-Caveat Lector-

-----Original Message-----
From: Martin H. Katchen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Lee Markland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 3:29 AM
Subject: Fw: NBC: UNSCOM linked to U.S. espionage, Annan very upset and
investigating ties



-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Nalty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 11:54 PM
Subject: CAS: NBC: UNSCOM linked to U.S. espionage, Annan very upset and
investigating ties


>http://www.msnbc.com/news/229398.asp
>
>UNSCOM linked to U.S. espionage
>
>U.S. used U.N. facilities to eavesdrop on Saddam,
>sources tell NBC News;
>
>U.N.’s Annan ‘very upset’ and investigating ties
>
>MSNBC
>WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 —  U.S. intelligence agencies used U.N. arms
>inspectors’ facilities to tap into the most sensitive communications of
>Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his colleagues in an effort to topple
>his regime, several sources tell NBC News. Other sources confirmed that
>U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is investigating the relationship
>between U.N. weapons inspectors and two U.S. intelligence agencies — the
>CIA and the National Security Agency — as first reported in the
>Washington Post in its Wednesday edition.
>
>       THE PRIMARY FOCUS of the Annan investigation, which began in
>November, is a purported eavesdropping capability built into the network
>of the U.N. Special Commission, known as UNSCOM, the agency in charge of
>eliminating Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, two advisers to Annan
>told NBC News. UNSCOM uses 27 radio towers throughout Iraq to relay
>video from 211 monitoring sites and Annan wants to know if the towers
>were used to intercept Iraqi communications and to relay them to U.S.
>intelligence.
>       Eighteen of the 27 towers are in Baghdad and are ideally located
>for eavesdropping on Saddam’s office, said one adviser.
>       “We believe the intelligence operations is ongoing and that even
>with UNSCOM inspectors out of Iraq, it is possible it is still operating
>today,” said one adviser.
>       The two advisers, who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity,
>said that Annan was “very upset” and that the U.N. chief weapons
>inspector Richard Butler “has built himself the world’s biggest
>doghouse.” U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
><Picture: Image: Annan>       Annan’s office believes the operation
>began during the tenure of Butler’s predecessor, Rolf Ekeus, now the
>Swedish ambassador to the United States. According to Annan confidants
>quoted by the Post, Butler denied the reports of eavesdropping when
>questioned by the secretary general.
>       One adviser said the operation, if confirmed, would permit Iraq
>to claim again that UNSCOM is a nest of spies.
>
>       The future of UNSCOM has been in doubt ever since the inspectors
>left Iraq shortly before the U.S. and British airstrikes against Iraq
>Dec. 16-19 to punish Iraq for not complying with arms inspectors.
>       The arms inspectors accuse Baghdad of blocking their efforts and
>Iraq has in turn repeatedly accused UNSCOM officials of espionage.
>
>LISTENING TO SADDAM
>       According to NBC sources, the groundwork was laid for the U.S.
>intelligence agencies to spy on Iraq in 1993, when former UNSCOM chief
>Ekeus sought the United States help in gathering intelligence in order
>to locate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. At first, CIA officials
>insisted they “take over and direct” the operation, but UNSCOM refused
>and instead sought assistance from Great Britian, Australia and Israel,
>the sources said. A year later, the U.S. agreed to cooperate with
>UNSCOM.
>       In March of 1998, UNSCOM achieved what a source described as “the
>greatest intelligence breakthrough since the end of the cold war,”
>allowing it to tap directly into Saddam’s radio telephone systems and
>listen not only to details of his weapons systems, but private insights
>into the leadership structure of his regime.
>       The sources report that when the United States learned of the
>development, it tried to take over the operation and UNSCOM resisted. In
>fact, Washington was prepared to override UNSCOM and launch its own
>communications intercept satellite in August, but failed when the Titan
>IV rocket carrying the spy satellite blew up on launch.
>       In addition to the eavesdropping, U.S. intelligence agencies also
>used UNSCOM information and monitoring equipment to target Iraqi sites
>during the U.S.-British airstrikes last month, the sources said. In some
>cases, the TV monitors provided live pictures to offices in the United
>States, allowing the agencies to watch the sites being destroyed “live”
>on TV.
>       U.S. officials confirm that the Washington Post had some of the
>story several months ago, but was persuaded not to run it for national
>security reasons by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, National
>Security Adviser Sandy Berger and CIA Director George Tenet.
>
>UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR UNSCOM
>       UNSCOM chief Butler has been a frequent target of Iraqi criticism
>and some of the advisers who spoke to the Washington Post acknowledged
>that Annan was trying to place pressure on him to resign in the hopes
>that his successor might have a smoother relationship with Iraq and its
>Security Council allies.
>       Annan accumulated enough evidence on the eavesdropping, some
>through intermediaries passing on classified U.S. information, to ask
>Butler about the reports last month, the Post said. According to two of
>the confidants, Butler denied them to Annan.
>       “A number of member states have assisted UNSCOM in various
>aspects of its work, and one of those is the United States.” Butler told
>the Post Tuesday night. “But as far as I am concerned I have always been
>assiduous in insisting that any assistance given to us be strictly
>related to our disarmament mandate. I have never approved of any
>assistance to any member state which would serve their unilateral
>purpose.”
>       A Clinton administration official, speaking on condition of
>anonymity, told the Post, “We’ve already established that Saddam’s
>personal security apparatus and the apparatus that conceals weapons of
>mass destruction are one and the same.” Distinguishing between them
>would be impossible for intelligence-gathering efforts, he added.
>       The CIA, State Department and White House declined Post requests
>for formal comment.
>       Two advisers quoted by the Post suggested that Annan was allowing
>news of his investigation to be released as a way of raising the issue
>without formally confronting the United States.
>       Annan “would like to see the news media report this, and let the
>chips fall where they may,” said one adviser.
>       Annan’s investigation is being headed by American John Ruggie,
>assistant U.N. secretary general and former dean of the Columbia
>University School of Diplomacy, and Andrew Mack, Annan’s director of
>strategic planning and former chair of the Department of International
>Relations at the Australian National University.
>
>       NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and Robert Windrem and The Associated
>Press contributed to this report.
>
>
>==========================================================================
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