Wikileaks Diplomatic Cable Dump - News and Discussion

Sudip · Post by **Sudip** » 29 Nov 2010 04:50

Muppalla wrote:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-emba ... ents/32662

5. (C) Ambassador asked about MbZ's visit the week before to Lahore to meet with Pakistani President Musharraf. MbZ chuckled and asked why the USG "always" convinced the Pakistanis to delay news of the capture of senior Al Qaeda operatives such as Abu Faraj al Libbi. MbZ went on to congratulate Washington for its decision to allow U.S. firms to bid for contracts to provide F-16s and other defense technology to Pakistan. It was important to support Musharraf as he battled the terrorists, he emphasized. While the Indians had and would continue to balk at the decision, the region needed Musharraf to stay strong. There was no alternative leader in sight, MbZ opined. Besides, he continued, the F-16 decision would not tip the military balance between India and Pakistan. Even if it had, India's strength as a stable democracy would ensure that it would not ever be in as "risky" a situation as its neighbor. MbZ then slapped his knee and said "you,ll never guess what Musharraf asked me...he asked me whether the UAE had received approval for the Predator!" (Note: the USG's inability to meet the UAE's request for an armed Predator remains a sore point for MbZ, although he has not directly raised the issue with us for some time.)

Note: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is MbZ

I am not an Af-Pak expert but why is Musharraf excited about UAE drone requests? I remember many times paikhastan has requested drones for direct use by unkil which had been denied. SO could it be that UAE had secretly agreed to lend Paikhastan drones, if they were given a few by unkil?

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 29 Nov 2010 04:56

Acharya wrote:
One Indian I know who used to work in the ME for 20 years told me that there is market for spare parts for all the US mil hardware between the countries and Pakistan.

What Pakistan does is sells the spares of F-16 and other hardware to KSA at high profit and makes money out of it.
It order spares from US def companies at normal prices under the contract and then uses it for it relationship with other ME countries.

I didn't know that KSAF had F-16s. I thought they had F-15s. The other users in the ME --Egypt, etc. all have direct access to F-16 spares at the same price as Pakistan. Or so I would think...

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 29 Nov 2010 04:57

Mushy and the Pakistanis probably wanted to use the armed predators, to begin with in Afghanistan and balochistan to eliminate the Baloch leadership, and then maybe later to try and unsettle Indian posts in Siachen or other parts of J&K.

Brad Goodman · Post by **Brad Goodman** » 29 Nov 2010 05:32

WikiLeaks plans to release 94 papers about Pakistan

Some of these papers relate to US observations about Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan, the debate within Pakistan on the war against terror, Islamabad’s cooperation with Washington and other military and intelligence matters.

Some documents also contain US reservations about Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

paramu · Post by **paramu** » 29 Nov 2010 05:44

Looks like this wikileaks is becoming a big KLPD.

Unless alternate methods are available to verify the wikileak claims, there is no credibility to the contents of the leak. Along with the leaks, they can plant stories to create trouble for targetted governments.

Rangudu · Post by **Rangudu** » 29 Nov 2010 06:00

I'm surprised no one has posted this yet

A dangerous standoff with Pakistan over nuclear fuel: Since 2007, the United States has mounted a highly secret effort, so far unsuccessful, to remove from a Pakistani research reactor highly enriched uranium that American officials fear could be diverted for use in an illicit nuclear device. In May 2009, Ambassador Anne W. Patterson reported that Pakistan was refusing to schedule a visit by American technical experts because, as a Pakistani official said, “if the local media got word of the fuel removal, ‘they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan’s nuclear weapons,’ he argued.”

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 29 Nov 2010 06:09

Iranian source names UK registered company

An UK registered company owned by residents of Indian origin is suspected to be supplying dual use items to Iran in contravention of sanctions.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 29 Nov 2010 06:37

Gagan wrote: Cheena biladels upto their usual lizzy sliminess
Missile components proliferation from North Korea to Iran (and possibly Pakistan) occurs as simply as cargo transfer via Beijing Airport!

Gaganji why single out China. The US is openly giving F-16s, AMRAAMs and UAVs to Pakistan even while sweet talking India. The US has us by the balls because we love them no matter what they do.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 29 Nov 2010 06:42

Prima Facie, as I sort of speculated, its much hangaama over tit bits. US will come out looking good, jee, we take even these small revelations seriously bla bla. Real juice about aid to TSP despite terror against India, CIA torture chambers etc now get pushed way back into the background because now the dems Vs reps cacophonic debates will be about a trivial wikileaks issue here and there. If this all Asanga can come up with, nobody will pay any attention to him in due course

.

Rangudu · Post by **Rangudu** » 29 Nov 2010 06:47

CRS,

You are very much like the US State Dept people who are wedded to India-TSP == mantras. There's nothing that can happen that they will not spin to make India = TSP. Similarly, there's nothing in the Wikileaks that you will not spin to say this is all somehow controlled by an omniscient, omnipotent Unkil.

FYI, today's tranche of docs is less than a third of the full set. There are 2000+ documents originating from TSP and 3000+ originating from New Delhi still to be released. But if you are going to make your conclusions regardless, it is a moot point.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 29 Nov 2010 07:10

Saudi King called Zardari greatest obstacle to Pak progress
WikiLeaks

Saudi King Abdullah called President Asif Ali Zardari the greatest obstacle to Pakistan’s progress, according to an online report of New York Times that quoted Wikileaks as saying. The report further quoted King Abdullah as saying: “When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body. ”

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 29 Nov 2010 07:12

The king of Saudi is a blithering idiot himself.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 29 Nov 2010 07:18

Fundamentally so far inspite of several diplomats' and several countries' notes, the bottomline is to attack Iran. I don't see anything big so far. Let us see what else will comeout. Nothing even looks that classified too.

ShivaS · Post by **ShivaS** » 29 Nov 2010 07:32

What Boss logs (log = janata Logs = jantas plural)
These leaks are like my GRT room in Chennai no water pressure (thanne varad) leaks should create pleasure (to read) This way our Phone Taps and conversations between Randia and Burkha ( Oooh Sajana Banke Burkha ayee kaano may pyare layee..with due apologies to SD for killing a great song) were faar better raske singar layee

Mauli · Post by **Mauli** » 29 Nov 2010 08:09

Wikileaks' latest release includes 3,038 cables from New Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed ... 32142.aspx

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 29 Nov 2010 08:36

Correct me if I am wrong, but only 220 cables were released so far isn't it? Why all these

and conspiracy theories?

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 29 Nov 2010 08:46

Rangudu wrote:CRS,

You are very much like the US State Dept people who are wedded to India-TSP == mantras. There's nothing that can happen that they will not spin to make India = TSP. Similarly, there's nothing in the Wikileaks that you will not spin to say this is all somehow controlled by an omniscient, omnipotent Unkil.

FYI, today's tranche of docs is less than a third of the full set. There are 2000+ documents originating from TSP and 3000+ originating from New Delhi still to be released. But if you are going to make your conclusions regardless, it is a moot point.

Boss, I am all ears, and I will wait till more juice flows. All I was saying was that Prima Facie, based on whatever was released, nothing explosive, nor any bombshell.

Even former diplomats & reporters have come out with real explosive stiff compared to anything I have seen from WikiLeaks. I recall a former diplomat, Gary Sic I believe is his name, came out and flat out accused Regan on the Iran Contra deal. I also recall a seasoned reporter, the late Pierre Salinger of ABC news made the sensational allegation that it was a US navy missile or something of that sort which brought down TWA flt-100 over Long Island, NY several years back. And he cited some secret memo he got hold of (which of course was discredited).

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 29 Nov 2010 09:12

Cosmo_R wrote:

I didn't know that KSAF had F-16s. I thought they had F-15s. The other users in the ME --Egypt, etc. all have direct access to F-16 spares at the same price as Pakistan. Or so I would think...

There is a grey market and they do business with each other on all parts.

James B · Post by **James B** » 29 Nov 2010 09:19

Capture of Mullah Baradar
-------------------------

¶6. (S//Rel NATO, ISAF) SCR asked AWK his views on the recent capture in Pakistan of Taliban leader Mullah Baradar. AWK said Pakistan detained Baradar and other Taliban leaders because they were prepared to discuss reintegration with the Karzai government. Senior Taliban fighters in Pakistan may be prepared to reintegrate, he said, but are forced by the Pakistan Government to continue to fight. AWK said some Afghan Taliban commanders cannot return to Afghanistan because they are on the Joint Priority Effects List (JPEL) and are told by the Pakistanis they must continue to fight or will be turned over to the coalition. It is important to remove such fighters from the JPEL for reintegration to work, he argued, adding that he has been working on the reconciliation issue with the Saudis for two-three years. AWK offered a meeting with SCR and his older brother and former Member of Parliament for Kandahar Kayyum Karzai in the next few weeks to discuss ongoing reintegration discussions with the Saudis.

Note: AWK -Ahmed Wali Karzai
SCR - Senior Civilian Representative (Frank Ruggiero)

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/20 ... UL693.html

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 29 Nov 2010 09:21

Britain fears Islamic fury over WikiLeaks, says report

The British government has warned that its citizens in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and other parts of the Muslim world could be targeted in a violent backlash over "anti-Islamic" views expressed in diplomatic documents being leaked this week, media reports said on Sunday.
The whistle-blower website WikiLeaks is to release almost 3 million documents on the internet, including thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables sent to Washington from the American embassy in London [ Images ], The Sunday Times reported.It said the British government has warned that its citizens in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and other parts of the Muslim world could be targeted in a violent backlash over "anti-Islamic" views expressed in diplomatic documents.

http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/uk ... 101128.htm

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 29 Nov 2010 09:43

Wikileaks cable leak shows US in better light on India

Morning I was trawling cablegate. I did not find anything useful.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 29 Nov 2010 10:06

^^^

Only 220 out of the 250,000 odd cables have been published yet. Keep checking back for more. Since you probably qualify as media, it might be possible to get prior access to the material.

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 29 Nov 2010 10:18

cool, I will write to them.

saket · Post by **saket** » 29 Nov 2010 10:32

~~Manmohan Singh referred to as "Mr Slave" by Delhi US embassy staff http://twitter.com/IndiaWikiLeaks~~

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 29 Nov 2010 10:35

Now the Puppet name is confirmed.

AdityaM · Post by **AdityaM** » 29 Nov 2010 10:40

From here http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/ i clicked on "Cables by Country"
and reached here: http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/tags/Country
Now in the list of countries I find:
india
lakshwadeep
andaman
Nicobar

By golly! we splintered!

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 Nov 2010 10:42

When thieves fall out...This is what Wikileaks will bring about.The true feeling of world leaders about their colleagues,enemies,etc..and in private will the sh*t fly!

The manipulation of US diplomats to act as spies is a very serious affair.Every diplomat actually is an "agent" for his country,but it is an open affair.He or she is expected to do one's duty transparently, legitimately collecting info about the country they serve in in the designated roles,except for those in every embassy who have to operate covertly.Usually,the head of the intel outfit of a foreign country is made known to the host nation as a matter of protocol,but there will always be others who operate as the Soviets used to do,masquerading as "cultural attaches".Making the whole lot of career diplomats act clandestinely supporting the covert operatives is another matter,and actually disturbs regular diplomacy,which has its own code of conduct.

The suspense is so acute,I can't wait for the reams of diplo-dung to emerge that I now need to take urgently a leak...!

PS:"Slave "Singh! Echoes perfetly what may of us on BR think of our dear constable.

sum · Post by **sum** » 29 Nov 2010 10:42

<Del>

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 29 Nov 2010 10:48

saket wrote:Manmohan Singh referred to as "Mr Slave" by Delhi US embassy staff http://twitter.com/IndiaWikiLeaks

he is joking. Dont take his tweets seriously.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 Nov 2010 11:11

Deceits, plots, insults: America laid bare
The release of thousands of secret cables from US embassies worldwide has thrown Washington into the centre of a diplomatic minefield, as embarrassing details of what its policy-makers think of world leaders are aired in public.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/

US embassy cables leak sparks global diplomatic crisis
• More than 250,000 dispatches reveal US foreign strategies
• Diplomats ordered to spy on allies as well as enemies
• Saudi king urged Washington to bomb Iran

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/the-us-embassy-cables

shynee · Post by **shynee** » 29 Nov 2010 11:24

Turkey did not invite India on Afghan meet to appease Pak

India was deliberately kept out of the Turkey-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan earlier this year to address the "sensitivities" of Pakistan, according to WikiLeaks cable. Reflecting Islamabad's insistence at every international fora that New Delhi be kept out of any meeting on Afghanistan, a top Turkish diplomat told US officials early this year that India was kept out to address the concerns of Pakistan, WikiLeaks said.

At a meeting with the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns; Rauf Engin Soysal who then was the Turkey's Deputy Under-Secretary for Bilateral Political Affairs responsible for the Middle East, South Asia and Africa; said Turkey had not invited India to the Afghan neighbours summit in deference to Pak sensitivities.

AdityaM · Post by **AdityaM** » 29 Nov 2010 11:40

US suspected China pressing Kyrgyzstan

In a confidential cable last year, released by WikiLeaks, a US diplomat quoted Kyrgyz officials saying that China had offered three billion dollars to close Manas air base, a key US conduit for the war in Afghanistan.

AjayKK · Post by **AjayKK** » 29 Nov 2010 12:13

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed on Iraq, Iran and Pakistan

2005-05-16 09:09

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/20 ... I2178.html

5. (C) Ambassador asked about MbZ's visit the week before to Lahore to meet with Pakistani President Musharraf. MbZ chuckled and asked why the USG "always" convinced the Pakistanis to delay news of the capture of senior Al Qaeda operatives such as Abu Faraj al Libbi. MbZ went on to congratulate Washington for its decision to allow U.S. firms to bid for contracts to provide F-16s and other defense technology to Pakistan.

It was important to support Musharraf as he battled the terrorists, he emphasized. While the Indians had and would continue to balk at the decision, the region needed Musharraf to stay strong. There was no alternative leader in sight, MbZ opined. Besides, he continued, the F-16 decision would not tip the military balance between India and Pakistan. Even if it had, India's strength as a stable democracy would ensure that it would not ever be in as "risky" a situation as its neighbor.

MbZ then slapped his knee and said "you,ll never guess what Musharraf asked me...he asked me whether the UAE had received approval
for the Predator!" (Note: the USG's inability to meet the UAE's request for an armed Predator remains a sore point for MbZ, although he has not directly raised the issue with us for some time.)

AjayKK · Post by **AjayKK** » 29 Nov 2010 12:17

Petraeus with Bahrain's King Hamad

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/20 ... MA642.html

2009-11-04 06:06

SUMMARY: In an hour-long meeting on November 1 with CENTCOM Commander General Petraeus, Bahrain's King Hamad said Arab states need to do more to engage Iraq, discussed Afghanistan and the positive role India could play, urged action to stop Iran's nuclear program, and reviewed regional plans for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. END SUMMARY.

AFGHANISTAN: General Petraeus praised Bahrain's commitment of a police company for internal security at FOB Leatherneck. King Hamad confirmed that he would personally see the force off at the airport on December 16. This date will be the 10th anniversary of the King's assuming the
throne, and General Petraeus said that U.S. air assets would be available on the 16th to transport the company to Afghanistan. King Hamad inquired about the extent of India's involvement in Afghanistan and noted that Bahrain saw India as very positive force in the region. "It's a new era," he said. "They can be of great help."

James B · Post by **James B** » 29 Nov 2010 12:20

How to read the Embassy Cable

AjayKK · Post by **AjayKK** » 29 Nov 2010 12:27

Israeli Mossad Chief Meir Dagan with Under Secretary Burns

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/20 ... RA302.html

2007-08-31 12:12

PAKISTAN: ISRAEL WORRIED ABOUT MUSHARRAF
-----------------------------------------

¶16. (S) On Pakistan, Dagan said that President Musharraf is
losing control, and that some of his coalition partners could
threaten him in the future. The key question, Dagan said, is
whether Musharraf retains his commander-in-chief role in
addition to his role as president. If not, he will have
problems. Dagan observed that there has been an increase in the number of attempts on Musharraf's life, and wondered
whether he will survive the next few years. Under Secretary
Burns replied that South Asia has assumed vital importance in American foreign policy since September 11. The U.S. is
committed to denying Afghanistan as a safe-haven for Taliban and Al-Qaeda activity. The USG will continue to support Pakistani President Musharraf, and is seeking to boost his military defensive capabilities. At the same time, the U.S. is encouraging Pakistan and Afghanistan to work with each other militarily.
Turning to India, Under Secretary Burns noted that U.S.-Indian economic cooperation is growing, and that the USG is working effectively to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

AjayKK · Post by **AjayKK** » 29 Nov 2010 12:39

Burns and Sinirlioglu - February 18, 2010

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/20 ... RA302.html

AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN and INDIA
-------------------------------

12. (C) Burns opened the discussion on Afghanistan with praise for Turkey's military, training and development contributions there. Sinirlioglu said Turkey had chosen to
focus on three Afghan challenges: "the marriage of Wahhabism and Pashtun nationalism"; the chronic antagonism between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and; the country's security forces deficit.

He said Turkey plans to address the first by
ramping up its education programs in Afghanistan; the second by pursuing its trilateral Ankara Process, which sponsors meetings of senior Afghan and Pakistani ministerial and intelligence counterparts, and; the third by establishing a police training center in Kabul that aims for a throughput of 5160 trainees per year. Keying off the last point, AMB Tacan Ildem, who recently concluded an assignment as Turkey's NATO PERMREP, declared the EUPOL police training effort in Afghanistan a failure. He said the EU's criticism of Turkey's unwillingness to work directly with EUPOL is unjustified. He argued, since Turkey does not have a security agreement with the EU and is excluded from the

ANKARA 00000302 004 OF 005

European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), the GoT lacks a legal basis on which to cooperate with EUPOL. "We would like the EU to involve us not as a third country, but, in view of our accumulated rights," as a candidate for membership. He urged the USG not to coordinate bilateral agreements to
support EU operations but, instead, to route all cooperation
with the EU on security issues through NATO.

13. (C) Deputy Undersecretary for South Asian Affairs Engin Soysal led the discussion on Pakistan. He described the Ankara Process and the recent Turkey-sponsored Afghanistan Neighbors Summit as Turkish efforts to assert regional responsibility for South Asia's inter-linked problems. He said Turkey had not invited India to the neighbors summit in deference to Pakistani sensitivities; however, he claimed, Pakistan understands attempting to exclude India from the nascent South Asian regional structures would be a mistake.

He reported Indian Prime Minister Singh had requested President Gul's assistance with Pakistan during the latter's visit to New Delhi the previous week. Acting on that request, Gul had phoned Pakistani President Zardari, who was skeptical of Indian intentions.

Gul is planning to visit Pakistan later this year. Soysal said Iran is proposing a
quadrilateal summit, which would include Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but that proposal had yet to generate enthusiasm.

14. (C) Soysal, Turkey's former ambassador to Pakistan, said the Pakistani military, though displeased with Zardari, remains unwilling to intervene; nevertheless, senior
officers' patience may not be infinite . Zardari needs to increase the democratic legitimacy of parliament. Soysal offered. Nawaz Sharif has become a much more constructive player.

15. (C) Soysal urged a NATO training role in Pakistan. Picking up from Soysal, Tacan Ildem suggested NATO invite Pakistani military officers to courses at Oberammergau.

Tamang · Post by **Tamang** » 29 Nov 2010 13:50

Link

IRAN

¶8. (S) A "HEATED EXCHANGE": The King noted that Iranian FM
Mottaki had been "sitting in that same seat
(as Brennan) a few moments ago." The King described his
conversation with FM Mottaki as "a heated exchange, frankly
discussing Iran's interference in Arab affairs." When
challenged by the King on Iranian meddling in Hamas affairs,
Mottaki apparently protested that "these are Muslims." "No,
Arabs" countered the King, "You as Persians have no business
meddling in Arab matters." The King said the Iranians wanted
to improve relations and that he responded by giving Mottaki
an ultimatum. "I will give you one year" (to improve ties),
"after that, it will be the end."

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Nov 2010 14:10

U.S. embassy dubbed Putin, Medvedev ‘Batman and Robin’ - Wikileaks

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “plays Robin” to his strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s “Batman,” the U.S. embassy in Moscow said, according to documents leaked to international media on the whistleblowing Wikileaks website.

The embassy documents also called Medvedev “pale and hesitant” in comparison to the “alpha-dog” Putin.

However, despite Putin’s authoritarian image, there were also suggestions in the documents that the former KGB man was finding it tough to prevent his decisions getting bogged down in Russia’s notorious bureaucracy.

The United States also leaned hard on France to refrain from sale of a French helicopter carrier to Russia, Wikileaks reported.

According to a secret cable posted on the whistleblowing website, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates held a meeting with then French Foreign Minister Herve Morin in February in Paris, where they discussed the possible sale of a Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia.

Gates, an expert on the Soviet Union and a former CIA chief, “raised US concerns over the sale of a Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia as sending a mixed signal to both Russia and our Central and East European Allies.”

Minister Morin told Gates he understood the U.S. concerns, but argued that “this single ship would not make any difference with respect to Russian capabilities, as Russia's naval production ability was severely degraded.”

Gates also described Russia to Morin in blunt terms, saying that “Russian democracy has disappeared and the government was an oligarchy run by the security services.”

“President [Dmitry] Medvedev has a more pragmatic vision for Russia than PM [Vladimir] Putin, but there has been little real change,” the website quoted Gates as saying.

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment, saying that he had not read the original documents.

Putin’s ties to his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi also came under scrutiny, with talk of “lavish gifts” and a “shadowy” Russian-speaking Italian go-between.

Berlusconi was also described as a "physically and politically weak" leader whose "frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest,” according to Elizabeth Dibble, US charge d'affaires in Rome.

Other revelations likely to cause embarrassment in political circles include a U.S. embassy cable describing Afghan leader Hamid Karzai “an extremely weak man” who takes seriously “bizarre stories or plots against him.”

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 29 Nov 2010 14:13

Curse Wikileaks,

So much stuff all at once, the brains of analysts the world over would be overheating!