Wikileaks Diplomatic Cables

[SMC]

Only about 300 cables released so far according to BBC. That's about 0.1%.

 

[Abhishek_]

Cables claim China not for UNSC reforms

China was opposed to any move that would “dilute” the powers of the five permanent members of the Security Council, and told the U.S. last year to not be “proactive” on pushing forward reforms, leaked U.S. embassy cables suggest.

A top Chinese official reportedly told U.S. diplomats in Beijing in April last year China was concerned over the “building momentum” on reforms, amid increasing calls from countries such as Japan, Germany and India to expand the P-5 group.
No dilution

A cable from the U.S. embassy quotes Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei as telling U.S. diplomats China did not want the P-5 “club” to be “diluted”. If expanded to a “P-10” group, Mr. He warned, both China and the U.S. “would be in trouble”.

Mr. He's reported comments will likely embarrass China, contradicting its official position that it strongly supports reforms that give priority to developing nations, including India.

While it is widely understood that the P-5 have reservations on having their voice — and veto powers — diluted, the exchange lays bare the nature of China's concerns, going beyond diplomatic positions.

The cable reveals China's particular aversion to Japan getting a seat, with Mr. He reportedly saying “it would be difficult for the Chinese public to accept Japan as a permanent member of the UNSC”.
Japan's role

The reported exchange took place well before the U.S. voiced support for India's bid for a permanent seat during President Barack Obama's recent visit. The U.S. had earlier voiced more unambiguous support for Japan's candidature. While India is not mentioned in the exchange, the official at the U.S. embassy told Mr. He “it was hard to envision any expansion of the Council that did not include Japan, which was the second-largest contributor to the U.N. budget”.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it would not comment on any information contained in the leaked cables.

The Hindu : News / International : Cables claim China not for UNSC reforms

 

[MST]

Pakistan army chief considered coup: leaked cables


Pakistan's army chief mused about forcing out civilian president Asif Ali Zardari, who in turn has made preparations for a coup or assassination, leaked US diplomatic cables revealed today.

The latest tranche of memos obtained by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and reported by The New York Times and The Guardian, also showed the United States was more concerned than it let on publicly about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

General Ashfaq Kayani, chief of Pakistan's powerful military, told the US ambassador during a March 2009 meeting that he "might, however reluctantly," pressure Mr Zardari to resign, according to a cable cited by the Times.

General Kayani was quoted as saying he might support Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of the Awami National League Party, as the new president - not Mr Zardari's arch-nemesis, Nawaz Sharif.

In another cable quoted by both newspapers, US vice-president Joe Biden told Britain's then-prime minister, Gordon Brown, about a conversation with Mr Zardari last year.

Mr Zardari told him that General Kayani and the Inter-Services Intelligence agency "will take me out", according to the cable.

The Guardian said the cables also showed Mr Zardari had made extensive preparations in case he was killed.

Mr Zardari is the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.

He took power in 2008, returning Pakistan to civilian leadership after nearly a decade under military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Tensions between Mr Zardari and the army are no secret, and Pakistan often witnesses coup rumours.

After Mr Kayani met in September with Mr Zardari and prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the now-exiled Mr Musharraf quipped: "I can assure you they were not discussing the weather."

The cables also laid bare US frustrations at what officials see as Pakistan's refusal to cut off ties with extremists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is blamed for carrying out the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai.

"There is no chance that Pakistan will view enhanced assistance levels in any field as sufficient compensation for abandoning support for these groups, which it sees as an important part of its national security apparatus against India," ambassador Anne Patterson said in a cable quoted by the Times.

The cables show the United States was mindful of Pakistani sensitivities about cooperation - both on military action and on Islamabad's prized nuclear arsenal.

One memo quoted by the Times said 12 US Special Operations soldiers had deployed with Pakistani troops near the Afghan border.

The cables also touch on allegations of extrajudicial killings by Pakistani forces, according to the Times.

A cable last year suggested there was credible evidence the Pakistani army or paramilitary forces killed some detainees after an offensive against Taliban insurgents in lawless north-western regions.

The embassy said news of killings should not be leaked to the press, for fear of offending the Pakistani army.

However, this year the United States said it would cut off support for some Pakistani units following the release of a video that appeared to show extra-judicial killings.

- AFP

 

[pakdefender]

While the following has been posted before , it interesting to see that Mexico and Italy are also opposed to adding the 'self-appointed frontrunners' as permanent members of the UNSC

-- International deliberations regarding UNSC expansion among
key groups of countries: self-appointed frontrunners for
permanent UNSC membership Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan (the Group of Four or G-4); the Uniting for Consensus group
(especially Mexico, Italy, and Pakistan) that opposes
additional permanent UNSC seats; the African Group; and the
EU, as well as key UN officials within the Secretariat and
the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Presidency.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/07/09STATE80163.html

 

[pakdefender]

Indian nukes under IAEA survelance

¶11. (SBU) Asked about progress toward safeguards
implementation in India, Rauf confirmed the GOI had submitted
a "formal list" of facilities that was not a document the
Agency would characterize as a formal declaration under its
safeguards agreement. India was under no mandatory timeline
to make its declaration as it was not an NPT signatory.
(Comment: Rauf's characterization was flat wrong. Mission
had learned from the Safeguards Department three weeks before
this meeting that India had officially "notified" two new
facilities (Raps 5 and 6) under its 2008 safeguards
agreement, that surveillance systems had been installed, and
the facilities were under safeguards. End Comment.)

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/12/09UNVIEVIENNA540.html

 

[pakdefender]

Indian-origin company supplying nuclear-related material to Iran

¶1. (S) A well-connected Iranian businessman who owns a
Baku-based oil services company told Baku Iran watcher that a
company called "INSULTEC," owned by UK citizens of Indian
origin, has secretly provided cladding, thermal insulation,
and ancillary equipment to the government of Iran in a
variety of shipments via Turkey and the U.A.E. According to
the Baku source, whose company operates in Russia,
Kazakhstan, and the U.A.E. as well as Azerbaijan, the
materials allegedly sent by INSULTEC in falsely labeled
containers were of type that could be used in nuclear reactor
construction.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/03/09BAKU179.html

 

[Indestructible]

General Kayani was quoted as saying he might support Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of the Awami National League Party, as the new president - not Mr Zardari's arch-nemesis, Nawaz Sharif.

What???

 

[sensenreason]

While the following has been posted before , it interesting to see that Mexico and Italy are also opposed to adding the 'self-appointed frontrunners' as permanent members of the UNSC



http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/07/09STATE80163.html

Self appointed is the correct phrase to use. US anyways have since Feb,2010 changed their stance on this issue. It doesnt add to much.

 

[sensenreason]

Indian-origin company supplying nuclear-related material to Iran
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/03/09BAKU179.html

Its a company run by an Indian origin guy and not an Indian origin company. Even if it is so, he might be following AQK s lead as he is the undisputed King of proliferation with China and NK as close seconds.

 

[sensenreason]

Indian nukes under IAEA survelance

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/12/09UNVIEVIENNA540.html

It shows India is fulfilling its obligations, one of the requisites for India-US Nuke deal.

 

[pakdefender]

Its a company run by an Indian origin guy and not an Indian origin company. Even if it is so, he might be following AQK s lead as he is the undisputed King of proliferation with China and NK as close seconds.

INSULTEC has maintained a sanctions-evading relationship
with Iranian government companies for some time. Source said
that the company was officially headquartered in the U.K.,
and has offices in Germany, the USA, and elsewhere, its
manufacturing base and the bulk of its staff are in India.

read the whole thing
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2009/03/09BAKU179.html

 

[pakdefender]

It shows India is fulfilling its obligations, one of the requisites for India-US Nuke deal.

it also shows that the India-US deal has strings attached to it and they will be monitoring india nuke plants.

 

[pakdefender]

Pakistan 'doesnt seem to care' about getting isolated on nuke issues

¶4. (S/NF) Levitte asked when the administration was planning
on pushing for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT), as U.S. ratification would be key to Chinese
ratification, the true French goal. U/S Tauscher said that
getting the post-START treaty ratified would be a first
priority, but that discussions of CTBT would start soon,
including an upcoming report by the National Academy of
Sciences. Levitte stated that only when the U.S. ratifies
the CTBT will it be possible to put real pressure on the
Chinese. On a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT), Richier
said the French have "reason to believe" that China has been
pushing Pakistan to keep up its opposition to starting
negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament, adding that
Pakistan does not seem to care that it is isolated.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/10PARIS193.html

 

[pakdefender]

Russians believe the Iranian Ghadr-110 missile is similar to Pakistan's ShaheenII Missile

Russia said that in June 2008, it had received information
from the State Department that within the framework of the
Ashura program, Iran is producing a 3-stage missile called
the Ghadr-110. At that time, the U.S. told Russia that this
missile is very similar to the Pakistani Shaheen-II and has a
range of 2,000 km with a throw weight of one ton. Testing of
the Ghadr-110 may have started in 2008, and Russia would like
additional information on this system. The U.S. said that
there appeared to be some confusion: the Ashura is a
two-stage solid propellant missile with a 2,000 km range, and
the Ghadr-110 is the Fateh-110, a single-stage SRBM.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/10STATE17263.html

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari 'prepared for assassination'

WikiLeaks cables profiling husband of late Benazir Bhutto say he has named his successor should he also be killed

Declan Walsh
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 November 2010 21.56 GMT
Article history

Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, has arranged for his family to live in the UAE if he is assassinated, WikiLeaks cables say. Photograph: Ishara Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, whose wife, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in a suicide bombing, has made extensive preparations in case of his own assassination.

Last year Zardari told the US ambassador, Anne Patterson, that if he was assassinated, "he had instructed his son Bilawal to name his sister, Faryal Talpur, as president".

This year Zardari requested the United Arab Emirates to allow his family to live there in the event of his death. His wife lived in self-imposed exile in the UAE for years before her ill-fated return to Pakistan in 2007.

The cables provide a changing portrait of Zardari, America's key Pakistani ally along with the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani. A sharp-edged 2008 description of Zardari notes that he hails from a tribe with "little social standing" in Sindh; "there is a story that as children, Sindhis were told 'a Zardari stole it' if something went missing".

But later dispatches portray him as a more capable leader, with considerable political nous, although often burdened by his association with deep-seated corruption.

Zardari is frank about the strength of the Taliban – "I'm sorry to say this but we are not winning" the war against extremists he told the US vice-president, Joe Biden, in 2009 – and his own limitations.

"I am not Benazir, and I know it," he told the US ambassador after his wife's death.

And he fears a fresh army coup. Zardari said he was concerned that Kayani might "take me out", Biden reported to Gordon Brown during a meeting in Chile in 2009. Brown said he thought it unlikely.

The observations on Pakistan's often beleaguered president are part of several portraits about prominent Pakistani politicians that are dotted with insight, colour and some surprises.

In November 2007 Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the country's most fiercely pro-Taliban religious party, hosted a jovial dinner for Patterson at which he sought her backing to become prime minister and expressed a desire to visit America.

"All important parties in Pakistan had to get the approval" of the US, said his aide Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. After the meeting Patterson commented on the mullah's famously wily political skills. "He has made it clear that … his still significant number of votes are up for sale."

The cables also highlight the contradictions of other prominent Pakistanis. Officials noted that Amin Fahim, a Bhutto supporter hoping to become prime minister, led a religious Islamic group "while enjoying an occasional bloody mary".

The opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif had a "notoriously difficult personality" while his family is noted to have "relied primarily on the army and intelligence agencies for political elevation".

America's perceived influence on Pakistani power politics is a frequent theme. In a May 2008 meeting with a visiting American congressional delegation, Zardari said: "We won't act without consulting with you."

Sharif repeatedly told the US ambassador he was "pro-American", despite his often critical public stance. He thanked the US for "arranging" to have Kayani appointed as army chief. "The best thing America has done recently," he said.

"The fact that a former prime minister believes the US could control the appointment of Pakistan's chief of army staff speaks volumes about the myth of American influence here," the ambassador noted tartly afterwards.But some dispatches make it clear that the Americans do wield great clout. After General Pervez Musharraf resigned as president in 2008, ambassador Patterson pressed Zardari to grant him immunity from prosecution. "We believed, as we had often said, that Musharraf should have a dignified retirement and not be hounded out of the country," she said.

The US – and Kayani – worried that Zardari would renege on his word. "Zardari is walking tall these days, hopefully not too tall to forget his promise to Kayani and to us on an immunity deal," wrote Patterson.

If Zardari didn't protect Musharraf then it would make him look bad. "I have to bring the army along with me," he said, also noting that the delay "does nothing for Zardari's reputation for trustworthiness".

The notable exception to that US influence, however, is the former cricketer Imran Khan, who delivered a long lecture to visiting US politicians about the iniquities of US policy.

Welcoming the group at his grand home outside Islamabad, Khan hosted an "hour-long, largely one-sided, and somewhat uncomfortable conversation".

To defeat the Taliban the US had to understand the "tribal character" of the militants, he said, and described the Pakistani drive against the Taliban in 2009 as "stage-managed" for US consumption.

There are apercus in the cables into the often inscrutable military leaders. Kayani is "direct, frank, and thoughtful" and has "fond memories" of time spent on a military training course in the US. It is also noted that "he smokes heavily and can be difficult to understand as he tends to mumble." The Inter-Services Intelligence chief, Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, was "usually more emotional" than Kayani.

US diplomats also have a ringside seat to civilian wrangles. In February 2009 Zardari aide Farahnaz Ispahani said the president was "very unhappy" with the way the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, had "gone off the reservation". In 2008 Zardari said Fahim "had spent most of the [election] campaign in Dubai (with his latest 22 year-old wife) and was simply too lazy to be prime minister".

The cables also record embarrassing mistakes in the embassy's efforts to manage its relationships with Pakistan's power elite. Six months after his dinner with the ambassador, Rehman was less enamoured of US policy when the FBI issued a notice suggesting he had orchestrated a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

The embassy asked the FBI to urgently recall the notice – he had been confused with another man with a similar name. Rehman was a "frequent and co-operative interlocutor with post and professes his support for co-operation with the United States", the request said.

Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari 'prepared for assassination' | World news | The Guardian