- Title: BAHRAIN / IRAQ / SYRIA: Mideast concerns over WikiLeaks revelations
- Date: 30th November 2010
- Summary: REPORTER TALKING TO ADNAN HAYAJNEH, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HASHEMYAH (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADNAN HAYAJNEH, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HASHEMYAH, SAYING: "I think most of the people in the Middle East will have to rethink about role of the U.S. diplomats in their countries and what is their role, coming and going all a
- Embargoed: 15th December 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Communications
- Reuters ID: LVAD6LQV6ZUY0N4FNCVTCDXA3E8B
- Story Text: Classified U.S. diplomatic cables released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks and published in a handful of newspapers on Monday (November 29), have raised concerns in the Middle East about the role of the U.S. in the region.
The revelation is part of a massive dump of more than 250,000 diplomatic cables by the website WikiLeaks and given to five newspapers: The New York Times, the Guardian in London, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El Pais.
The cables provide candid and at times critical views of foreign leaders as well as sensitive information on terrorism and nuclear proliferation filed by U.S. diplomats.
"The Americans alleged that they occupied Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction, but in these documents it was displayed that they had some negotiations with some terrorist groups in Iraq -- and you know this is a very bad situation," said Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian parliament, before a meeting of Asian parliamentary representatives in Syria.
Among the revelations in Britain's Guardian newspaper, one of several publications with advance access to the cables, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah had "frequently exhorted the U.S. to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program."
"He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report of a meeting between Abdullah and U.S. general David Petraeus in April 2008.
"Iran is an Islamic state that we do not allow to be threatened. And the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) has already announced that it calls for a nuclear weapon-free region. But concerning Iran's right to have peaceful experiments, of course it is a legitimate right for all the nations if this right were under the international supervision," Head of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al-Sheikh, told Reuters.
Adnan Hayajneh, professor of political science at Jordan's University of Hashemyah, said the leaks put U.S. diplomatic activity in the Middle East under scrutiny.
"I think most of the people in the Middle East will have to rethink about role of the U.S. diplomats in their countries and what is their role, coming and going all around the country. Even in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Arab world, people have to be wary of what these diplomats are looking for," Hayajneh said.
The U.S. government condemned the release, saying it could compromise private discussions with foreign leaders and endanger the lives of named individuals living "under oppressive regimes."
Some 220 cables were posted by WikiLeaks on a dedicated page, cablegate.wikileaks.org. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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