Friday, January 7, 2011
Remolding the global system
U.S. pressured Spain
to adopt laws it wanted
The coordinated struggle against presumed terrorists has brought U.S. diplomats into the forefront of attempts to write the laws of other nations, as highlighted in a State Department cable aired by Wikileaks.
Spain's government should be pressured to adopt regulations that would put teeth into its 2003 terrorism law in order to be able to freeze assets of those suspected of terror ties, wrote Hugo LLorens, the U.S. embassy's deputy chief at the time his cable of Sept. 22, 2009, was sent.
The Bank of Spain was blocking the regulations as part of a turf war with the Interior Ministry, the ambassador said. In addition, the central and regional governments were feuding over the proposed rules, Llorens noted.
Llorens also advised the use of banking rules designed to thwart terrorists for "symbolic" effect, even when no assets were at hand.
Spain, if asked, would likely step up intellgence on the hawala money transfer networks, a number of them Pakistani, operating in Spain. In a time-honored Middle Eastern tradition, money transfer laws are evaded by businessmen who agree to provide funds in one country at the call of a trusted intermediary in another.
Such connections might prove useful to terrorists is the U.S. position.
Some critics have objected that the "war on terror" is being used to impose a unform and tightly controlled financial system on the globe which will make it easier for monopolies, cartels and power-hungry global political groups to muscle out competition and dissent.
Complete cable below.
In other media news, the New York Times reported today that Attorney General Eric Holder had sought a subpoena against a Times reporter, James Risen, in order to compel him to disclose the source of a story concerning a CIA operation in Iran. However, a judge quashed the subpoena because the government was already able to get the evidence it wanted by another means.
Holder has not explained why he pushed such a subpeona, but journalists suspect it was done for the "symbolic value" of intimidating the press and its potential sources.
The Times has been giving a pass to cables that put Israel in an unflattering light. Such cables have been published, with accompanying news stories, by Norway's Aftenposten newspaper.
However, the Voice of America and the Jerusalem Post related the disclosure of U.S. concerns about official Israeli corruption at a Gaza crossing point.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/WikiLeaks-Israeli-Officials-at-Gaza-Crossing-Corrupt-113015744.html
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=202577
The Wikileaks cache shows that Australian intelligence officers believe China is covertly pushing a military build-up that exceeds its defensive needs, according to an Australian report.
http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201101/3108102.htm?desktop
Here is the Spanish embassy cable published by Wikileaks:
VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHMD #2380/01 2651212
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 221212Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0814
S E C R E T MADRID 002380
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PASS S/CT DEPUTY COORDINATOR VIRGINIA E. PALMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2016
TAGS: PTER KTFN EFIN KPAO ASEC SP
SUBJECT: DISRUPTING EXTERNAL FINANCING TO THE TALIBAN -
OPERATIONAL COOPERATION WITH SPAIN BEST
REF: STATE 145269
Classified By: DCM Hugo LLorens - Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (S/NF) Although an info addressee, per reftel invitation
Embassy offers the following comments. The initiative on
disrupting external financing to the Taliban could help
induce the GOS to reenergize the fight against Taliban
financing, among other reasons because Spain has some 600
soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. But, as a September 2 El
Pais article (also appeared in the September 5 English
language version of El Pais) made clear, there are doubts,
including among senior GOS officials, regarding the efficacy
of the fight against terrorism finance, especially
designations. See Septel for a summary of the article. We
remain confident that the GOS checks for funds based on the
prenotifications we deliver. And anecdotal evidence suggests
that the formal financial sector takes the terrorism finance
regulation/oversight role by the Bank of Spain and Ministry
of Economy seriously and considers the terrorism related
compliance regulations to be extensive. Our sense is that a
renewed focus on operational cooperation would provide the
greatest impetus in intensifying the fight against terrorism
finance in Spain. There is already a joint U.S.-Spain
Counterterrorism Working Group. While not a perfectly
functioning entity, perhaps this group could do more in the
terrorism finance prevention area. Embassy offers the
following suggestions with respect to reftel.
A) We should continue to expend energy on getting al-Qa'ida
financier Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas designated. This should
be relatively easy as he has already been convicted of
membership in a terrorist organization. The practical effect
of designating him may be limited as he is in jail, but it
would certainly have some symbolic value. We can certainly
continue to press on Barakat Yarkas cohort Driss Chebli. He
has been tried, but his conviction was overturned on appeal.
Although a conviction is not required for designation in
Spain, we suspect his release will continue to make the GOS
balk at designating him.
B) We should continue to press the GOS to adopt implementing
regulations for its 2003 terrorism law. Once implementing
regulations are adopted, the GOS would have preventative
freezing mechanisms. We understand that a turf battle
between the Ministry of Interior (which stands to gain
authorities) and the Bank of Spain (which stands to lose
authorities) is partly to blame for the continued
non-adoption of the implementing regulations. We also
understand that the regulations have gotten entangled with
jurisidictional battles between the central and regional
governments.
C) Consider intensifying terrorism finance cooperation in the
context of the U.S.-Spain Counterterrorism Working Group.
Information from the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC)
in Kabul could perhaps form the basis for investigations in
Spain - there are a number of hawalas with Pakistan links
(and therefore almost certainly with Afghanistan as well)
operating in Spain. Spanish authorities would probably be
willing to, upon request, intensify intelligence operations
against these entities. Interior Ministry Secretary of State
for Security, Antonio Camacho.
(a regular U.S. Embassy interlocutor) noted during his
intervention at the November 2005 U.S. Embassy-Ortega y
Gasset terrorism finance conference that dealing with hawalas
was big challenge for Spanish law enforcement.
D) Reftel says that the U.S. is working to establish an
information-sharing mechanism to be used against the Afghan
narcotics trade with U.K. and Russian counterpart agencies.
As a NATO ally, Spain has deployed 600 troops in Afghanistan
and is a major drug importer for transshipment and domestic
consumption purposes. We
believe we should consider cooperating in the same way with
Spain.
E) As part of the Treasury-led effort to bring the hawala
sector in Afghanistan under formal regulation, perhaps an
international workshop on this topic could be arranged.
Spanish authorities have the same issues with respect hawalas
operating in Spain.
F) Assuming Spanish participation would be welcome, Embassy
would be willing to encourage Spanish participation in the
envisioned December workshop on charities. The workshop may
want to bill itself as dealing with a broader range of
organizations than "charities". The Spaniards tell us that
there are few, if any, Islamic charities per- se operating in
Spain. There are, however, mosques that engage in charitable
activities. The press has reported that the Spanish National
Policy (SNP) has completed a survey of the approximately 600
mosques in Spain. It might be worthwhile having a Spaniard
discuss the results of this work.
LLORENS
U.S. pressured Spain
to adopt laws it wanted
The coordinated struggle against presumed terrorists has brought U.S. diplomats into the forefront of attempts to write the laws of other nations, as highlighted in a State Department cable aired by Wikileaks.
Spain's government should be pressured to adopt regulations that would put teeth into its 2003 terrorism law in order to be able to freeze assets of those suspected of terror ties, wrote Hugo LLorens, the U.S. embassy's deputy chief at the time his cable of Sept. 22, 2009, was sent.
The Bank of Spain was blocking the regulations as part of a turf war with the Interior Ministry, the ambassador said. In addition, the central and regional governments were feuding over the proposed rules, Llorens noted.
Llorens also advised the use of banking rules designed to thwart terrorists for "symbolic" effect, even when no assets were at hand.
Spain, if asked, would likely step up intellgence on the hawala money transfer networks, a number of them Pakistani, operating in Spain. In a time-honored Middle Eastern tradition, money transfer laws are evaded by businessmen who agree to provide funds in one country at the call of a trusted intermediary in another.
Such connections might prove useful to terrorists is the U.S. position.
Some critics have objected that the "war on terror" is being used to impose a unform and tightly controlled financial system on the globe which will make it easier for monopolies, cartels and power-hungry global political groups to muscle out competition and dissent.
Complete cable below.
In other media news, the New York Times reported today that Attorney General Eric Holder had sought a subpoena against a Times reporter, James Risen, in order to compel him to disclose the source of a story concerning a CIA operation in Iran. However, a judge quashed the subpoena because the government was already able to get the evidence it wanted by another means.
Holder has not explained why he pushed such a subpeona, but journalists suspect it was done for the "symbolic value" of intimidating the press and its potential sources.
The Times has been giving a pass to cables that put Israel in an unflattering light. Such cables have been published, with accompanying news stories, by Norway's Aftenposten newspaper.
However, the Voice of America and the Jerusalem Post related the disclosure of U.S. concerns about official Israeli corruption at a Gaza crossing point.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/WikiLeaks-Israeli-Officials-at-Gaza-Crossing-Corrupt-113015744.html
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=202577
The Wikileaks cache shows that Australian intelligence officers believe China is covertly pushing a military build-up that exceeds its defensive needs, according to an Australian report.
http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201101/3108102.htm?desktop
Here is the Spanish embassy cable published by Wikileaks:
VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHMD #2380/01 2651212
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 221212Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0814
S E C R E T MADRID 002380
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PASS S/CT DEPUTY COORDINATOR VIRGINIA E. PALMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2016
TAGS: PTER KTFN EFIN KPAO ASEC SP
SUBJECT: DISRUPTING EXTERNAL FINANCING TO THE TALIBAN -
OPERATIONAL COOPERATION WITH SPAIN BEST
REF: STATE 145269
Classified By: DCM Hugo LLorens - Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (S/NF) Although an info addressee, per reftel invitation
Embassy offers the following comments. The initiative on
disrupting external financing to the Taliban could help
induce the GOS to reenergize the fight against Taliban
financing, among other reasons because Spain has some 600
soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. But, as a September 2 El
Pais article (also appeared in the September 5 English
language version of El Pais) made clear, there are doubts,
including among senior GOS officials, regarding the efficacy
of the fight against terrorism finance, especially
designations. See Septel for a summary of the article. We
remain confident that the GOS checks for funds based on the
prenotifications we deliver. And anecdotal evidence suggests
that the formal financial sector takes the terrorism finance
regulation/oversight role by the Bank of Spain and Ministry
of Economy seriously and considers the terrorism related
compliance regulations to be extensive. Our sense is that a
renewed focus on operational cooperation would provide the
greatest impetus in intensifying the fight against terrorism
finance in Spain. There is already a joint U.S.-Spain
Counterterrorism Working Group. While not a perfectly
functioning entity, perhaps this group could do more in the
terrorism finance prevention area. Embassy offers the
following suggestions with respect to reftel.
A) We should continue to expend energy on getting al-Qa'ida
financier Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas designated. This should
be relatively easy as he has already been convicted of
membership in a terrorist organization. The practical effect
of designating him may be limited as he is in jail, but it
would certainly have some symbolic value. We can certainly
continue to press on Barakat Yarkas cohort Driss Chebli. He
has been tried, but his conviction was overturned on appeal.
Although a conviction is not required for designation in
Spain, we suspect his release will continue to make the GOS
balk at designating him.
B) We should continue to press the GOS to adopt implementing
regulations for its 2003 terrorism law. Once implementing
regulations are adopted, the GOS would have preventative
freezing mechanisms. We understand that a turf battle
between the Ministry of Interior (which stands to gain
authorities) and the Bank of Spain (which stands to lose
authorities) is partly to blame for the continued
non-adoption of the implementing regulations. We also
understand that the regulations have gotten entangled with
jurisidictional battles between the central and regional
governments.
C) Consider intensifying terrorism finance cooperation in the
context of the U.S.-Spain Counterterrorism Working Group.
Information from the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC)
in Kabul could perhaps form the basis for investigations in
Spain - there are a number of hawalas with Pakistan links
(and therefore almost certainly with Afghanistan as well)
operating in Spain. Spanish authorities would probably be
willing to, upon request, intensify intelligence operations
against these entities. Interior Ministry Secretary of State
for Security, Antonio Camacho.
(a regular U.S. Embassy interlocutor) noted during his
intervention at the November 2005 U.S. Embassy-Ortega y
Gasset terrorism finance conference that dealing with hawalas
was big challenge for Spanish law enforcement.
D) Reftel says that the U.S. is working to establish an
information-sharing mechanism to be used against the Afghan
narcotics trade with U.K. and Russian counterpart agencies.
As a NATO ally, Spain has deployed 600 troops in Afghanistan
and is a major drug importer for transshipment and domestic
consumption purposes. We
believe we should consider cooperating in the same way with
Spain.
E) As part of the Treasury-led effort to bring the hawala
sector in Afghanistan under formal regulation, perhaps an
international workshop on this topic could be arranged.
Spanish authorities have the same issues with respect hawalas
operating in Spain.
F) Assuming Spanish participation would be welcome, Embassy
would be willing to encourage Spanish participation in the
envisioned December workshop on charities. The workshop may
want to bill itself as dealing with a broader range of
organizations than "charities". The Spaniards tell us that
there are few, if any, Islamic charities per- se operating in
Spain. There are, however, mosques that engage in charitable
activities. The press has reported that the Spanish National
Policy (SNP) has completed a survey of the approximately 600
mosques in Spain. It might be worthwhile having a Spaniard
discuss the results of this work.
LLORENS
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Another Wikileaks expose
Israeli bribe-takers take advantage
of Gaza strip's economic stress
Massive Israeli exortion at a Gaza crossing point sparked indignation by U.S. firms, according to a secret U.S. cable that is part of the Wikileaks cache
"U.S. businesses allege that corruption by Israeli officials at Karni crossing is impeding their access to the Gaza market," wrote Ambassador Richard H. Jones in the 2006 cable published by Norway's Aftenposten.
"U.S. businesses allege that corruption by Israeli officials at Karni crossing is impeding their access to the Gaza market," wrote Ambassador Richard H. Jones in the 2006 cable published by Norway's Aftenposten.
"As of late May 34 shipments of American goods" amounting to nearly $1.9 million "have been waiting three to four months to cross into Gaza," the U.S. envoy wrote, adding that American distributors were being shaken down for 'special fees' 75 times greater than the official Israeli government fee.
"According to one major American distributor, corruption extends to Karni management and involves logistics companies working as middlemen for military and civilian officials at the terminal," Jones said.
Aftenposten is publishing stories not revealed by other papers that have the Wikileaks cables. The newspaper says that unlike other papers, it is bound by no agreement with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Now that Aftenposten
has broken the embargoes, however, the other papers would seem not to be bound by such agreements.
Assange has been quoted as saying that editors for the Guardian, the New York Times and other publications had been responsible for spiking cables embarrassing to Israel but that releases were forthcoming. Aftenposten's reports on Israel cables have been picked up, sporadically, by other media, including Fox News.
The initial Wikileaks coverage proved highly favorable to Israel, and, at one point, a New York Times reporter said the Times and other papers had no plans to extend coverage beyond late December. Had Aftenposten not upset the apple cart, the public might never have known of cables that put Israel in an unflattering light.
As one Aftenposten cable report underscored, the Israelis have been applying a severe economic squeeze on Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas party, regarded by Israelis as a mortal enemy.
But, Israeli border officials seem not averse to taking advantage of the economic warfare to extract bribes from non-Israeli importers. Reporting shakedowns were shippers representing Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, Caterpillar, Philip Morris, Westinghouse, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Aramex and Dell computers, the ambassador reported.
Assange has been quoted as saying that editors for the Guardian, the New York Times and other publications had been responsible for spiking cables embarrassing to Israel but that releases were forthcoming. Aftenposten's reports on Israel cables have been picked up, sporadically, by other media, including Fox News.
The initial Wikileaks coverage proved highly favorable to Israel, and, at one point, a New York Times reporter said the Times and other papers had no plans to extend coverage beyond late December. Had Aftenposten not upset the apple cart, the public might never have known of cables that put Israel in an unflattering light.
As one Aftenposten cable report underscored, the Israelis have been applying a severe economic squeeze on Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas party, regarded by Israelis as a mortal enemy.
But, Israeli border officials seem not averse to taking advantage of the economic warfare to extract bribes from non-Israeli importers. Reporting shakedowns were shippers representing Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, Caterpillar, Philip Morris, Westinghouse, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Aramex and Dell computers, the ambassador reported.
"What does one get for $3,000 payment to move cargo?" Jones asked. Coca Cola distributor Joerg Hartmann told him that for that price "your truck is promised the first place in line or a spot near the head of the so-called 'Israeli line' which does move."
Further: "Hartmann said that usually two or three lines at Karni are reserved for Israeli companies/shippers, which he speculated pay a much lower amount to get their products across the border. These lines process transfers much more rapidly than the other lines at Karni. In any case, he alleged, the queue at Karni is 'a joke' because everyone whose shipment is going to move has paid a bribe long before the trucks get in line. Hartmann said he tried to bypass the exorbitant bribes by making a deal with Coca Cola Israel to use their Beer Sheva warehouse and have them truck his merchandise to Karni."
However, Israel Defense Force officer Mikhail Sorolnik told him that was not permissible, said Jones.
(See full cable, as published by Aftenposten, below.)
Right-wing mines Wikileaks cables
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2011/01/06/wikileaks-memos-the-mainstream-media-doesnt-want-you-to-read.php
Wikileaks emulators
Wikileaks emulators
Openleaks http://www.openleaks.org is just one of many of web-based leaks organizations that have sprung up in recent months on the coattails of the famous original.
A group of former European Union officials and journalists have launched BrusselsLeaks, focusing on the EU’s secrets. Then there are various geographical sites, such as IndoLeaks, BalkanLeaks, TuniLeaks and the Czech Republic’s PirateLeaks.
MARKET ACCESS
A group of former European Union officials and journalists have launched BrusselsLeaks, focusing on the EU’s secrets. Then there are various geographical sites, such as IndoLeaks, BalkanLeaks, TuniLeaks and the Czech Republic’s PirateLeaks.
MARKET ACCESS
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2016 TAGS: ETRD, ECON, PGOV, KWBG, PINR, IS, SCRM, ECONOMY AND FINANCE, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS SUBJECT: ALLEGED ISRAELI CORRUPTION AT KARNI IMPEDES U.S. MARKET ACCESS
REF: TEL AVIV 2120
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
This is a joint cable with Consulate General Jerusalem.
1. (S/NF) Summary: U.S. businesses allege that corruption by Israeli officials at Karni crossing is impeding their access to the Gaza market. As of late May 34 shipments of American goods, amounting to nearly USD 1.9 million dollars, have been waiting three to four months to cross into Gaza. U.S. distributors assert they are being asked to pay "special fees" which amount to as much as 75 times the standard processing fee as quoted by GOI officials. According to one major American distributor, corruption extends to Karni management and involves logistics companies working as middlemen for military and civilian officials at the terminal. An open and transparent truck registration system and the development and publication of clear procedures, charges and service standards for Karni would go a long way to fight corruption and advance the Agreement on Movement and Access, goal of effective service standards for the border crossings. End summary and comment.
------------------------- ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION -------------------------
2. (S/NF) According to business contacts, allegations of corruption at Karni have a long history. Recently, COGAT head General Yossef Mishlev acknowledged the problem telling EconCouns that corruption was the root cause of backlogged shipments waiting to cross into Gaza at Karni and that some businessmen have had to pay NIS 9,000 (USD 2,500) to guarantee that their shipments could cross (reftel). However, the fact that Karni has been closed nearly 40 percent of the time has exacerbated the problem of access and appears to have forced up the cost of bribes, Embassy business contacts allege. The normal cost of shipping cargo is USD 600-650 to transport a load from the West Bank or the port of Ashdod to Karni and, according to Israeli Airports Authority (IAA, which manages Karni terminal) Deputy Director General Yoram Shapira, the standard processing fee at Karni is NIS 370 (USD 82) for a full trailer, NIS 350 (USD 78) for a semi-trailer, and NIS 250 (USD 56) for a single trailer. Coca Cola distributor Joerg Hartmann (strictly protect) claimed to econoff that the cost of guaranteeing that one,s shipment will cross into Gaza on a certain day increases sharply after a long closure, while the price goes down after the terminal has experienced a long period without any closures. Hartmann also alleged that he has been asked to pay as much as NIS 13,000-15,000 (USD 2,889-USD 3,333) per truckload, which includes a flat fee plus an additional two shekels per case charge, which is not recorded on the invoice. The AmCit Westinghouse general manager supplied FCS with invoices where he was charged NIS 14,000 and NIS 28,000 (USD 3,111 and USD 6,222) per truckload. Caterpillar alleges that it was asked to pay NIS 12,000 (USD 2,667) to move two small caterpillar generators through the passage, which the company refused to pay.
3. (S/NF) What does one get for $3,000 payment to move cargo? Hartmann said that for that price, your truck is promised the first place in line or a spot near the head of the so-called "Israeli line" which does move. Hartmann said that usually two or three lines at Karni are reserved for Israeli companies/shippers, which he speculated pay a much lower amount to get their products across the border. These lines process transfers much more rapidly than the other lines at Karni. In any case, he alleged, the queue at Karni is "a joke" because everyone whose shipment is going to move has paid a bribe long before the trucks get in line. Hartmann said he tried to bypass the exorbitant bribes by making a deal with Coca Cola Israel to use their Beer Sheva warehouse and have them truck his merchandise to Karni. However, IDF officer Mikhail Sorolnik told him that was not permissible, he claimed.
4. (C/NF) Distributors of American companies selling products in Gaza have complained to emboffs that the lack of a clear and predictable truck registration system enables widespread corruption at Karni crossing and impedes their ability to do business. These companies include Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Caterpillar, Philip Morris, Westinghouse, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Aramex, and Dell computers. As of late May, according to data compiled by FCS, 34 shipments of American goods, amounting to nearly USD 1.9 million dollars, have been waiting three to four months to cross into Gaza. These businessmen have criticized the fact that calls to the phone reservation system for receiving a date and time to cross are never answered and that their discussions with GOI officials have resulted in only temporary (one or two day) improvements. (Note: Many of the businesses affected have operations in the West Bank and ship from there to Gaza, but shipments coming directly from the port of Ashdod similarly suffer. End note.) While these businesmen concede that security concerns and frequent closures this year have severely cut overall imports into Gaza, they say these factors do not explain why these truckloads of U.S. imports have had to wait as much as four months to enter the territory, while some trucks, according to the AmCit general manager for Westinghouse, have been delivering two shipments in one day. Unable to cross, American products are forced to waste unproductive days waiting at Karni and then spend weeks on end in a warehouse. Under such conditions, U.S. businesses are unable to plan effectively and incur additional costs.
----------------- HOW DOES IT WORK? -----------------
5. (S/NF) Hartmann claimed that a certain high-level official at the terminal heads the bribery ring. Directly under him, Hartmann alleges, are an Arab-Israeli, another Israeli civilian, and two IDF officers, who have met with Hartmann and other businessmen. Hartmann said that he has met with the terminal official, who discussed the price of bribes required to facilitate the movement of goods through the terminal. He said the usual middlemen for bribes are logistic companies with close ties to the Karni terminal management. He also said that the terminal official works with Palestinians. Hartmann recounted one occasion when he met a Palestinian middleman in Gaza and drove with him to the Karni terminal for a meeting with the terminal official where bribes were discussed. (Comment: Hartmann is not the only contact to have named this particular official as the head of the bribery ring, but has been the only one willing to discuss the set-up in detail. End comment.)
------------------ EFFORTS TO RESOLVE ------------------
6. (C/NF) Hartmann and representatives of Westinghouse, Caterpillar, Proctor & Gamble, and Philip Morris joined emboffs for a meeting on May 26 with Karni officials. During this meeting, the business representatives vociferously complained to Karni officials about the bribes they had to pay. The officials did not address the issue of bribes, but suggested that the USG either push the Palestinian Authority to allow the businessmen to ship through Kerem Shalom or fund the purchase of more conveyor belts at Karni.
7. (C/NF) Hartmann is chairman of the local Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). OSAC, which is affiliated with the Department and supported by the U.S. Commercial Service, focuses on security issues, but has also served as an umbrella group to tackle the delay problem. Hartmann said that OSAC tried to reach an agreement with Karni management that would have had OSAC members working through a single logistics company and receiving a guarantee from the management that six of the group,s shipments would cross each day. Finalizing that proposed MOU has stalled since the victory of Hamas in January. Consequently, Hartmann said that he and the other U.S. companies would prefer that there be a solution based on a real registration/management system that is transparent and open.
------- COMMENT -------
8. (C/NF) The GOI,s commitments to the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) notwithstanding, the deeply problematic procedures and allegations of endemic corruption at Karni terminal constitute a major non-tariff barrier to trade. An open and transparent truck registration system, such as a website where one could register and monitor the movement of the queue would go a long way toward resolving this problem. The development and publication of clear procedures, charges and service standards for Karni will advance the AMA goal of creating an effective system for trade with the Palestinian territories. Embassy officers continue to meet with COGAT and IAA officials to try to resolve this issue. The Ambassador will meet with appropriate ministerial-level officials to seek a solution.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tipsters would face prison
'Wikileaks law' likely to cripple
Congress's investigative power
Congress is poised to cede vast power to President Obama with its proposed "Wikileaks law."
By making public dissemination of classified information a crime for anyone, not just people who take oaths of secrecy, lawmakers face the prospect of permitting Attorney General Eric Holder to have an intimidating effect on legislative investigations. Tipsters aiding the GOP could find themselves facing prison time.
It's even possible that lawmakers who are disliked by the powers that be could be neutralized by selective prosecution for events that occur off the House or Senate floor. After all, in Washington, knowledge really is power, and without inside knowledge of what's going on in government, a lawmaker is hamstrung.
Those most in danger of falling into such a trap are the Tea Party newcomers, many of whom are naive about the slippery issue of penalizing those who exercise their First Amendment right to publish leaks.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, there is a strong chance the American people would never have learned that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
By making public dissemination of classified information a crime for anyone, not just people who take oaths of secrecy, lawmakers face the prospect of permitting Attorney General Eric Holder to have an intimidating effect on legislative investigations. Tipsters aiding the GOP could find themselves facing prison time.
It's even possible that lawmakers who are disliked by the powers that be could be neutralized by selective prosecution for events that occur off the House or Senate floor. After all, in Washington, knowledge really is power, and without inside knowledge of what's going on in government, a lawmaker is hamstrung.
Those most in danger of falling into such a trap are the Tea Party newcomers, many of whom are naive about the slippery issue of penalizing those who exercise their First Amendment right to publish leaks.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, there is a strong chance the American people would never have learned that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, Sen. Joe McCarthy's hunt for Communists in government (and we now know there were plenty) would have been criminalized, because his sources would have faced stiff prosecution.
**********************************************************************************
Washington conspiracy theory
Was the Wikileaks spigot deliberately turned on by a shadowy Pentagon force in order to jump-start a massive federal clampdown on free speech and free press? Observers note that the Wikileaks cache showed up after a decision was made to greatly weaken security protocols for the government network carrying sensitive diplomatic and military information. Recall that the 9/11 attacks were exploited in order to justify Draconian attacks on standard American freedoms, but that, in recent years, the federal intimidation effect has been waning. Perhaps, some suspect, a certain clique decided it was time for another power grab.
***********************************************************************************
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, the public might never have learned that American officials colluded with German spy bosses to deceive the electorate and slide past German democracy. U.S. and German spy chiefs were concerned that Europeans might reject the dual-use surveillance satellites.
The people shouldn't have a role in such decisions, evidently. Nor would they have learned that the Berlin was negotiating with Washington to evade dual-use technology export controls -- something both nations stridently accuse Iran of doing.
Had a Wikileaks law been in effect, the public might never have learned that U.S. officials sought to abridge the religious and press rights of a newspaper based on their diplomatic needs -- which, by the way, shows that the United States was doing exactly what Islamic terrorists want: forcing Sharia on the press. And, the U.S. was monitoring the newspaper's plans via a newsroom mole.
With a Wikileaks law in effect, the Executive Branch will have a powerful weapon that could be deployed to silence dissent. After all, much dissent relies on inside information, the discussion of which would be criminalized. For example, the public discussion of the information that Israel wanted to severely cripple Gaza's economy would be subject to prosecution.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/
Israeli leaders certainly favor methods of choking off criticism of Israeli policies. The Knesset has just approved a bill to investigate human rights groups on grounds that they are "deligitimizing Israel" in the eyes of the world. We may expect that the more strident Israelophiles in the United States will follow that lead.
As lawmakers scream over the Wikileaks exposes, the United States is promoting technology that would aid Wikileaks-style activists in nations where liberty, if any, is under siege, reports Britain's Register.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/05/censorship_grants_wikileaks/
Israeli leaders certainly favor methods of choking off criticism of Israeli policies. The Knesset has just approved a bill to investigate human rights groups on grounds that they are "deligitimizing Israel" in the eyes of the world. We may expect that the more strident Israelophiles in the United States will follow that lead.
As lawmakers scream over the Wikileaks exposes, the United States is promoting technology that would aid Wikileaks-style activists in nations where liberty, if any, is under siege, reports Britain's Register.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/05/censorship_grants_wikileaks/
This appeared in yesterday's New York Times:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
A column by mathematician John Allen Paulos:
A column by mathematician John Allen Paulos:
http://www.philly.com/
Media titan Rupert Murdoch faces his own version of a Wikileaks embroglio, with the News of the World suspending an editor -- at full pay -- over his role in obtaining conversations leaked from hacked cell phones used by celebrities, politicians and royals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/05/news-of-the-world
More secret cables published by Norway's Aftenposten:
Media titan Rupert Murdoch faces his own version of a Wikileaks embroglio, with the News of the World suspending an editor -- at full pay -- over his role in obtaining conversations leaked from hacked cell phones used by celebrities, politicians and royals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/05/news-of-the-world
More secret cables published by Norway's Aftenposten:
- 17.9.2009: U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE POLICY AND EUROPE
- 9.7.2007: REPORT OF SENIOR RESOURCE BOARD PLENARY MEETING JUN 28 and 29, 2007
- 04.06.2007: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2007
- 16.05.2003: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
- 07.01.2009: ANNUAL OSAC CRIME AND SAFETY REPORT - - FOR EMBASSY BRASILIA AND CONSULATE RECIFE
- 05.05.2006: MURDER OF PRIEST PITS BRV AGAINST CHURCH
- 08.06.2007: POSITIVE MOVEMENT IN THE MISSILE DEFENSE DEBATE IN NORWAY BUT NO BREAKTHROUGH
- 3.11.2008 CASHLESS IN GAZA?
- 26.7.2007: APHSCT TOWNSEND RECEIVES ACTION PLAN ON PALESTINIANS FROM ISRAELI NSC
- 4.12.2008: GOI CALLS GAZA CASH CRISIS A HAMAS PLOY
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Wikileaks cables show:
U.S. warned of military response
to China's satellite killer tests
China's successful testing of satellite killer rocketry prompted Washington to warn Beijing in 2007 that if Chinese rockets drew near U.S. satellites, the United States was prepared, if need be, to respond with military measures, according to secret State Department cables cited by Norway's Aftenposten.
"This is a very serious issue for the entire international community," said U.S. diplomats, who went so far as to warn the Chinese that any attempt to approach U.S. satellites could be met with "a variety of means, both diplomatic and military," wrote Pers Anders Johansen of Aftenposten. The paper is mining the 250,000 cables, first obtained by Wikileaks, for stories skipped by those other media having the same access.
Johansen gives further detail:
China, in apparent defiance of international agreements, has conducted at least three secret missile attacks on satellites. In response, the United States
"This is a very serious issue for the entire international community," said U.S. diplomats, who went so far as to warn the Chinese that any attempt to approach U.S. satellites could be met with "a variety of means, both diplomatic and military," wrote Pers Anders Johansen of Aftenposten. The paper is mining the 250,000 cables, first obtained by Wikileaks, for stories skipped by those other media having the same access.
Johansen gives further detail:
China, in apparent defiance of international agreements, has conducted at least three secret missile attacks on satellites. In response, the United States
altered the orbits of several satellites in order to avoid debris from the Chinese explosions. In addition, the International Space Station changed course in order to avoid clouds of shrapnel orbiting through space.
Control of the skies is vitally important in the new era of GPS and advanced satellite surveillance, the paper observes, noting that the Chinese successes created alarm in Washington and set off a diplomatic effort to curb further such tests. With satellites essential to America's military advantage, China's tests were viewed with great concern, according to secret embassy cables
The Chinese responded to U.S. concerns by asserting that the purpose of the tests was to pressure Washington for negotiations on the elimination of weapons in outer space.
China gave the United States no advance notice of the first test, which first came to light when a Chinese SC-19 missile appeared on U.S. missile warning system screens.
"We have already introduced preventive measures for U.S. satellites to maneuver in order to reduce the likelihood of collision with the waste," according to a secret cable. "Our experts estimate that to avoid collisions with the waste from China's tests, the International Space Station will have to do maneuvers that otherwise would not have been necessary."
"The Americans have since begun to protect themselves better," said one expert. "But it is difficult. It is cheaper and easier to build a rocket that shoots down a satellite, than it is to construct satellites with better protection."
When David Sedney, a deputy defense secretary, took up the issue with Liu Jiey, China's assistant foreign minister, in December 2008, Liu cut Sedney off: "How long will the U.S. continue to raise this question? Such requests are simply meaningless."
Spy orbiter huddle bared
The fact that the Hiros satellite project was to be controlled by German intelligence is mentioned in an embassy cable saying that the German government's "primary customer" for Hiros is "the German intelligence service (BND)." Notes of a U.S.-German meeting made clear that the BND was pushing for a joint U.S.-German venture to develop the advanced surveillance system. A U.S. diplomat expressed enthusiasm for the plan, which the Germans were selling to the public as a civilian program.
Another cable reported, "On 28 January 2009, Dr. Andreas Eckardt, DLR Head of Optical Sensors and Electronics, told EconOff that absolutely no cooperation with France nor any other EU country is planned for the Hiros project, but that he saw cooperation with the U.S. firm Digital Globe (DG) as a real possibility."
On 8 April 2009, officers from America's National Geospatial Intelligence Agency met with BND and other German intelligence officials to discuss Germany's plans for "expanded nationally operated overhead reconnaissance resources," a secret cable reorts. The embassy went on to advise that a joint venture with the Germans would be "critical" for intelligence and profitable in terms of U.S. jobs.
Specifically, the Germans wished to procure U.S.-origin control motion gyroscopes (CMGs) and radiation-hardened integrated circuits (ICs) from U.S. vendors, but were worried that International Traffic in Arms Restrictions posed too much of a risk. Northrop Grumman (CMGs) and Fairchild Semiconductor (ICs) were mentioned as desirable sources of Hiros components. If necessary, the Germans would buy from the French, an idea they didn't favor.
However, the cables on Aftenposten's site do not show that arms control waivers had been granted or that a U.S. partnership had been nailed down.
Cables used for Aftenposten's story on Germany's proposed Hiros satellite project are found here:
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-02_04.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/s-e-c-r-e-t-berlin-001116-sipdis-state.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-03.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-02.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/s-e-c-r-e-t-section-01-of-02-berlin.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-03_04.html
Control of the skies is vitally important in the new era of GPS and advanced satellite surveillance, the paper observes, noting that the Chinese successes created alarm in Washington and set off a diplomatic effort to curb further such tests. With satellites essential to America's military advantage, China's tests were viewed with great concern, according to secret embassy cables
The Chinese responded to U.S. concerns by asserting that the purpose of the tests was to pressure Washington for negotiations on the elimination of weapons in outer space.
China gave the United States no advance notice of the first test, which first came to light when a Chinese SC-19 missile appeared on U.S. missile warning system screens.
"We have already introduced preventive measures for U.S. satellites to maneuver in order to reduce the likelihood of collision with the waste," according to a secret cable. "Our experts estimate that to avoid collisions with the waste from China's tests, the International Space Station will have to do maneuvers that otherwise would not have been necessary."
"The Americans have since begun to protect themselves better," said one expert. "But it is difficult. It is cheaper and easier to build a rocket that shoots down a satellite, than it is to construct satellites with better protection."
When David Sedney, a deputy defense secretary, took up the issue with Liu Jiey, China's assistant foreign minister, in December 2008, Liu cut Sedney off: "How long will the U.S. continue to raise this question? Such requests are simply meaningless."
Spy orbiter huddle bared
The fact that the Hiros satellite project was to be controlled by German intelligence is mentioned in an embassy cable saying that the German government's "primary customer" for Hiros is "the German intelligence service (BND)." Notes of a U.S.-German meeting made clear that the BND was pushing for a joint U.S.-German venture to develop the advanced surveillance system. A U.S. diplomat expressed enthusiasm for the plan, which the Germans were selling to the public as a civilian program.
Another cable reported, "On 28 January 2009, Dr. Andreas Eckardt, DLR Head of Optical Sensors and Electronics, told EconOff that absolutely no cooperation with France nor any other EU country is planned for the Hiros project, but that he saw cooperation with the U.S. firm Digital Globe (DG) as a real possibility."
On 8 April 2009, officers from America's National Geospatial Intelligence Agency met with BND and other German intelligence officials to discuss Germany's plans for "expanded nationally operated overhead reconnaissance resources," a secret cable reorts. The embassy went on to advise that a joint venture with the Germans would be "critical" for intelligence and profitable in terms of U.S. jobs.
Specifically, the Germans wished to procure U.S.-origin control motion gyroscopes (CMGs) and radiation-hardened integrated circuits (ICs) from U.S. vendors, but were worried that International Traffic in Arms Restrictions posed too much of a risk. Northrop Grumman (CMGs) and Fairchild Semiconductor (ICs) were mentioned as desirable sources of Hiros components. If necessary, the Germans would buy from the French, an idea they didn't favor.
However, the cables on Aftenposten's site do not show that arms control waivers had been granted or that a U.S. partnership had been nailed down.
Cables used for Aftenposten's story on Germany's proposed Hiros satellite project are found here:
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-02_04.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/s-e-c-r-e-t-berlin-001116-sipdis-state.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-03.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-02.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/s-e-c-r-e-t-section-01-of-02-berlin.html
http://zipcode78.blogspot.com/2011/01/c-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t-i-l-section-01-of-03_04.html
Monday, January 3, 2011
Deep rift in European Union cited
Cable: U.S., Germany in deal to loft
spy orbiters cloaked as do-gooders
An advanced surveillance satellite system was to provide the United States and its partner Germany with a revolutionary level of information about happenings all over the planet, even underground, Norway's Aftenposten reports. The Hiro project was to have been implemented under cover of environmental protection, the paper says, citing information obtained from the Wikileaks cache of State Dept. cables.
Just before Christmas the United States and Germany announced a plan to strengthen satellite program cooperation, but made no mention of the intelligence aspect of the cooperation, the newspaper said. On the contrary, the satellite system was presented as a tool to improve the environment and combat climate change. Meanwhile German Prime Minister Angela Merkel has decided to increase the German space budget of 9.6 billion euros, and announced closer "civilian" cooperation between Berlin and Washington.
The project was to be portrayed as a peaceful and semi-private German-American commercial project that would begin operations next year.
However, the German space agency, responding to the Aftenposten story, denied the Hiros project was secretive but refused to give specific details, according to the Associated Press.
"To minimize potential political backlash by developing Hiro as an intelligence satellite, the program is managed by a civilian agency, possibly the Ministry of Economy and Technology," according to the cable quoted by the newspaper. However, in fact the satellite surveillance will be overseen by the German intelligence service, the paper reports.
The joint venture may undermine a major European Union security initiative, a union-wide project for military satellite cooperation, the paper said, noting that France had been worried enough by the project to have undertaken a vigorous effort to block it.
Such a system gives policymakers a powerful tool in global decisionmaking, whether concerning nuclear facilities in Iran, a possible war between South and North Korea or traditional intelligence concerning Russian bombers, the paper notes.
The newspaper's Per Anders Johansen gives further detail:
The system will make it possible to monitor any spot on earth, down to 50 cm (about 16 inches), with fresh images 3-5 times a day.
Images will be available in 2 to 5 minutes, as opposed to the hours necessary to recover the images currently. Moreover, the color-imagery makes it easier to produce three-dimensional images. The new satellites will also take infrared pictures at night and capture underground activities.
Germany hopes to challenge the French dominance of the lucrative and growing world market for satellite data, Aftenposten writes, adding that the project shows a "deep and intense conflict" in the matter of European Union intelligence. A number of countries - primarily France - have vigorously tried to thwart the project.
The cable says the Germans are tired of being "outmaneuvered by France," and what were described as dubious French business methods and hidden subsidies.
"Certainly no cooperation is planned with France or any other EU country for the Hiro project," according to Andreas Eckardt, a German space agency official. http://www.dlr.de/os/en/
An anti-censorship spectrum of sites:
Just before Christmas the United States and Germany announced a plan to strengthen satellite program cooperation, but made no mention of the intelligence aspect of the cooperation, the newspaper said. On the contrary, the satellite system was presented as a tool to improve the environment and combat climate change. Meanwhile German Prime Minister Angela Merkel has decided to increase the German space budget of 9.6 billion euros, and announced closer "civilian" cooperation between Berlin and Washington.
The project was to be portrayed as a peaceful and semi-private German-American commercial project that would begin operations next year.
However, the German space agency, responding to the Aftenposten story, denied the Hiros project was secretive but refused to give specific details, according to the Associated Press.
"To minimize potential political backlash by developing Hiro as an intelligence satellite, the program is managed by a civilian agency, possibly the Ministry of Economy and Technology," according to the cable quoted by the newspaper. However, in fact the satellite surveillance will be overseen by the German intelligence service, the paper reports.
The joint venture may undermine a major European Union security initiative, a union-wide project for military satellite cooperation, the paper said, noting that France had been worried enough by the project to have undertaken a vigorous effort to block it.
Such a system gives policymakers a powerful tool in global decisionmaking, whether concerning nuclear facilities in Iran, a possible war between South and North Korea or traditional intelligence concerning Russian bombers, the paper notes.
The newspaper's Per Anders Johansen gives further detail:
The system will make it possible to monitor any spot on earth, down to 50 cm (about 16 inches), with fresh images 3-5 times a day.
Images will be available in 2 to 5 minutes, as opposed to the hours necessary to recover the images currently. Moreover, the color-imagery makes it easier to produce three-dimensional images. The new satellites will also take infrared pictures at night and capture underground activities.
Germany hopes to challenge the French dominance of the lucrative and growing world market for satellite data, Aftenposten writes, adding that the project shows a "deep and intense conflict" in the matter of European Union intelligence. A number of countries - primarily France - have vigorously tried to thwart the project.
The cable says the Germans are tired of being "outmaneuvered by France," and what were described as dubious French business methods and hidden subsidies.
"Certainly no cooperation is planned with France or any other EU country for the Hiro project," according to Andreas Eckardt, a German space agency official. http://www.dlr.de/os/en/
An anti-censorship spectrum of sites:
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Worry about offending Islamists
Editor surprised to learn
of U.S. mole in newsroom
of U.S. mole in newsroom
The United States was so concerned about a Danish newspaper spoiling an upcoming Islam conference that it spied on the paper's newsroom and, when a decision to re-publish Mohammed cartoons seemed in the offing, raised the issue with the Danish premier's office.
The paper's former editor, Carsten Juste, told the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper that he was surprised to learn he haD had a mole on his staff. But he said Ambassador James P. Cain was quite cautious in his phone conversation with him.
Juste confirmed to Aftenposten that he had had a talk with Cain in September 2006. "I found it strange that the U.S. ambassador called, but saw him as very neutral and cautious. At no point in the conversation did I think he was trying to pressure Jyllands-Posten's editorial reviewers."
"It's new to me that the embassy should have had an informant in my own staff. Only a few people in management at the time knew of plans to print the cartoons again. It was only discussed between my closest associates," Juste said.
The current Jyllands-Posten editor, Jørn Mikkelsen, said he knew nothing of the conversation between his predecessor and the U.S. ambassador. "I am not happy" with what happened, Mikkelsen said, adding that he had had nothing to do with the matter.
Jittery Danish officials warned that if U.S. efforts to meddle in the Danish press were found out, the prime minister would officially deplore the U.S. action. The cable, released by Wikileaks, implies that the Danish government was not spying on the paper's newsroom and was surprised that the United States had the information.
The U.S. embassy's "public affairs counselor learned from a
The paper's former editor, Carsten Juste, told the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper that he was surprised to learn he haD had a mole on his staff. But he said Ambassador James P. Cain was quite cautious in his phone conversation with him.
Juste confirmed to Aftenposten that he had had a talk with Cain in September 2006. "I found it strange that the U.S. ambassador called, but saw him as very neutral and cautious. At no point in the conversation did I think he was trying to pressure Jyllands-Posten's editorial reviewers."
"It's new to me that the embassy should have had an informant in my own staff. Only a few people in management at the time knew of plans to print the cartoons again. It was only discussed between my closest associates," Juste said.
The current Jyllands-Posten editor, Jørn Mikkelsen, said he knew nothing of the conversation between his predecessor and the U.S. ambassador. "I am not happy" with what happened, Mikkelsen said, adding that he had had nothing to do with the matter.
Jittery Danish officials warned that if U.S. efforts to meddle in the Danish press were found out, the prime minister would officially deplore the U.S. action. The cable, released by Wikileaks, implies that the Danish government was not spying on the paper's newsroom and was surprised that the United States had the information.
The U.S. embassy's "public affairs counselor learned from a
Jyllands-Posten journalist (strictly protect) last week
that the paper was considering several options to commemorate
the cartoons' first anniversary September 30, including
re-publishing the original cartoons or running new ones on
the subject," Cain said in the cable. "The paper,s fiery cultural editor, Flemming
Rose, had recently resumed his job, after several months in
the U.S., and was reportedly pushing for re-publication."
Cain said he called Prime Minister Rasmussen's national
Cain said he called Prime Minister Rasmussen's national
security advisor, Bo Lidegaard, to ask if the publication decision was true and
to find out how the government was going to handle the issue.
"If we believed the paper was going to re-publish the
"If we believed the paper was going to re-publish the
cartoons," Cain said, "we would need to notify
our government and help prepare our embassies around the
world for possible reaction."
Cain said Lidegaard was clearly surprised
Cain said Lidegaard was clearly surprised
by the question.
Questioned by Danish reporters about the disclosure, Lidegaard responded that he would not comment on discussions with the U.S. embassy, "regardless" of what Wikileaks publishes. At another point, however, he was quoted as saying it was "unreasonable" for the ambassador to have made such a call.
The cable continued:
"So sensitive was the issue, Lidegaard told the
Questioned by Danish reporters about the disclosure, Lidegaard responded that he would not comment on discussions with the U.S. embassy, "regardless" of what Wikileaks publishes. At another point, however, he was quoted as saying it was "unreasonable" for the ambassador to have made such a call.
The cable continued:
"So sensitive was the issue, Lidegaard told the
Ambassador confidentially, that the prime minister's office
had made a conscious decision not to alert the foreign
ministry or the intelligence services. (RAO's sounding of a
senior intelligence official days earlier suggested that the
service was not paying any attention to the looming
anniversary.) Furthermore, Lidegaard explicitly warned
against any attempt by us to openly influence the paper's
decision, which, if made public, the prime minister would
have to condemn, he said. Lidegaard agreed, however, that no
harm would come from a straightforward query from us to
"Jyllands-Posten" about their plans."
(The full cable is found below.)
Why haven't you seen this story? Because this kind of story upsets "the system." At the moment, much of U.S. media are trying to avoid Wikileaks disclosures. Why? The power elite wants to control the agenda, i.e. to dictate what's suitable for public discussion. There are hidden agenda behind the decisions to blow off Wikileaks bombshells, which have been popping up almost daily.
A number of Wikileaks emulators are online or in the offing. Several are focusing on specific countries, while Openleaks plans more general releases. An example:
(The full cable is found below.)
Why haven't you seen this story? Because this kind of story upsets "the system." At the moment, much of U.S. media are trying to avoid Wikileaks disclosures. Why? The power elite wants to control the agenda, i.e. to dictate what's suitable for public discussion. There are hidden agenda behind the decisions to blow off Wikileaks bombshells, which have been popping up almost daily.
A number of Wikileaks emulators are online or in the offing. Several are focusing on specific countries, while Openleaks plans more general releases. An example:
http://brusselsleaks.com/, http://balkanleaks.eu/, http://rospil.info/ and http://indoleaks.org/, are each hoping to blow the lid on corruption and secret documents in the European Union and Indonesia.
http://openleaks.org/
06COPENHAGEN1327 2006-09-29 08:08 2010-12-27 21:09 SECRET//NOFORN Embassy Copenhagen
06COPENHAGEN1327 2006-09-29 08:08 2010-12-27 21:09 SECRET//NOFORN Embassy Copenhagen
VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHCP #1327/01 2720813
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 290813Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2838
INFO REUHVV/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T COPENHAGEN 001327
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER DA
SUBJECT: CARTOON ANNIVERSARY: DANISH PAPER DECIDES AGAINST
REPRINTING MOHAMMED DRAWINGS
Classified By: Ambassador James P. Cain, reasons 1.4b,d
¶1. (S/NF) Summary: To mark the one-year anniversary this
weekend of its publication of Mohammed cartoons, the Danish
daily "Jyllands-Posten" weighed, but ultimately decided
against reprinting the caricatures, at least so soon after
the controversy stirred by the Pope's speech. Our discreet
discussions with the paper and with senior Danish government
officials underscore both how close we came to another
potential crisis and how much the defense of free speech and
domestic political calculations remain paramount for the
government and for many Danes. End summary.
Another Cartoon Crisis Averted
------------------------------
¶2. (S/NF) Post's public affairs counselor learned from a
"Jyllands-Posten" journalist (strictly protect) last week
that the paper was considering several options to commemorate
the cartoons' first anniversary September 30, including
re-publishing the original cartoons or running new ones on
the subject. The paper,s fiery cultural editor, Flemming
Rose, had recently resumed his job, after several months in
the U.S., and was reportedly pushing for re-publication. The
Ambassador called Prime Minister Rasmussen's national
security advisor, Bo Lidegaard, to ask if this was true and
to find out how the government was going to handle the issue.
If we believed the paper was going to re-publish the
cartoons, the Ambassador stressed, we would need to notify
our government and help prepare our embassies around the
world for possible reaction. Lidegaard was clearly surprised
by the question, stunned that the paper would consider such
provocation.
¶3. (S/NF) In a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador
September 26, Lidegaard confirmed that "Jyllands-Posten" was
weighing a second run of the cartoons but indicated that the
government did not want to get directly involved in the
matter. So sensitive was the issue, Lidegaard told the
Ambassador confidentially, that the prime minister's office
had made a conscious decision not to alert the foreign
ministry or the intelligence services. (RAO's sounding of a
senior intelligence official days earlier suggested that the
service was not paying any attention to the looming
anniversary.) Furthermore, Lidegaard explicitly warned
against any attempt by us to openly influence the paper's
decision, which, if made public, the prime minister would
have to condemn, he said. Lidegaard agreed, however, that no
harm would come from a straightforward query from us to
"Jyllands-Posten" about their plans.
¶4. (S/NF) With that, the Ambassador telephoned
"Jyllands-Posten" editor-in-chief Carsten Juste, and asked
straight out about his paper's intentions for commemorating
the anniversary. Juste told the Ambassador that he and his
team had been considering re-publication, but concluded that
such a move would be unwise, especially so soon after the
controversy caused by the Pope's Regensburg remarks. The
Ambassador welcomed this news, noting that none of us wanted
a repeat of the crisis earlier this year. Lidegaard was
demonstrably relieved when the Ambassador reported this
exchange a short time later.
How Could It Happen Again?
--------------------------
¶5. (C) For all the shock of the cartoon crisis and Denmark's
heightened sensitivity to the Islamic world's concerns and
the challenges of better integrating its own 200,000-strong
Muslim population, there are still a lot of Danes who welcome
confrontation with those they consider extremists and oppose
any sign of retreat on core values such as free speech. The
anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which votes with the
government coalition, may be the most vocal on the subject
(as well as the party that gained the most politically from
the crisis). There are also many within the governing
Liberal and Conservative parties who remain highly motivated
in defense of free speech and Western culture. More broadly,
Danes are conflicted, if not divided, recognizing the
challenges posed by radical Islam to traditional Danish
values but holding fast to their image of themselves as
committed to tolerance and multiculturalism.
¶6. (C) In the wake of the cartoon crisis, free speech has
become, more than ever before, a "third rail" issue in Danish
politics. Even the government's principal rivals cannot
bring themselves to fault the prime minister for more than
tactical missteps in his handling of the crisis, while
Rasmussen himself remains convinced that a firm,
no-concessions approach in defense of free speech is the
winning course. A poll published September 28 shows that a
year later, despite the worldwide violence attributed to
their publication, 46.7 percent of Danes support the original
decision to publish the cartoons. A popular book published
earlier this month, "Islamists and Naivists," written by two
prominent Danish commentators, sees the cartoon crisis as
part of the overall threat to Western values from Islamic
radicalism. PM Rasmussen continues to view the cartoon issue
first and foremost as a domestic political issue, certainly
more aware of the international implications but no more
inclined to put them before the reaction at home.
¶7. (C/NF) When, then, the newspaper that ignited Denmark's
worst foreign policy crisis in sixty years essentially
threatened to do it all over again, the prime minister
apparently concluded that the potential costs of being seen
to intervene against free speech outweighed even the risk of
another uproar. The Danish government might not have been
able to dissuade the paper's editors in any case; one could
also argue that another such provocation is inevitable. It
seems clear from this episode, though, that Rasmussen's first
priority was to stay on the right side of the free speech
issue and avoid any suggestion of concession.
Comment
-------
¶8. (C/NF) Comment: This episode illustrates that the Danes
have drawn mixed lessons from their experience in the cartoon
crisis. These lessons have positive and negative
implications for the U.S. On the good side, the Danes have
stepped up engagement in promotion of democracy and reform
abroad, especially in the Middle East. They now recognize
the need to improve integration and outreach to the country's
immigrant communities. Since the cartoon crisis, they have
extended troop mandates in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the
negative side, though, this popular center-right government
has hardened its views on the absolute primacy of free
speech. The prime minister appeared willing to let
Jyllands-Posten dictate the timing of the next Islam vs. West
confrontation without question or open discussion within the
government. While this particularly vulnerable moment of the
cartoon anniversary may pass without violence, our
discussions this past week remind us that the Danish front in
what they see as a clash of civilizations could reopen at any
time.
CAIN
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Disclosure amid terror arrests
U.S. QUIETLY MADE CLEAR
IT WANTED PAPER'S SILENCE
The United States raised quiet concerns with the Danish government and a Danish newspaper in hopes of averting re-publication of controversial Mohammed cartoons, according to a secret State Department cable released by Wikileaks. However, the paper's top editor had already decided against re-publication, the cable says.
The disclosure comes as Danish authorities hold five men in a terrorist plot against the paper that published the cartoons. The men were arrested before they could carry out a "Mumbai-style" attack on the paper, officials said.
The Danish prime minister's office told Ambassador James P. Cain that the issue was so politically explosive that it would not get involved directly, but agreed that an inquiry put to the newspaper, the Jyllands-Posten, by the U.S. embassy would do no harm.
The embassy was worried that reappearance of the cartoons drawn by Lars Vilk would spark violence.
The U.S. ambassador called editor-in-chief Carsten Juste, and asked straight out about his paper's intentions for commemorating the anniversary of the publication of the Vilks cartoons.
Juste told the ambassador that he and his team had been considering re-publication, but concluded that
such a move would be unwise, especially so soon after the controversy caused by the pope's Regensburg remarks. The
ambassador welcomed the news, the cable says.
A worrisome thing about this development is that it tends to confirm the notion of Muslim politicians that Washington should take responsibility for silencing certain types of expression and appears to contradict the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's public campaign against censorship.
(Complete cable is below.)
Meanwhile, a Norwegian newspaper, citing a Wikileaks cable, disclosed that U.S. officials blame Syria for instigating riots following publication of Vilks' cartoons in 2005.
The government of Syria was active in organizing the 2006 riots that flared across the Arab world following the publication of controversial cartoons of the Mohammed, Oslo's Aftenposten reported Monday, quoting cables released by website WikiLeaks.
The cartoons were originally published in neighboring Denmark in 2005. Their publication resulted in violent protests, including attacks on several embassies in Damascus in early February 2006. Embassies targeted included those of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
The Norwegian paper has received the entire cache of 250,000 State Dept. cables and announced plans to comb them for stories in upcoming weeks.
Israel's abrasive foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said classic diplomacy is no longer helpful in the era of Wikileaks, according to Ynet. The leaks show that the best policy is to say things "as is," he told a gathering of Israeli ambassadors Sunday.
The New York Times blistered a decision by banks and financial institutions to bar Julian Assange and Wikileaks from business transactions, saying it represents a chilling precedent against use of near-government-level power against a legal entity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opinion/26sun3.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=wikileaks&st=cse
Plugs reported pulled on Wikileaks mirrors.
http://www.webhostdir.com/news/ShowItem.aspx?ID=72637
CZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHCP #1327/01 2720813
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 290813Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2838
INFO REUHVV/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T COPENHAGEN 001327
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER DA
SUBJECT: CARTOON ANNIVERSARY: DANISH PAPER DECIDES AGAINST
REPRINTING MOHAMMED DRAWINGS
Classified By: Ambassador James P. Cain, reasons 1.4b,d
¶1. (S/NF) Summary: To mark the one-year anniversary this
weekend of its publication of Mohammed cartoons, the Danish
daily "Jyllands-Posten" weighed, but ultimately decided
against reprinting the caricatures, at least so soon after
the controversy stirred by the Pope's speech. Our discreet
discussions with the paper and with senior Danish government
officials underscore both how close we came to another
potential crisis and how much the defense of free speech and
domestic political calculations remain paramount for the
government and for many Danes. End summary.
Another Cartoon Crisis Averted
------------------------------
¶2. (S/NF) Post's public affairs counselor learned from a
"Jyllands-Posten" journalist (strictly protect) last week
that the paper was considering several options to commemorate
the cartoons' first anniversary September 30, including
re-publishing the original cartoons or running new ones on
the subject. The paper,s fiery cultural editor, Flemming
Rose, had recently resumed his job, after several months in
the U.S., and was reportedly pushing for re-publication. The
Ambassador called Prime Minister Rasmussen's national
security advisor, Bo Lidegaard, to ask if this was true and
to find out how the government was going to handle the issue.
If we believed the paper was going to re-publish the
cartoons, the Ambassador stressed, we would need to notify
our government and help prepare our embassies around the
world for possible reaction. Lidegaard was clearly surprised
by the question, stunned that the paper would consider such
provocation.
¶3. (S/NF) In a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador
September 26, Lidegaard confirmed that "Jyllands-Posten" was
weighing a second run of the cartoons but indicated that the
government did not want to get directly involved in the
matter. So sensitive was the issue, Lidegaard told the
Ambassador confidentially, that the prime minister's office
had made a conscious decision not to alert the foreign
ministry or the intelligence services. (RAO's sounding of a
senior intelligence official days earlier suggested that the
service was not paying any attention to the looming
anniversary.) Furthermore, Lidegaard explicitly warned
against any attempt by us to openly influence the paper's
decision, which, if made public, the prime minister would
have to condemn, he said. Lidegaard agreed, however, that no
harm would come from a straightforward query from us to
"Jyllands-Posten" about their plans.
¶4. (S/NF) With that, the Ambassador telephoned
"Jyllands-Posten" editor-in-chief Carsten Juste, and asked
straight out about his paper's intentions for commemorating
the anniversary. Juste told the Ambassador that he and his
team had been considering re-publication, but concluded that
such a move would be unwise, especially so soon after the
controversy caused by the Pope's Regensburg remarks. The
Ambassador welcomed this news, noting that none of us wanted
a repeat of the crisis earlier this year. Lidegaard was
demonstrably relieved when the Ambassador reported this
exchange a short time later.
How Could It Happen Again?
--------------------------
¶5. (C) For all the shock of the cartoon crisis and Denmark's
heightened sensitivity to the Islamic world's concerns and
the challenges of better integrating its own 200,000-strong
Muslim population, there are still a lot of Danes who welcome
confrontation with those they consider extremists and oppose
any sign of retreat on core values such as free speech. The
anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which votes with the
government coalition, may be the most vocal on the subject
(as well as the party that gained the most politically from
the crisis). There are also many within the governing
Liberal and Conservative parties who remain highly motivated
in defense of free speech and Western culture. More broadly,
Danes are conflicted, if not divided, recognizing the
challenges posed by radical Islam to traditional Danish
values but holding fast to their image of themselves as
committed to tolerance and multiculturalism.
¶6. (C) In the wake of the cartoon crisis, free speech has
become, more than ever before, a "third rail" issue in Danish
politics. Even the government's principal rivals cannot
bring themselves to fault the prime minister for more than
tactical missteps in his handling of the crisis, while
Rasmussen himself remains convinced that a firm,
no-concessions approach in defense of free speech is the
winning course. A poll published September 28 shows that a
year later, despite the worldwide violence attributed to
their publication, 46.7 percent of Danes support the original
decision to publish the cartoons. A popular book published
earlier this month, "Islamists and Naivists," written by two
prominent Danish commentators, sees the cartoon crisis as
part of the overall threat to Western values from Islamic
radicalism. PM Rasmussen continues to view the cartoon issue
first and foremost as a domestic political issue, certainly
more aware of the international implications but no more
inclined to put them before the reaction at home.
¶7. (C/NF) When, then, the newspaper that ignited Denmark's
worst foreign policy crisis in sixty years essentially
threatened to do it all over again, the prime minister
apparently concluded that the potential costs of being seen
to intervene against free speech outweighed even the risk of
another uproar. The Danish government might not have been
able to dissuade the paper's editors in any case; one could
also argue that another such provocation is inevitable. It
seems clear from this episode, though, that Rasmussen's first
priority was to stay on the right side of the free speech
issue and avoid any suggestion of concession.
Comment
-------
¶8. (C/NF) Comment: This episode illustrates that the Danes
have drawn mixed lessons from their experience in the cartoon
crisis. These lessons have positive and negative
implications for the U.S. On the good side, the Danes have
stepped up engagement in promotion of democracy and reform
abroad, especially in the Middle East. They now recognize
the need to improve integration and outreach to the country's
immigrant communities. Since the cartoon crisis, they have
extended troop mandates in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the
negative side, though, this popular center-right government
has hardened its views on the absolute primacy of free
speech. The prime minister appeared willing to let
Jyllands-Posten dictate the timing of the next Islam vs. West
confrontation without question or open discussion within the
government. While this particularly vulnerable moment of the
cartoon anniversary may pass without violence, our
discussions this past week remind us that the Danish front in
what they see as a clash of civilizations could reopen at any
time.
CAIN
A spectrum of anti-censorship links
http://veilside78.blogspot.com/
U.S. QUIETLY MADE CLEAR
IT WANTED PAPER'S SILENCE
The United States raised quiet concerns with the Danish government and a Danish newspaper in hopes of averting re-publication of controversial Mohammed cartoons, according to a secret State Department cable released by Wikileaks. However, the paper's top editor had already decided against re-publication, the cable says.
The disclosure comes as Danish authorities hold five men in a terrorist plot against the paper that published the cartoons. The men were arrested before they could carry out a "Mumbai-style" attack on the paper, officials said.
The Danish prime minister's office told Ambassador James P. Cain that the issue was so politically explosive that it would not get involved directly, but agreed that an inquiry put to the newspaper, the Jyllands-Posten, by the U.S. embassy would do no harm.
The embassy was worried that reappearance of the cartoons drawn by Lars Vilk would spark violence.
The U.S. ambassador called editor-in-chief Carsten Juste, and asked straight out about his paper's intentions for commemorating the anniversary of the publication of the Vilks cartoons.
Juste told the ambassador that he and his team had been considering re-publication, but concluded that
such a move would be unwise, especially so soon after the controversy caused by the pope's Regensburg remarks. The
ambassador welcomed the news, the cable says.
A worrisome thing about this development is that it tends to confirm the notion of Muslim politicians that Washington should take responsibility for silencing certain types of expression and appears to contradict the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's public campaign against censorship.
(Complete cable is below.)
Meanwhile, a Norwegian newspaper, citing a Wikileaks cable, disclosed that U.S. officials blame Syria for instigating riots following publication of Vilks' cartoons in 2005.
The government of Syria was active in organizing the 2006 riots that flared across the Arab world following the publication of controversial cartoons of the Mohammed, Oslo's Aftenposten reported Monday, quoting cables released by website WikiLeaks.
The cartoons were originally published in neighboring Denmark in 2005. Their publication resulted in violent protests, including attacks on several embassies in Damascus in early February 2006. Embassies targeted included those of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
The Norwegian paper has received the entire cache of 250,000 State Dept. cables and announced plans to comb them for stories in upcoming weeks.
Israel's abrasive foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said classic diplomacy is no longer helpful in the era of Wikileaks, according to Ynet. The leaks show that the best policy is to say things "as is," he told a gathering of Israeli ambassadors Sunday.
The New York Times blistered a decision by banks and financial institutions to bar Julian Assange and Wikileaks from business transactions, saying it represents a chilling precedent against use of near-government-level power against a legal entity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opinion/26sun3.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=wikileaks&st=cse
Plugs reported pulled on Wikileaks mirrors.
http://www.webhostdir.com/news/ShowItem.aspx?ID=72637
CZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHCP #1327/01 2720813
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 290813Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2838
INFO REUHVV/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T COPENHAGEN 001327
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER DA
SUBJECT: CARTOON ANNIVERSARY: DANISH PAPER DECIDES AGAINST
REPRINTING MOHAMMED DRAWINGS
Classified By: Ambassador James P. Cain, reasons 1.4b,d
¶1. (S/NF) Summary: To mark the one-year anniversary this
weekend of its publication of Mohammed cartoons, the Danish
daily "Jyllands-Posten" weighed, but ultimately decided
against reprinting the caricatures, at least so soon after
the controversy stirred by the Pope's speech. Our discreet
discussions with the paper and with senior Danish government
officials underscore both how close we came to another
potential crisis and how much the defense of free speech and
domestic political calculations remain paramount for the
government and for many Danes. End summary.
Another Cartoon Crisis Averted
------------------------------
¶2. (S/NF) Post's public affairs counselor learned from a
"Jyllands-Posten" journalist (strictly protect) last week
that the paper was considering several options to commemorate
the cartoons' first anniversary September 30, including
re-publishing the original cartoons or running new ones on
the subject. The paper,s fiery cultural editor, Flemming
Rose, had recently resumed his job, after several months in
the U.S., and was reportedly pushing for re-publication. The
Ambassador called Prime Minister Rasmussen's national
security advisor, Bo Lidegaard, to ask if this was true and
to find out how the government was going to handle the issue.
If we believed the paper was going to re-publish the
cartoons, the Ambassador stressed, we would need to notify
our government and help prepare our embassies around the
world for possible reaction. Lidegaard was clearly surprised
by the question, stunned that the paper would consider such
provocation.
¶3. (S/NF) In a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador
September 26, Lidegaard confirmed that "Jyllands-Posten" was
weighing a second run of the cartoons but indicated that the
government did not want to get directly involved in the
matter. So sensitive was the issue, Lidegaard told the
Ambassador confidentially, that the prime minister's office
had made a conscious decision not to alert the foreign
ministry or the intelligence services. (RAO's sounding of a
senior intelligence official days earlier suggested that the
service was not paying any attention to the looming
anniversary.) Furthermore, Lidegaard explicitly warned
against any attempt by us to openly influence the paper's
decision, which, if made public, the prime minister would
have to condemn, he said. Lidegaard agreed, however, that no
harm would come from a straightforward query from us to
"Jyllands-Posten" about their plans.
¶4. (S/NF) With that, the Ambassador telephoned
"Jyllands-Posten" editor-in-chief Carsten Juste, and asked
straight out about his paper's intentions for commemorating
the anniversary. Juste told the Ambassador that he and his
team had been considering re-publication, but concluded that
such a move would be unwise, especially so soon after the
controversy caused by the Pope's Regensburg remarks. The
Ambassador welcomed this news, noting that none of us wanted
a repeat of the crisis earlier this year. Lidegaard was
demonstrably relieved when the Ambassador reported this
exchange a short time later.
How Could It Happen Again?
--------------------------
¶5. (C) For all the shock of the cartoon crisis and Denmark's
heightened sensitivity to the Islamic world's concerns and
the challenges of better integrating its own 200,000-strong
Muslim population, there are still a lot of Danes who welcome
confrontation with those they consider extremists and oppose
any sign of retreat on core values such as free speech. The
anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which votes with the
government coalition, may be the most vocal on the subject
(as well as the party that gained the most politically from
the crisis). There are also many within the governing
Liberal and Conservative parties who remain highly motivated
in defense of free speech and Western culture. More broadly,
Danes are conflicted, if not divided, recognizing the
challenges posed by radical Islam to traditional Danish
values but holding fast to their image of themselves as
committed to tolerance and multiculturalism.
¶6. (C) In the wake of the cartoon crisis, free speech has
become, more than ever before, a "third rail" issue in Danish
politics. Even the government's principal rivals cannot
bring themselves to fault the prime minister for more than
tactical missteps in his handling of the crisis, while
Rasmussen himself remains convinced that a firm,
no-concessions approach in defense of free speech is the
winning course. A poll published September 28 shows that a
year later, despite the worldwide violence attributed to
their publication, 46.7 percent of Danes support the original
decision to publish the cartoons. A popular book published
earlier this month, "Islamists and Naivists," written by two
prominent Danish commentators, sees the cartoon crisis as
part of the overall threat to Western values from Islamic
radicalism. PM Rasmussen continues to view the cartoon issue
first and foremost as a domestic political issue, certainly
more aware of the international implications but no more
inclined to put them before the reaction at home.
¶7. (C/NF) When, then, the newspaper that ignited Denmark's
worst foreign policy crisis in sixty years essentially
threatened to do it all over again, the prime minister
apparently concluded that the potential costs of being seen
to intervene against free speech outweighed even the risk of
another uproar. The Danish government might not have been
able to dissuade the paper's editors in any case; one could
also argue that another such provocation is inevitable. It
seems clear from this episode, though, that Rasmussen's first
priority was to stay on the right side of the free speech
issue and avoid any suggestion of concession.
Comment
-------
¶8. (C/NF) Comment: This episode illustrates that the Danes
have drawn mixed lessons from their experience in the cartoon
crisis. These lessons have positive and negative
implications for the U.S. On the good side, the Danes have
stepped up engagement in promotion of democracy and reform
abroad, especially in the Middle East. They now recognize
the need to improve integration and outreach to the country's
immigrant communities. Since the cartoon crisis, they have
extended troop mandates in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the
negative side, though, this popular center-right government
has hardened its views on the absolute primacy of free
speech. The prime minister appeared willing to let
Jyllands-Posten dictate the timing of the next Islam vs. West
confrontation without question or open discussion within the
government. While this particularly vulnerable moment of the
cartoon anniversary may pass without violence, our
discussions this past week remind us that the Danish front in
what they see as a clash of civilizations could reopen at any
time.
CAIN
A spectrum of anti-censorship links
http://veilside78.blogspot.com/
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