOFORN

 

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000771

 

NOFORN

SIPDIS

 

STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND INR.

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/29/2019

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, LY, PINR

SUBJECT: A GLIMPSE INTO LIBYAN LEADER QADHAFI'S ECCENTRICITIES

 

CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Tripoli,

Department of State.

REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

 

1. (S/NF) Summary: Recent first-hand experiences with Libyan

Leader Muammar al-Qadhafi and his staff, primarily in

preparation for his UNGA trip, provided rare insights into

Qadhafi's inner circle and personal proclivities. Qadhafi

appears to rely heavily –– ––––– ––––– –––– –––––, and

reportedly cannot travel with his senior Ukrainian nurse, Galyna

Kolotnytska. He also appears to have an intense dislike or fear

of staying on upper floors, reportedly prefers not to fly over

water, and seems to enjoy horse racing and flamenco dancing.

His recent travel may also suggest a diminished dependence on

his legendary female guard force, as only one woman bodyguard

accompanied him to New York. End Summary.

 

QADHAFI'S PERSONALITY REFLECTED IN HIS PHOBIAS

 

2. (S/NF) Muammar al-Qadhafi has been described as both

mercurial and eccentric, and our recent first-hand experiences

with him and his office, primarily in preparation for his UNGA

trip, demonstrated the truth of both characterizations. From

the moment Qadhafi's staff began to prepare for his travel to

the United States, ––––– ––––– –– ––– ––––– –– –––––,

–––– –––––, ––– ––– –––– –– ––– –––– ––– ––– ––––– –––– of

his 40-year rule, various proclivities and phobias began to

reveal themselves in every logistical detail. When applying for

Qadhafi's visa, ––––– ––––– asked whether it was necessary

for the Leader to submit a portrait of himself that fit consular

application regulations, noting that his photo was displayed

throughout the city and that anyone of hundreds of billboards

could be photographed and shrunken to fit the application's

criteria. When the rule was enforced, ––––– –––––

reluctantly conceded to take a portrait of the Leader

specifically for the visa application.

 

3. (S/NF) When ––––– began to search for proper

accommodations for Qadhafi, ––––– informed us that the Leader

must stay on the first floor of any facility that was rented for

him. (––––– separately told U.S. officials in Washington that

Qadhafi could not climb more than 35 steps.) ––––– cited this

requirement as the primary reason that the Libyan residence in

New Jersey was selected as the preferred accommodation site

rather than the Libyan PermRep's residence in New York City.

––––– also sought to find accommodations with room to pitch

Qadhafi's Bedouin tent, Qadhafi's traditional site for receiving

visitors and conducting meetings, as it offers him a non-verbal

way of communicating that he is a man close to his cultural

roots.

 

4. (S/NF) Qadhafi's dislike of long flights and apparent fear of

flying over water also caused logistical headaches for his

staff. When discussing flight clearances with Emboffs, –––––

explained that the Libyan delegation would arrive from Portugal,

as Qadhafi "cannot fly more than eight hours" and would need to

overnight in Europe prior to continuing his journey to New York.

––––– also revealed in the same conversation that Qadhafi

does not like to fly over water. Presumably for similar

reasons, Qadhafi's staff also requested a stop in Newfoundland

to break his travel from Venezuela to Libya on September 29.

[Note: The Government of Canada recently confirmed that the

Libyan delegation canceled plans to stop in Newfoundland. End

Note.]

 

DEPENDENCIES: RELIANCE ON A SELECTIVE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS

 

5. (S/NF) Qadhafi appears to be almost obsessively dependent on

a small core of trusted personnel. This group includes

––––– –––– –––––, ––– ––– –– ––––– ––––– ––– –––– –––

––––– ––––– ––––– –– coordinate the logistics of Qadhafi's

visit. ––––– balanced the UNGA preparations between equally

frenetic preparations for the August 31 African Union (AU)

Summit and September 1 celebration of Qadhafi's coup. –––––'–

–––– ––––– –– ––––– –––– ––––– –– ––––– –––––

––––. At large events such as the August 31 AU Summit and

September 1 celebrations, ––––– ––––– ––––– every last

detail of these complex gatherings, ranging from the overall

program to the position of the press pool. At UNGA, –––––

––––– ––––– Qadhafi to the podium at the UNGA and

––––– ––––– his papers and props upon the conclusion of

the Leader's remarks. Long-time Qadhafi Chief of Staff Bashir

Salah appears to play an equally important role in Qadhafi's

personal retinue, and ––––– ––––– –––– ––––– via an

old-fashioned green phone –– –––––'– ––––. It is next to a

red phone, which presumably connects to Qadhafi himself. We

constantly hear that National Security Adviser and son,

Muatassim, also plays a key role as his father's confidante and

handler during travel abroad. Muatassim also seems to have been

tasked with insuring that the Leader's image is well-preserved

through the full array of carefully-planned media events.

 

6. (S/NF) Finally, Qadhafi relies heavily on his long-time

Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska, who has been described as a

"voluptuous blonde." Of the rumored staff of four Ukrainian

nurses that cater to the Leader's health and well-being, –––––

––––– ––––– emphasized to multiple Emboffs that Qadhafi

cannot travel without Kolotnytska, as she alone "knows his

routine." When Kolotnytska's late visa application resulted in

her Security Advisory Opinion being received on the day

Qadhafi's party planned to travel to the U.S., the Libyan

Government sent a private jet to ferry her from Libya to

Portugal to meet up with the Leader during his rest-stop. Some

embassy contacts have claimed that Qadhafi and the 38 year-old

Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship. While he did not

comment on such rumors, a Ukrainian political officer recently

confirmed that the Ukrainian nurses "travel everywhere with the

Leader."

 

PREFERENCES - FROM DANCING TO HORSEMAN

 

7. (S/NF) In addition to the personality quirks revealed through

Qadhafi's travel to New York, the Qadhafi's preferences for

dancing and cultural performances were displayed over the last

month. The three-day spectacle of his 40th anniversary in power

included performances by dance troupes from Ukraine, Tunisia,

Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as musical performances by

bands from Mexico, Russia, New Zealand, and a number of other

nations. Qadhafi appeared particularly enthralled by Tuareg

horse racing during two of the events, clapping and smiling

throughout the races. The flamenco dancers that participated in

his celebratory events appeared to spark a similar interest, as

Qadhafi decided to stop in Seville (for a "personal trip"

according to the Spanish Ambassador here) on his way back to

Libya from Venezuela specifically to attend a flamenco dance

performance. [Note: That stop has reportedly been scrapped for

unknown reasons. End note.]

 

NO NEW YORK PHOTO OPS - QADHAFI LEAVES FEMALE GUARDS AT HOME

 

8. (S/NF) While Qadhafi's reported female guard force has become

legendary, it played no role in his travels to New York. Only

one female guard was included among the approximately 350-person

strong Libyan delegation to New York. This is the same female

bodyguard who sticks close to Qadhafi in his domestic and

international public appearances and may, in fact, play some

sort of formal security role. Observers in Tripoli speculate

that the female guard force is beginning to play a diminished

role among the Leader's personal security staff.

 

9. (S/NF) Comment: Qadhafi's state visits and appearances at

various conferences and summits, both at home and abroad, have

revealed greater details about his personality and character.

While it is tempting to dismiss his many eccentricities as signs

of instability, Qadhafi is a complicated individual who has

managed to stay in power for forty years through a skillful

balancing of interests and realpolitik methods. Continued

engagement with Qadhafi and his inner circle is important not

only to learn the motives and interests that drive the world's

longest serving dictator, but also to help overcome the

misperceptions that inevitably accumulated during Qadhafi's

decades of isolation. As ––––– told us, pointing to a

larger-than-life portrait of Qadhafi, "When you have been

isolated for so long, it is important to communicate." End

comment.

 

CRETZ

 

 

Destination

 

VZCZCXRO7114

OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP

RUEHROV RUEHSL

DE RUEHTRO #0771/01 2721721

ZNY SSSSS ZZH

O P 291721Z SEP 09

FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5305

INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0239

RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC

RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5851

.

[Ismalura]

The leaks are really juicy.....

[Abdulladiif Al-Fiqih]

Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi health deteriorating - Wikileaks

 

The whistle-blowing American website Wikileaks has shocked the international community by releasing sensitive US diplomatic information this week. According to the inside information, US diplomats had called the German foreign minister an "arrogant" person and German leader Angela Merkel a weak and non-creative leader....(if you don't bow down to Ameircans, you must be an arrogant ): )

 

According to the leaked information, US ambassadors called Zimbabwe's Mugabe a "ruthless" but "brilliant tactician...(Mugabe beat them at their own game)" They also believe the Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangarai has bad judgment and is incapable to lead the country. Some of the leaked details include secret discussions between Saudi Arabia and the American government in order to attack Iran. According to the inside US diplomatic communications revealed, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and many other Arab countries have asked Washington DC to bomb the nuclear facilities of Iran.

 

The leak also revealed that the US still wanted a reunified greater Korea that becomes an American ally in the east. Another shocking revelation from the leaks was that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had ordered American officials to spy on high ranking UN diplomats, including to get the DNA data, credit card numbers, work schedules, email addresses, fax numbers, website identifiers and mobile numbers of top UN representatives.

 

 

The following is a report by Addis Neger media about wikileaks developments in regards to Ethiopia

 

 

•Leaked Documents Show Unflattering Assessment of Meles Zenawi

 

What do Americans diplomats think about Meles Zenawi?

 

This week the American embassy in Addis Ababa briefed government officials about the Wikileaks release(which just came out). According to my sources, these state department documents(a lot of which are classified, secret or nonfor) contain merciless accounts of Meles Zenawi’s behavior and rule and the deteriorating condition of his health. There are at least 1395 cables originating from Addis Ababa in the release. Wikileaks Website is hacked now, but we will get the details of US assessments of Ethiopia when the website is up. (This is made my day...the Somali people enemy will perish soon inshaAllah!)

 

SOURCE: ADDIS NEGER/WIKILEAKS

[N.O.R.F]

Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme• Embassy cables show Arab allies want strike against Tehran

• Israel prepared to attack alone to avoid its own 9/11

• Iranian bomb risks 'Middle East proliferation, war or both'

 

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear programme, according to leaked US diplomatic cables that describe how other Arab allies have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran.

 

The revelations, in secret memos from US embassies across the Middle East, expose behind-the-scenes pressures in the scramble to contain the Islamic Republic, which the US, Arab states and Israel suspect is close to acquiring nuclear weapons. Bombing Iranian nuclear facilities has hitherto been viewed as a desperate last resort that could ignite a far wider war.

 

The Saudi king was recorded as having "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons programme", one cable stated. "He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report on Abdullah's meeting with the US general David Petraeus in April 2008.

 

The cables also highlight Israel's anxiety to preserve its regional nuclear monopoly, its readiness to go it alone against Iran – and its unstinting attempts to influence American policy. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, estimated in June 2009 that there was a window of "between six and 18 months from now in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable". After that, Barak said, "any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage."

 

The leaked US cables also reveal that:

 

• Officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran's nuclear programme to be stopped by any means, including military.

 

• Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt referred to Iran as "evil", an "existential threat" and a power that "is going to take us to war".

 

• Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, warned in February that if diplomatic efforts failed, "we risk nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, war prompted by an Israeli strike, or both".

 

• Major General Amos Yadlin, Israeli's military intelligence chief, warned last year: "Israel is not in a position to underestimate Iran and be surprised like the US was on 11 September 2001."

 

Asked for a response to the statements, state department spokesman PJ Crowley said today it was US policy not to comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked.

 

Iran maintains that its atomic programme is designed to supply power stations, not nuclear warheads. After more than a year of deadlock and stalling, a fresh round of talks with the five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany is due to begin on 5 December.

 

But in a meeting with Italy's foreign minister earlier this year, Gates said time was running out. If Iran were allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, the US and its allies would face a different world in four to five years, with a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. King Abdullah had warned the Americans that if Iran developed nuclear weapons "everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia".

 

America is not short of allies in its quest to thwart Iran, though some are clearly more enthusiastic than the Obama administration for a definitive solution to Iran's nuclear designs. In one cable, a US diplomat noted how Saudi foreign affairs bureaucrats were moderate in their views on Iran, "but diverge significantly from the more bellicose advice we have gotten from senior Saudi royals".

 

In a conversation with a US diplomat, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain "argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their [iran's] nuclear programme, by whatever means necessary. That programme must be stopped. The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it." Zeid Rifai, then president of the Jordanian senate, told a senior US official: "Bomb Iran, or live with an Iranian bomb. Sanctions, carrots, incentives won't matter."

 

In talks with US officials, Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed favoured action against Iran, sooner rather than later. "I believe this guy is going to take us to war ... It's a matter of time. Personally, I cannot risk it with a guy like [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. He is young and aggressive."

 

In another exchange , a senior Saudi official warned that Gulf states may develop nuclear weapons of their own, or permit them to be based in their countries to deter the perceived Iranian threat.

 

No US ally is keener on military action than Israel, and officials there have repeatedly warned that time is running out. "If the Iranians continue to protect and harden their nuclear sites, it will be more difficult to target and damage them," the US embassy reported Israeli defence officials as saying in November 2009.

 

There are differing views within Israel. But the US embassy reported: "The IDF [israeli Defence Force], however, strikes us as more inclined than ever to look toward a military strike, whether launched by Israel or by us, as the only way to destroy or even delay Iran's plans." Preparations for a strike would likely go undetected by Israel's allies or its enemies.

 

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told US officials in May last yearthat he and the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, agreed that a nuclear Iran would lead others in the region to develop nuclear weapons, resulting in "the biggest threat to non-proliferation efforts since the Cuban missile crisis".

 

The cables also expose frank, even rude, remarks about Iranian leaders, their trustworthiness and tactics at international meetings. Abdullah told another US diplomat: "The bottom line is that they cannot be trusted." Mubarak told a US congressman: "Iran is always stirring trouble." Others are learning from what they describe as Iranian deception. "They lie to us, and we lie to them," said Qatar's prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim Jaber al-Thani.

[Abdulladiif Al-Fiqih]

U.S. diplomats have cast doubts on the reliability of NATO ally Turkey, portraying its leadership as divided and permeated by Islamists.

 

Washington describes Ankara as a trusted ally publicly. But hundreds of thousands of State Department documents leaked Sunday paint a different picture.

 

U.S. Embassy officials in Ankara describe the Islamist tendencies in the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and say it is unlikely to become a member of the 27-bloc European Union in the future.

 

But of particular concern is Turkey's deepening relations with its neighbor, Iran. Last July, Ankara voted against new U.N. security council sanctions on Iran for its suspected nuclear-weapons program.

 

In addition, the leaked documents reveal a tense conversation between a senior U.S. envoy and Turkish officials about supporting a U.S.-led action to convince the Iranian government that it is on the wrong course. The Turks insist their mediation efforts are the best way forward, but are forced to concede that most countries in the region see Iran as a threat.

 

Turkish diplomatic correspondent Semih Idiz says the leaks also reveal how diplomatically vulnerable Turkey is. The leaked cables indicated several Middle Eastern leaders were in favor of Iran being attacked to stop is nuclear program.

 

"It does emerge very clearly how isolated Turkey is on the issue on Iran," Idiz said. "You have the Gulf states that are opposed vehemently to Iran. You have a country that Turkey is very close to at the moment: Jordan, which also has suspicions about Iran. So this flies in the face of this assumption that some how Turkey is very important and effective in the region. In fact it looks more isolated."

 

Erdogan, who spoke before flying to Libya for an E.U.-African summit, tried to play down the leaks' damage.

 

The Internet site WikiLeaks' credibility was doubtful, he said. "Everyone should wait for what WikiLeaks has to publish. Once WikiLeaks publishes documents it has," he said, "we can then evaluate the seriousness of such documents."

 

But analysts say such a stance will be difficult to sustain as the contents of the leaks are dominating Turkish media. Every hour seems to bring yet another new revelation about Turkish-American relations.

 

Diplomatic correspondent Idiz says with U.S.-Turkey relations already at a low ebb, the revelations are not that surprising. He says, ironically, they could help to improve those ties.

 

"Now that the cat is out of the bag, it may even prompt an effort to try and improve the relations, rather than driving it further into the grave so to speak," Idiz said.

 

But observers say possibly more embarrassing and potentially more damaging documents will be released against individual government ministers.

 

One minister is accused of having a liking for teenage girls and links to drug smuggling, while the prime minister is accused of having a number of Swiss bank accounts, and being only able to explain his massive wealth through wedding gifts.

 

With an election due in June and the leader of the opposition set to make corruption a key issue, the accusations could haunt the current government.

[Che -Guevara]

This is embarrassing for the Yanks.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

This stuff is gold. I have been following the updates in the last two days.

 

Thanks Norf.

[General Duke]

Any update on US assesment of Ethiopian and Kenyan leadership cable's?

[Cawaale]

WL's first leak was from Somalia, it was an order by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys(ICU at that time) to assassinate other government officials.

 

Apparent Somali assassination order

WikiLeaks posted its first document in December 2006, a decision to assassinate government officials signed by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.[20] The New Yorker has reported that

 

[Julian] Assange and the others were uncertain of its authenticity, but they thought that readers, using Wikipedia-like features of the site, would help analyze it. They published the decision with a lengthy commentary, which asked, “Is it a bold manifesto by a flamboyant Islamic militant with links to Bin Laden? Or is it a clever smear by US intelligence, designed to discredit the Union, fracture Somali alliances and manipulate China?” ... The document’s authenticity was never determined, and news about WikiLeaks quickly superseded the leak itself.[20]

 

Wikipedia

[Che -Guevara]

^They haven't posted them yet but Johnnie Carson called Riala Odinga to "apologize" for the Yanks calling Kenya a "swamp of flourishing corruption".

[N.O.R.F]

The revelations are quite interesting

 

Sarkozy's trip to KSA was a bit dodgy for the Saudis

 

WikiLeaks cables: Nicolas Sarkozy, the Saudis and Carla BruniUS embassy cables reveal French president offended Saudi sensibilities by inviting fiancée on state visit

 

 

Share8 Angelique Chrisafis in Paris guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 November 2010 21.30

 

WikiLeaks cables said Saudi Arabia was not pleased at the prospect of Carla Bruni, pictured with Nicolas Sarkozy, visiting as an unmarried woman.

 

Nicolas Sarkozy offended the Saudis by planning to take Carla Bruni on a state visit before they were married, a secret US cable shows.

 

The French president made a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia in January 2008 to improve his personal relationship with King Abdullah. But a memo from the US embassy in Riyadh said Saudi contacts "privately shared displeasure with certain French conduct" during the trip.

 

The hosts found Sarkozy's invitation of his then fiancée, Bruni, "offensive given their strict, conservative culture against the company of an unmarried woman". In the end, Bruni stayed home. But various "protocol faux pas" were committed by the French delegation. Sarkozy was deemed "less than gracious" for "avoiding tasting traditional Arab foods" and displaying a "bored look during the televised arrival sword ceremony".

 

Saudi contacts lamented the brazenly commercial tone of the trip, the cable said. The French president reportedly "presented a list of 14 sales that French firms would like to make to the Saudi government, complete with the original price and discounts that Sarkozy was prepared to negotiate".

 

On another state visit, Sarkozy travelled to Morocco in October 2007, just after the divorce from his second wife, Cecilia. He was accompanied on the trip, including at a banquet with the royal family, by his justice minister, Rachida Dati, whose mother was Moroccan.

 

But the US embassy in Rabat noted in a secret cable: "While Sarkozy was generally well received, there was much gossip in Moroccan salons about a 'too relaxed' president slouching comfortably in his chair as he and the king presided over a 22 October signing ceremony at the royal palace in Marrakech. In one image, Sarkozy was seen crossing his legs and pointing the sole of his shoe at the king – a taboo gesture in the Islamic world."

[General Duke]

Ok will wait then, the leaks are great so far..Specially King Abdallah of Saudi and his "cut the head of the snake" comment..

[N.O.R.F]

Cameron and Osborne got a pasting at PMQs today (after what the BoE chairman said about them)

[N.O.R.F]

Ireland 'blocked' weapons to Israel

 

New revelations by whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks, has shown that the Irish government moved to limit transfers of US weapons to Israel through its airports in the wake of the country's war with Lebanon in 2006.

 

The cable, sent from the US embassy in Ireland in 2006, said that "although supportive of continued US military transits at Shannon Airport, the Irish government has informally begun to place constraints on US operations at the facility, mainly in response to public sensitivities over US actions in the Middle East".

 

After the Israel-Lebanon war, the Israeli military said it needed to restore its depleted ammunition stocks, but the cable from James Kenny, the US ambassador to Ireland at the time, indicates that the Irish government was making it increasingly difficult for Israel-bound US weapons shipments to pass through its airport.

 

Kenny said that the Irish foreign office had protested to him over an incident in February 2006, when Apache helicopters were sent to Israel via Ireland without the local authorities being appropriately informed.

 

'Perceived US wrongdoing'

 

The cable said that the Irish department of transport required that any military equipment passing through the country required "prior notification" and "exemption waivers."

 

"The transport department notice followed upon the department of foreign affairs [DFA] oral but definitive decision during the Lebanon conflict to forbid US military transits carrying munitions to Israel ... a policy that the DFA did not convey to [the US embassy] before informing the media," it said.

 

The ambassador disclosed in the cable that "segments of the Irish public ... see the airport as a symbol of Irish complicity in perceived US wrongdoing in the Middle East."

 

He wrote that senior Irish officials told him informally that if the US made further mistakes in its conduct at the airport, the matter would become a central issue in Ireland's elections in 2007.

 

Kenny disclosed in the cable that the deputy head of mission warned Irish officials that the US would begin using other European airports, causing a loss of tens of millions of dollars for the Irish economy, if the policy continued.