{"id":7899,"date":"2010-12-07T01:37:09","date_gmt":"2010-12-07T06:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=7899"},"modified":"2010-12-07T01:37:09","modified_gmt":"2010-12-07T06:37:09","slug":"wikileaks-bellemare-has-no-case-against-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wikileaks-bellemare-has-no-case-against-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Wikileaks: Bellemare “has no case” against Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/213.251.145.96\/cable\/2008\/05\/08BEIRUT586.html
\nSUBJECT: LEBANON: JUMBLATT ON POSSIBLE NEW UNSCR, NATIONAL
\nDIALOGUE; RIZK ON UNIIIC EXTENSION
\nHESITATION OVER A NEW UNSCR, OPEN DISCUSSION ON 1559
\nNSC FOR ABRAMS\/SINGH\/YERGER\/GAVITO<\/p>\n

9. (C) Jumblatt said the Special Tribunal was \u201cnot enough\u201d to intimidate Syria. Rizk chimed in to acknowledge that work on the Special Tribunal was \u201cfrightening to Syria until recently.\u201d Both agreed that Syrian President Bashar Assad won\u2019t care about the Tribunal in a year\u2019s time. Rizk repeated his concerns that UNIIIC Commissioner Daniel Bellemare had stated to some that he \u201chas no case.\u201d<\/strong> Rizk said the U.S. can help by directing Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to ask the UN SYG to impress upon Bellemare the importance of his role as prosecutor for the Tribunal…..<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Guardian (GB): US embassy cables: Syrian spy chief’s surprise appearance at US talks<\/a>
\n2010-12-06
\nWednesday, 24 February 2010, 14:08 S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000159 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR P, NEA, S\/CT EO 12958 DECL: 02\/24\/2020 TAGS PTER, PREL, PGOV, SY SUBJECT: SYRIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF ATTENDS CT DIALOGUE WITH S\/CT BENJAMIN Classified By: CDA …<\/p>\n

MAMLOUK DESCRIBES GID’S METHODS<\/p>\n

5……Mamlouk repeatedly stressed his attendance at the meeting did not signal the commencement of security and intelligence cooperation between Syria and the U.S., but could be a starting point for “a blueprint for that which is not yet started.” Echoing Miqdad, Mamlouk said progress on political issues in the Syrian-U.S. bilateral relationship was “closely connected” to progress on possible cooperation on security and intelligence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. (S\/NF) The GID Director said Syria had been more successful than the U.S. and other countries in the region in fighting terrorist groups because “we are practical and not theoretical.” He stated Syria’s success is due to its penetration of terrorist groups. “In principle, we don’t attack or kill them immediately. Instead, we embed ourselves in them and only at the opportune moment do we move.” Describing the process of planting embeds in terrorist organizations as “complex,” Mamlouk said the result had yielded been the detention of scores of terrorists, stamping out terror cells, and stopping hundreds of terrorists from entering Iraq. Mamlouk acknowledged some terrorists were still slipping into Iraq from Syria. “By all means we will continue to do all this, but if we start cooperation with you it will lead to better results and we can better protect our interests,” he concluded.<\/p>\n

7. (S\/NF) According to Mamlouk, Syria’s previous experience in cooperating with the U.S. on intelligence “was not a happy one.” He stated Syria hoped any future cooperation would be “on an equal basis.” Mamlouk specified this meant Syria should be allowed to “take the lead” on anti-terrorism efforts. Alluding to the “wealth of information” Syria has obtained while penetrating terrorist groups, Mamlouk declared “we have a lot of experience and know these groups. This is our area, and we know it. We are on the ground, and so we should take the lead.”<\/p>\n

…. Miqdad stressed a “political umbrella” of improved U.S.-Syrian bilateral relations should facilitate counterterrorism cooperation….<\/p>\n

13. (S\/NF) Third, Miqdad stated convincing the Syrian people to support cooperation with the U.S. would hinge on progress on economic sanctions against Syria<\/strong>, including spare parts for airplanes and a plane for President Asad. The Vice Foreign Minister said the Syrians wanted these efforts “accelerated.” Miqdad specifically requested the USG reach out to Lufthansa Technik and “assure them of no negative consequences” if they cooperate with Syrian requests to have the purchase of spare aircraft parts approved. In response, Benjamin said the Obama administration viewed counterterrorism as a vital concern but, unlike its predecessor, it did not see counterterrorism as something that was separate from the rest of U.S. foreign policy or the sole driver of U.S. foreign policy. <\/strong>Rather, it was part of the fabric of policy, and the administration recognized that progress in bilateral relations would involve coordinated moves in a number of areas. Benjamin added the U.S. expected that the Syrian people would see the benefits of closer relations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

14. (S\/NF) Miqdad also encouraged the U.S. to reconsider including Syria on the TSA’s list for enhanced screening, and praised U\/S Burns for informing the SARG that the U.S. was prepared to lift its block on Syrian accession to the World Trade Organization.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hariri investigation was bogged down by ‘insane’ bureaucracy, non-cooperation from world powers<\/a>
\nBrammertz said it was obvious the 14 bombings were linked to the Hariri assassination
\nBy Patrick Galey, Daily Star
\nMonday, December 06, 2010<\/p>\n

BEIRUT: The preliminary United Nations probe into the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was hamstrung by \u201cinsane\u201d internal bureaucracy and non-cooperation from world governments, according to leaked diplomatic documents seen by The Daily Star.<\/p>\n

Successive cables sent from the US Embassy in Beirut and seen exclusively by The Daily Star also appear to show how previously unheard-of US surveillance data on Lebanon was requested by the commissioner of the United Nations International Independent Investigative Committee (UNIIIC)<\/p>\n

In a 2006 discussion with former US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, UNIIIC Commissioner Serge Brammertz is said to have lamented burdensome UN processes which were hindering his investigation.<\/p>\n

Brammertz told Feltman that \u201cadministrative delays with the UN\u2019s bureaucracy have taken up 50 to 70 percent of his time in the last month and have significantly hindered the UNIIIC\u2019s efficacy and progress,\u201d a cable sent on July 7 said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the delays appeared to be the result of a cumbersome UN bureaucracy, which seemed to affect everything from the UNIIIC\u2019s hiring procedures to housing issues and even its food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UNIIIC commissioner is said to have delivered successive anecdotes detailing a flawed and time-consuming hiring process and severe staff shortages in the investigation\u2019s most critical stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the point of waiting five months to hire someone when the Commission only has five months to do its work?\u201d Brammertz is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

Turning to the issue of international cooperation with investigator\u2019s requests, Brammertz alleged that France \u2013 a long-time vocal supporter of the probe into Hariri\u2019s death \u2013 had been particularly \u201cflatly non-cooperative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Brammertz asked this country\u2019s ambassador in Lebanon for access to interview a suspect in that country\u2019s territory, the ambassador came back with all kinds of conditions about how the interview would take place, how the testimony could or could not be used, in order to comply with EU standards. Brammertz said, \u2018I told him, if you were Syria, I would write in my report that you refused to cooperate with the investigation. He was shocked, of course, but it\u2019s true. I\u2019ve had better cooperation from Syria than some of the EU countries.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In an earlier meeting with Feltman on July 6, 2006 \u2013 16 months after Hariri\u2019s death and over a year after the investigation began \u2013 Brammertz is said to have advised that there was no legal basis for the four generals\u2019 continued detention.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrammertz explained that, if any sort of international legal standards were applied, the four generals would be released immediately. At the same time, however, he acknowledged that doing so would be a political disaster for Lebanon,\u201d a cable on the meeting read.<\/p>\n

Brammertz, who succeeded Detlev Mehlis as UNIIIC commissioner, reportedly labeled three now-discredited witnesses \u2013 whose testimonies were used in the four generals\u2019 incarceration \u2013 as completely unreliable. He suggested Mehlis had overstepped his jurisdiction in advising the four be detained.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrammertz said that much of his work, though, is focused on completing three \u2018legacy projects,\u2019 final appraisals of the testimony provided by Zuhair Mohammad Siddiq, Hussam Hussam, and \u2018X,\u2019 a \u2018protected witness located in a Nordic country,\u2019\u201d Feltman\u2019s cable said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs he prepared his final evaluation of each witness, Brammertz said he could discount most of the testimony from all three. Maybe 20 percent of Siddiq\u2019s testimony was based on fact, Brammertz suggested, but his credibility as a witness is so low that none of his testimony would stand up in court. He described Hussam also as an unreliable witness, but suggested that he probably does have important information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brammertz also apparently ruled out all of the Syrian government\u2019s involvement in the crime \u2013 a startling confession given the relatively early stage of the investigations of the UNIIIC.<\/p>\n

\u201cSyria has five different state security apparatuses. I can\u2019t imagine that an order came down from the president and worked its way through all the security services and until they killed Hariri,\u201d Brammertz is quoted as saying. \u201cIf anything, you probably had one security service involved, and the order came from on high and, how high, we\u2019ll have to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a separate cable detailing the arguments of Jamil as-Sayyed\u2019s lawyer, the US Embassy advised: \u201cThat Brammertz is worried about [Lebanon\u2019s] continued ability to detain the four generals is cause for us to worry as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cable continued: \u201cBesides having a seismic effect on the political situation here, Sayyed\u2019s release might well have security implications for us as a diplomatic missions. If Sayyed gets out, he is going to be angry and seeking payback, and he is going to see the United States as at least partly responsible for his interrogation by the UNIIIC and his long months in detention.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/213.251.145.96\/cable\/2008\/05\/08BEIRUT586.html SUBJECT: LEBANON: JUMBLATT ON POSSIBLE NEW UNSCR, NATIONAL DIALOGUE; RIZK ON UNIIIC EXTENSION HESITATION OVER A NEW UNSCR, OPEN DISCUSSION ON 1559 NSC FOR ABRAMS\/SINGH\/YERGER\/GAVITO 9. (C) Jumblatt said the Special Tribunal was \u201cnot enough\u201d to intimidate Syria. Rizk chimed in to acknowledge that work on the Special Tribunal was \u201cfrightening to Syria until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16,30,22],"tags":[465],"class_list":["post-7899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hariri","category-iraq","category-lebanon","tag-wikileaks"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nWikileaks: Bellemare "has no case" against Syria - Syria Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wikileaks-bellemare-has-no-case-against-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wikileaks: Bellemare "has no case" against Syria - Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"http:\/\/213.251.145.96\/cable\/2008\/05\/08BEIRUT586.html SUBJECT: LEBANON: JUMBLATT ON POSSIBLE NEW UNSCR, NATIONAL DIALOGUE; RIZK ON UNIIIC EXTENSION HESITATION OVER A NEW UNSCR, OPEN DISCUSSION ON 1559 NSC FOR ABRAMS\/SINGH\/YERGER\/GAVITO 9. 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